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Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.2017 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

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2 — 85 parts
3 — 139 parts

Text

1.1

Preface to the Collection on the Common Return of the Myriad Good Practices

Composed by Shen Zhen, Gentleman for Court Audiences, Probationary Lesser Lord of the Court of the National Granaries, Retired, Commandant of Light Chariots, Founding Baron of Changxing County, with a Fief of Three Hundred Households, Granted the Crimson Fish Bag.

1.3

Upon reflecting, for the four seas to enjoy vastness, without gathering streams they could not be filled; to ascend to the venerated daśabhūmi, without gathering good practices they could not be perfected. Thus, that which is unfathomably deep depends upon prolonged accumulation and gathering; that sagehood which is incomprehensible depends upon diligent, accumulated cultivation. Furthermore, the Marvelous Awakened One bequeathed his words, and his profound penetration established the teachings; if in a single hair[-tip] one inclines toward the good, one can transcend the defilements of the traidhātuka. One must awake and asleep hold to the true purport, extolling the path of awakening, hoping to mature through gradual honing and attaining diligence through continuous drilling and looking upward. Yet, being neither sage nor ordinary, it lies in delusion or awakening; desiring to ascend deep into the realm of the sages, one must swiftly reform the ordinary mind. It is not fostered by a single matter, but must be trained and practiced through many gateways. Some teachings are subtle and wondrous, displaying the fine model of Folong; some Chan principles are deeply blended, flourishing with the fair reputation of Caoxi. One must not grasp at emptiness and abandon existence; one must not turn one's back on the real and follow nothingness. The key lies in explaining provisional expedients so that they return to dharmatā; once provisional and real are both understood, empty space can endure. Therefore, the accomplished turn things to illumine the mind, which may be called wondrous function; the deluded cling to the text and are obstructed by the teaching—how can that be called all-penetrating? Some bear the burden of the sūtra-dragons, some strictly observe the vinaya-tigers; some reverently and sincerely gaze upon and pay homage to the serene countenance; some diligently circumambulate the pure room; some recite with their mouths the venerable name, some contemplate in their minds the Land of Peace and Joy; some offer provisions to upāsakas without valuing the rich and slighting the poor; some give to dānapatis without adding to the pleasant and subtracting from the unpleasant. Where matters are equal, the benefits are likewise abundant. Generally, relying on vinaya and relying on Chan, one should draw upon great blessings; making sūtras and making images, one must depend on manifold actions. Do not say that possessing innate virtue means mind itself is Buddha. In transcending from the ordinary to the sagely, there has never been an uncultivated Śākyamuni; in entering the real from the false, there has never been an unrealized Bodhidharma. It depends on human beings honoring the Way; it is not that the Buddhas have different paths. Always value vigorous diligence; never indulge in indolence and ease. Treasure the brief instant of a split second, and investigate the fundamental source of the Great Way. If but a single basket of earth is lacking, how could the towering mountain be formed? If the triyāna were abandoned, it would be difficult to ascend the gate of compassion and patience. Then let there be no self-conceit, and let there be no abandoning the good of others. One must seek complete virtue before doubts can be questioned. Mind is not non-mind; Dharma is not non-dharma. The essential lies in mind transmitting mind to seal and confirm, Dharma imparting Dharma from teacher to disciple. Rather than being stuck on goodness in a single corner, one should vigorously apply oneself to the myriad practices. The seed of bodhi can be planted, and the direction of Sukhāvatī can be cultivated. Understanding the principles, one ascends to Tuṣita; bewildered by them, one sinks into Avīci. If words are like self-binding mire, it is like sailing a boat without water; if one's nature is slightly penetrated, [words] are not a raft used to cross the river. Past sages and future sages all relied on this mind; that time and this time—how has the Dharma ever differed? Alas! Dharma is present yet not present; mind is empty yet not empty. Having no cultivation yet leaving nothing uncultivated, even true cultivation is obliterated; having no abiding yet leaving nowhere unabided, even true abiding is gone. Pity those sentient beings: possessing this one nature, which is originally neither good nor evil, they are swayed by external things; if not clarified through cultivation, how can they hit the mark? If the gates can be shut against them, and if one relies on wondrous good, this can be called the true return. Therefore, the detailed words of former sages enable later generations to learn by following conditions; thus, one gathers the headings of the teachings to instruct and guide deluded sentiments.

1.4

Chan Master Zhijue, whose nature was enlightened and whose faculty was rounded, possessed abundant talent and reached the bounds of learning. His accumulated habits from past lives tallied with all dharmas; his dissemination in the present age accorded with all Buddhas. He regarded others as himself; he contemplated others' minds as his own mind. He once composed the Collection on the Common Return of the Myriad Good Practices in three fascicles—upper, middle, and lower—in order to encourage all who have karmic affinity. Be they eminent figures in crimson and purple robes, lineages of the Dharma in black and yellow robes, good men and good women, those of lofty conduct and lofty talent: as long as they are utmost in reverence and utmost in diligence, there is no distinction between noble and base. It is truly a good medicine for benefiting living beings and a key ford showing how to seek the Buddha; it gathers the Dharma-words of various sūtras and various treatises to serve as an exemplar for those not yet awakened and not yet knowing. Encouraging and guiding in every way, observing cultivation with scrupulous care, it will forever remain the balance for Brahmā's flowers and the standard for the Chan lineage.

1.5

Now, Master of the Canon Zhiru of Fahui Cloister has long possessed a benevolent nature and personally practiced the sagely guidelines. Seeing virtue, he aligns with the virtue of others; seeing goodness, he aligns with the goodness of others. Compiling the treatises and writings of enlightened masters, he raises an exemplar for a different age; the blessings and benefits here are profound, and the upāya not few. Moreover, emptying his own coin-pouches and readily putting forth his humble resources, he took the initiative in leading this grand undertaking, and went on to solicit the aid of the eminent and bright. Noble affinities having assembled, this capable task was bound to proceed. Carving the printing blocks to complete the volume, he values self-cultivation with a mirror to reflect upon, seeking to transmit it to imperishability. Undeservedly relying on one without talent—as my nature is benighted, unable to penetrate subtle words and missing the pivotal essentials—yet having unexpectedly received this kind request, I could hardly decline with firmness. I briefly set forth the basic outline, daring not to shun reproach. Prefaced on the seventh day of the intercalary seventh month in the fifth year of the Xining reign era of the Sagely Song [1072 CE].

1.6

Composed by Yanshou, Chan Master Zhijue of Huiri Yongming Si in Hangzhou.

1.7

Now, that whereto the myriad goods return takes dharmatā as its ancestral source. It is like empty space containing and taking in, like the earth generating and giving birth; therefore, as long as one accords with tathatā, one naturally encompasses the myriad virtues. Yet, without moving from the bhūta-koṭi, the myriad practices constantly arise; without destroying conditioned arising, the dharmadhātu is ever-manifest; stillness does not obstruct functioning, and the conventional does not contradict the ultimate; existence and non-existence are viewed equally, uniform in a single limit. Therefore, the myriad dharmas are mind-only, and one must broadly practice the various perfections; one must not stubbornly sit in foolish emptiness, thereby stagnating true cultivation. If one wishes the myriad practices to arise together, one must ultimately rely on principle and phenomena; principle and phenomena being non-obstructed, the Way lies in the middle. Thereby one accomplishes the benefit of both self and other, rounding out the compassion of identical substance; encompassing from beginning to end, one accomplishes inexhaustible practice.

1.8

When discussing principle and phenomena, the profound purport is difficult to clarify; investigating them in detail, they are neither one nor different. Thus, the principle of real nature and the phenomena of empty marks thoroughly penetrate each other in power and function, unfolding and rolling up simultaneously. Their substance is completely pervasive without distinction, yet in their traces, active and passive appear distinct. Phenomena are established through principle, yet do not conceal principle to become phenomena; principle is manifested through phenomena, yet does not destroy phenomena to reveal principle. Supporting each other, they each stand; containing each other, both are empty; concealing and revealing, they arise reciprocally; being non-obstructed, they manifest together. Mutually negating and mutually seizing, they are neither existent nor empty; mutually identical and mutually completing, they are neither eternal nor annihilated. If one abandons phenomena to investigate principle, one falls into the foolishness of the śrāvakas; if one abandons principle to practice phenomena, one is identical to the grasping of ordinary people. You should know: apart from principle there are no phenomena, just as the entirety of water is waves; apart from phenomena there is no principle, just as the entirety of waves is water. Principle is not phenomena, for motion and wetness are not the same; phenomena are not principle, for active and passive are each distinct. Neither principle nor phenomena, the ultimate and the conventional are both obliterated; both principle and phenomena, the two truths are ever-established. Both illumined, they are provisional, appearing vividly as illusions; both negated, they are empty, completely stilled as in a dream. Neither empty nor provisional, the madhyamā-pratipad is ever-luminous; without disturbing causes and conditions, how could the substance of principle be diminished? Therefore, the bodhisattva takes non-attainment as upāya, traversing existence without violating emptiness; relying on the reality-limit, he establishes teaching gates, treading upon the real without obstructing the conventional. Constantly kindling the torch of wisdom without dimming the light of the mind, his clouds spread the gates of compassion, and his waves surge across the ocean of practices; thus he mingles with the dust without obstruction, free to follow conditions, and all his actions are nothing other than the work of the Buddha.

1.9

Therefore, the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra says: 'The one mind is replete with the myriad practices.' The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Muktaka Śreṣṭhin told Sudhana: "If I wish to see Amitābha Buddha of Sukhāvatī, I see him at will; and so forth up to all the Buddhas of the ten directions that I see, all proceed from my own mind. Good son! You should know that a bodhisattva cultivating all Buddhadharmas, purifying all Buddha-lands, accumulating wondrous practices, taming sentient beings, and making great vows—all of these proceed entirely from his own mind. Therefore, good son, you should assist your own mind with good dharmas; you should moisten your own mind with the water of the Dharma; you should cleanse and purify your own mind regarding sense-objects; you should consolidate your own mind through vigorous effort; you should make your own mind bright and sharp through wisdom; you should open and develop your own mind through the Buddha's mastery; you should broaden and magnify your own mind through the Buddha's equanimity; you should illumine and inspect your own mind through the Buddha's ten powers."'

1.10

A master of old explained: 'Mind encompasses the myriad dharmas means not only that contemplating the Buddha in a single thought proceeds from one's own mind, but that the bodhisattva's myriad practices and the substance and function of the fruit of buddhahood also do not depart from mind, which also eliminates the fault of deluded grasping. This refers to the calculation that says: "The myriad dharmas are all mind, and leaving it to itself is Buddha; rushing about in the myriad practices, is that not empty toil?" Now it clarifies: "Although mind is itself Buddha, it has long been obscured by defilements and toil; therefore, one enhances cultivation through the myriad practices to make it sparkling and translucent. It only says the myriad practices proceed from mind; it does not say that non-cultivation is correct. Furthermore, the myriad dharmas are themselves mind; how could cultivating obstruct the mind?"'

1.11

Question: 'The ancestral master said: "Do not think of good or evil at all, and you will naturally enter the substance of the mind." The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "All conditioned phenomena are impermanent; this is the dharma of arising and ceasing." Why do you encourage cultivation, thereby contradicting the teachings of the patriarchs?'

1.12

Answer: "The ancestral masters' intent relied on the fundamental tenet, while scriptural passages shatter attachments. The Sudden Teaching of the Chan tradition obliterates characteristics and departs from conditions, banishing both emptiness and existence, with substance and function both tranquil. The consummate purport of the Huayan, however, possesses all virtues simultaneously: principle and practice are unfolded side by side, and compassion and wisdom aid each other. Thus Mañjuśrī seals practice with principle, so that the meaning of distinctions is not diminished; Samantabhadra adorns principle with practice, so that the gate of the fundamental is not abandoned. The root and the branch are of one limit; ordinary beings and sages share the same source. Without destroying the conventional, the ultimate is marked; without departing from the ultimate, the conventional is established. Possessing the eye of wisdom, one does not sink into saṃsāra; exercising a compassionate heart, one does not linger in nirvāṇa. Taking the existence of the three realms as the function of bodhi, one dwells in the ocean of afflictions while opening the ford to nirvāṇa. Indeed, the myriad good practices are the provisions for a bodhisattva to enter sageliness; the various actions are the gradual stages by which the Buddhas aid the Path. If one has eyes but no feet, how could one reach the clear, cool pool? If one attains the real but forgets the expedient, how could one ascend to the realm of sovereign ease? Therefore, upāya and prajñā constantly support each other; true emptiness and wondrous existence always sustain each other. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra unites the three [vehicles] and returns them to the One, so that all of the myriad good practices tend toward bodhi; the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra shows that everything is non-dual, so that all the various actions return to the omniscient wisdom. Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'On the seventh ground, the Far-Reaching Ground, one should cultivate the ten kinds of sublime paths of wisdom and upāya: that is to say, although one skillfully cultivates the samādhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, through loving-kindness and compassion one does not abandon sentient beings; although one attains the equal Dharma of all Buddhas, one constantly delights in making offerings to the Buddhas; although one enters the gate of wisdom contemplating emptiness, one diligently amasses merit; although one is far removed from the three realms, one adorns the three realms; although one utterly extinguishes the flames of all afflictions, for the sake of all sentient beings one can give rise to [the actions that] extinguish the flames of the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion; although one knows that all dharmas are like illusions, dreams, shadows, echoes, flames, transformations, the moon in water, or images in a mirror, their intrinsic nature being non-dual, yet following the mind they create karma with immeasurable distinctions; although one knows that all lands are like empty space, one can adorn Buddha-lands with pure, wondrous practices; although one knows that the intrinsic nature of the Buddhas' dharmakāya is fundamentally without a body, one adorns its body with the marks and signs; although one knows that the sounds of all Buddhas are by nature empty, quiescent, and ineffable, yet in accordance with all sentient beings one produces various distinct and pure sounds; although in following the Buddhas one realizes that the three periods of time are only a single thought-moment, yet in accordance with the mental understandings and discriminations of sentient beings, one cultivates various practices through various marks, various times, and various numbers of kalpas.' The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra says: 'Although a bodhisattva acts within emptiness, planting the roots of myriad virtues—this is the practice of a bodhisattva; although acting within signlessness, delivering sentient beings—this is the practice of a bodhisattva; although acting within non-action, manifesting the assumption of bodies—this is the practice of a bodhisattva; although acting within non-arising, giving rise to all good practices—this is the practice of a bodhisattva.'"

1.13

An ancient worthy asked: "The myriad practices are collectively governed solely by non-thought. Now to see good and see evil, to vow to abandon and vow to achieve, wearying body and mind—how could that be considered the Path?"

1.14

Answer: "This is departing from thought to seek non-thought; one has not yet even attained true non-thought, so how could one realize that thought and non-thought are unimpeded? Furthermore, non-thought is merely one among practices; how could one know that a single thought-moment is suddenly consummate, as cited above? The Buddha's intent is brilliantly clear. How can one have an empty belly and an arrogant mind, being satisfied with little, wishing like a frog to disparage the ocean's expanse, or like a firefly to obscure the light of the sun?"

1.15

Question: "Total obliteration without resting place, with both object and wisdom empty—this is the ultimate refuge pointed to by ancestors and Buddhas, the essential path of sages and worthies. If one speaks of intentional action, mind and objects remain clearly present. Relying on what scriptural passages do you extensively set forth the myriad good practices?"

1.16

Answer: "The teachings of the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, throughout their lifetimes have, from ancient times to the present, been divided into very many schools. To summarize their essentials, they do not go beyond three schools: first, the School of Characteristics; second, the School of Emptiness; third, the School of Nature. The School of Characteristics mostly affirms; the School of Emptiness mostly negates; the School of Nature discusses only direct pointing, which is identical to Caoxi's seeing the nature and becoming a Buddha. Nowadays, people do not discuss seeing the nature and fail to recognize the correct school; they mostly cling to affirmation and negation, disputing in confusion, all failing to understand the esoteric intent of the ancestors and Buddhas and merely following verbal explanations. When the teachings affirm something, this is explaining characteristics based on nature; when they negate something, this is shattering characteristics to reveal nature. Only the single gate of the School of Nature clearly and directly points without speaking of affirmation or negation. Nowadays, people mostly value the words of total obliteration, such as 'not mind, not Buddha, not principle, not phenomena,' taking them to be profound and wondrous, unaware that these are merely passages of negative expression meant to cure disease. Clinging to this upāya, they take it as the ultimate goal, yet they do not believe the teachings of affirmative expression that directly point; thus they suddenly abandon the real ground and obscure the true mind. They are like the fool of the state of Chu who took a chicken for a phoenix, or like the child by the spring pond who held a stone to be a jewel. Merely following shallow sentiments without probing the deep and esoteric purport, confused by the upāya of emptiness, how could they recognize the true refuge?"

1.17

Question: "In the scriptures of the triyāna teachings of the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, there is only a single flavor, the Dharma gate of liberation. Why do you extensively speak of the worldly conditioned arising of arising and ceasing? In conceiving a thought, one immediately loses it and fails to accord with tathatā; stirring a thought, one immediately errs and violates the essence of phenomena."

1.18

Answer: "If one discusses a single characteristic and a single flavor, this belongs to the provisional teachings of the triyāna; spoken in terms of principle, it regards all causes and conditions as faults and afflictions. What is collected here merely reveals the Consummate School: every single instance of conditioned arising is the real virtue of the dharmadhātu, neither formed nor destroyed, neither annihilated nor eternal. Even spiritual transformations and purposeful actions are all because dharmas are just so, not temporarily obtained in this way by relying on spiritual power. As soon as a single dharma arises from conditions, it is nothing other than the merit of nature-origination. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'In this ocean of worlds of the Lotus Treasury, without distinction between mountains or rivers, down to trees, dust motes, hair tips, and other places—every single one accords with the dharmadhātu of tathatā and is endowed with boundless virtues.'"

1.19

Question: "A sūtra says: 'Only ordinary people are greedily attached to phenomena.' It also says: 'For ordinary people who grasp at characteristics, it is taught according to what is appropriate.' If one attains the fundamental principle, the myriad practices are all consummate; why should one require phenomenal traces and initiate intentional actions?"

1.20

Answer: "These are passages that shatter greedy attachment and grasping; they do not pertain to the phenomena of causes and conditions. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra says: 'Only eliminate the illness, but do not eliminate the Dharma.' The Vajrasamādhi Sūtra says: 'There are two entrances: first, entrance by principle; second, entrance by practice.' One guides practice by means of principle, and one consummates principle by means of practice. Furthermore, bodhi enters non-practice by means of practice. 'By means of practice' means taking all good dharmas as conditions; 'non-practice' means not grasping any good dharmas. How could one be obstructed by principle and diminish practice, or cling to practice and violate principle?"

1.21

Ancestor Aśvaghoṣa's Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna says: 'The arousal of the mind upon the perfection of faith has three aspects: first, the straightforward mind, because one correctly contemplates the dharma of tathatā; second, the deep mind, because one delights in amassing all good practices; third, the mind of great compassion, because one wishes to pull all sentient beings out of suffering.' The treatise asks: 'Above, it was said that the dharmadhātu is of a single characteristic and the Buddha's essence is non-dual; why do you not merely contemplate tathatā, but also rely on seeking and learning the practices of all good dharmas?' The treatise answers: 'It is like a great maṇi jewel whose essence is bright and pure, yet it has the defilement of ore and impurities. If someone merely contemplates the nature of the jewel without using upāya to grind and polish it in various ways, it will never be purified. Just so, the dharma of sentient beings' tathatā is by essence empty and pure, yet it has immeasurable afflictions and defilements. If someone merely contemplates tathatā without using upāya to perfume and cultivate it in various ways, they will likewise never be purified. Because the defilements are immeasurable, one universally cultivates all good practices as antidotes. If someone cultivates all good dharmas, they naturally accord with and return to the dharma of tathatā. Briefly speaking, upāya has four kinds: The first is the fundamental upāya of practice. That is, contemplating that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is unproduced, departing from deluded views, and not dwelling in saṃsāra; contemplating that all dharmas are a harmonious union of causes and conditions with karmic fruit never lost, giving rise to great compassion, cultivating all merits, gathering and transforming sentient beings, and not dwelling in nirvāṇa, because one accords with the non-dwelling nature of the dharmatā. The second is the upāya of capability to cease. That is, shame and repentance can cease all evil dharmas, preventing them from increasing, because one accords with the dharmatā's freedom from all faults. The third is the upāya of generating and increasing roots of goodness. That is, diligently cultivating offerings and reverent prostrations to the triratna, praising, rejoicing in, and entreating all Buddhas; because of a genuine and profound mind of love and respect for the triratna, faith increases, and one can aspire to seek the unexcelled Path; furthermore, because of being protected by the power of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, one can eliminate karmic hindrances and one's roots of goodness will not regress, because one accords with the dharmatā's freedom from the hindrance of delusion. The fourth is the upāya of the great, equal vow. That is, giving rise to vows that extending to the end of the future one will transform and deliver all sentient beings without exception, causing them all to attain final nirvāṇa without remainder, because one accords with the dharmatā's unbroken continuity; because the dharmatā is vast, pervading all sentient beings, equal and non-dual, without thoughts of this or that, and ultimately quiescent.'"

1.22

"Great Master Niutou Rong asked: 'All dharmas are ultimately empty; does a bodhisattva practice the six pāramitās and the myriad practices, or not?' The answer was: 'This is the dualistic mind of the triyāna. If one contemplates that the mind is fundamentally empty, that is real wisdom, that is seeing the true dharmakāya; when the dharmakāya does not abide in this emptiness, meaning that it has functioning, awareness, and knowing, that is expedient wisdom. When expedient wisdom also cannot be attained, that is real wisdom; they are never separated from each other, and former and subsequent thoughts are both generated from these two wisdoms. Therefore it is said: "Wisdom pāramitā is the bodhisattva's mother, / And upāya is the father; / All the guides of the multitude / Are without exception born from them."'"

1.23

"A former worthy asked: 'Since the mind itself is Buddha, what need is there to rely on cultivation?' The answer was: 'Precisely because it is so, one therefore cultivates. If iron contains no gold, even though it is forged, it will not become of use as gold.' National Preceptor Xianshou said: 'The present Buddha's three bodies, the ten pāramitās, and even the bodhisattva's practices of benefiting others are all fused, transformed, and practiced based on one's own Dharma. That is, within the minds of sentient beings there is the greatness of the substance of tathatā; cultivation today brings forth the dharmakāya. Because within the mind there is the greatness of the characteristics of tathatā, cultivation today brings forth the saṃbhogakāya. Because within the mind there is the greatness of the function of tathatā, cultivation today brings forth the nirmāṇakāya. Because within the mind there is the dharmatā of tathatā, which is naturally free from stinginess, cultivation today accords with the dharmatā's freedom from stinginess, bringing forth the dāna-pāramitā, and so on.' One should know that in cultivating the Path for three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, one never attains a single dharma or performs a single practice outside the mind. Why is this? It is merely one's own mind bringing forth its own intrinsically pure nature of practice and undertaking cultivation of it. Therefore know that if a maṇi jewel is submerged in mud, it cannot rain down treasures; if an ancient mirror accumulates dirt, how could it reflect a person? Although the mind-nature is completely luminous and fundamentally complete, if it is not revealed through the myriad goods, polished by the myriad practices, and brought forth by upāya to achieve its wondrous function, it will remain forever obscured by adventitious defilements, long sunk in the ocean of consciousness, producing false saṃsāra and obstructing pure bodhi. Therefore the ancestral teachings are distinct, and principle and phenomena are mutually identical; one must not take a one-sided stance and drown in the river of views."

1.24

Question: "Although good surpasses evil, conceiving a thought immediately deviates from the real; speaking in terms of the Path, neither is liberation. Why should you extensively encourage [good], obstructing correct cultivation? Since it involves causes and conditions, it truly hinders the Path!"

1.25

Answer: "Both mundane and supramundane [paths] take superior goodness as their foundation: initially, one enters by way of goodness, and later, one relies on goodness to bring [the practice] to completion. It is truly the vessel for crossing the sea of birth and death, and the road for proceeding toward the citadel of nirvāṇa. It serves as the foundation and steps for humans and devas, and the walls and ramparts for the patriarchs and Buddhas; whether dwelling in worldly dust or departing from worldly dust, it must not be abandoned even for a moment. What fault is there in the ten good deeds? Its promotion depends on the person. If one is attached with craving, the result is rebirth in the heavens of outflows; if one does not grasp, one's station enters the path of the unconditioned. Activating a small mind, one falls into the stations of the two vehicles; giving rise to a great aspiration, one ascends the steps of a bodhisattva; up to the ultimate, complete cultivation, one ultimately accomplishes the fruit of Buddhahood. From this know that it is not that superior goodness can act as a cause of stagnation or obstruction; the fault of gain and loss lies entirely within the practitioner himself. Therefore, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'The ten unvirtuous courses of action are the causes for taking birth in the hells, as animals, and as hungry ghosts. The ten virtuous courses of action are the causes for taking birth among humans, devas, and even in the Peak of Existence. Moreover, when this superior grade of the ten virtuous courses of action is practiced with wisdom—because one's mind is narrow and inferior, because one fears the three realms, because one lacks great compassion, and because one understands from hearing sounds from another—it accomplishes the śrāvaka vehicle. Moreover, when this superior grade of the ten virtuous courses of action is cultivated and purified without relying on teachings from others, because one awakens by oneself, because one's great compassion and upāya are not complete, and because one awakens to and understands the profound Dharma of dependent origination, it accomplishes the pratyekabuddha vehicle. Moreover, when this superior grade of the ten virtuous courses of action is cultivated and purified, because one's mind is vast and immeasurable, because one is endowed with compassion and pity, because one is embraced by upāya, because one gives rise to great vows, because one does not abandon sentient beings, because one seeks the great wisdom of all Buddhas, because one purifies all the bodhisattva grounds, and because one purely cultivates all the pāramitās, it accomplishes the vast practices of a bodhisattva. Moreover, when this uppermost superior grade of the ten virtuous courses of action is purified in every mode, up to realizing the ten powers and four fearlessnesses, all Buddha-dharmas are accomplished. Therefore, I now practice the ten virtuous deeds equally and ought to make all of them fully pure.' It further says up to: 'The bodhisattva thus accumulates roots of goodness, accomplishes roots of goodness, increases roots of goodness, reflects upon roots of goodness, ties mindfulness to roots of goodness, discerns roots of goodness, delights in roots of goodness, cultivates and collects roots of goodness, and firmly abides in roots of goodness. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, having thus accumulated all roots of goodness, uses the resultant fruit obtained through these roots of goodness to cultivate the bodhisattva practices; in thought-moment after thought-moment, seeing immeasurable Buddhas, he serves and makes offerings [to them] as appropriate.' It also says: 'Although having nothing done, he constantly abides in roots of goodness.' It also says: 'Although knowing that all dharmas have nothing upon which they rely, it is said that one attains departure relying on wholesome dharmas.' The Great Prajñāpāramitā Commentary says: 'The Buddha said: "In the past, I also once was an evil person and a small worm; it was because of accumulating goodness that I was able to attain Buddhahood."' Moreover, among the eighteen unshared dharmas, there is the one where desire never wanes: because the Buddha knows the gratitude [owed to] wholesome dharmas, he constantly desires to gather all wholesome dharmas, hence his desire does not wane; cultivating and gathering all wholesome dharmas, his mind has no satiety, hence his desire does not wane. For example, there was an elder monk whose eyes were blind; sewing his saṃghāṭī by himself, the thread slipped from the needle, and he said to the people: 'Who among you delights in desiring merit, thread the needle for me.' At that time, the Buddha manifested before him and said: 'I am a person who delights in desiring merit without satiety; bring your needle.' This monk was awestruck; seeing the Buddha's radiance and also recognizing the Buddha's voice, he said to the Buddha: 'The Buddha's ocean of immeasurable merit has reached its furthest limits and depths; why is there no satiety?' The Buddha told the monk: 'The karmic fruit of merit is extremely profound; none knows the debt of gratitude as I do. Although I have reached its furthest limits and depths, it was originally because my mind of desire had no satiety that I attained Buddhahood; therefore, even now I do not cease. Although there is no further merit to be obtained, my mind of desire also does not rest.' The devas and worldly people were startled and awakened: if the Buddha still has no satiety regarding merit, how much more so other people! The Buddha preached the Dharma for the monk; at that time his fleshly eye was immediately brightened, and his wisdom eye was accomplished. It also says: 'The Buddha said: "If one does not bring sentient beings to maturity and purify the Buddha-lands, one cannot attain the unexcelled path." Why? If causes and conditions are not complete, one cannot attain anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi. Causes and conditions refers to all wholesome dharmas, from the initial resolve practicing dāna-pāramitā up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, because within these practiced dharmas there is no recollective ideation or discrimination.'"

1.26

Question: "Now, the Tathāgata's dharmakāya is serene and pure; it is only because sentient beings are covered by adventitious defilements that it does not manifest. Nowadays, if one only ceases object-clinging, the water of meditation will become still and pure; why is it necessary for myriad good deeds to dash about outwardly, going contrary to true cultivation and merely creating toil and worry?"

1.27

Answer: "Mindlessness serenely manifesting—this is the revealing cause; adornment of merit and virtue must arise from conditions. When both causes are fully equipped, only then is the Buddha-body accomplished. None of the Mahāyāna sūtras fails to record this completely. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra says: 'The Buddha-body is indeed the dharmakāya; it is born from immeasurable merit and wisdom; it is born from loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; it is born from the pāramitās of giving, keeping the precepts, forbearance and gentleness, zealous vigor, dhyāna meditation, liberation, samādhi, much learning, and wisdom; up to being born from severing all unwholesome dharmas and accumulating all wholesome dharmas is the Tathāgata's body born.' It also says: 'Because he is equipped with merit, he does not abide in the unconditioned; because he is equipped with wisdom, he does not exhaust the conditioned; because of great loving-kindness and compassion, he does not abide in the unconditioned; because of fulfilling his original vows, he does not exhaust the conditioned.' This [objection of yours] is turning one's back on the complete teaching and failing to obey the Buddha's words. You intend to take hold of the bondage of nirvāṇa and wish to sink into the pit of liberation; planting a lotus flower upon a high plateau, sowing sweet seeds in empty space—wishing thus to seek the flowers and fruits of bodhi, how could they ever be accomplished? Therefore it says: 'Those who enter the correct station of the unconditioned do not generate the Buddha-dharma. […] Up to: just as without entering the great ocean, one cannot obtain the priceless jewel; so too, without entering the great ocean of afflictions, one cannot obtain the jewel of all-knowledge.'"

1.28

Question: "Entering the Dharma takes non-attainment as its gateway; treading the path takes non-action as its guide. If one undertakes myriad good deeds and gives rise to a mind of attainment, first, it contravenes the correct doctrine, and second, it undermines real practice."

1.29

Answer: "Because of non-attainment, there is nothing that is not attained; because of non-action, there is nothing that is not done. How could the unconditioned be outside the conditioned? Non-attainment does not reside outside attainment. Attainment and non-attainment are not entirely distinct; doing and non-action are also not partially identical. Being neither distinct nor identical, who speaks of one or two? Being both identical and distinct, they do not obstruct the thousand differences. If one is confused about the two gateways of identity and difference, one falls into the two attachments of annihilationism and eternalism. Therefore the 'Chapter on Transcending the World' of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'One knows that for all dharmas, signlessness is the sign, and the sign is signlessness; non-discrimination is discrimination, and discrimination is non-discrimination; non-existence is existence, and existence is non-existence; non-action is action, and action is non-action; non-explanation is explanation, and explanation is non-explanation—this is inconceivable. One knows that the mind is equal to bodhi, one knows that bodhi is equal to the mind, and that the mind and bodhi are equal to sentient beings; nor does one give rise to mental inversion, perceptual inversion, or view inversion—this is inconceivable. In thought-moment after thought-moment, one enters the cessation concentration, exhausts all outflows, yet does not realize bhūta-koṭi, nor does one exhaust wholesome roots with outflows; although all dharmas are without outflows, one knows the exhaustion of outflows and also knows the cessation of outflows; although one knows that Buddha-dharma is precisely worldly dharma and worldly dharma is precisely Buddha-dharma, one does not discriminate worldly dharma within Buddha-dharma, nor does one discriminate Buddha-dharma within worldly dharma; all dharmas enter the dharmadhātu because there is nowhere to enter; one knows that all dharmas are non-dual and changeless—this is inconceivable.'"

1.30

Question: "That all sentient beings fail to attain liberation is entirely because they cling to nominal designations and pursue delusion, transmigrating [in saṃsāra]. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra only directs one to use serenity to turn around their delusive cessation and arising, subdue and return to primal enlightenment, and obtain the non-arising and non-ceasing nature of primal luminous enlightenment as the mind on the causal ground, and only then completely accomplish the cultivation and realization of the fruition ground. Why do you exclusively comply with these nominal designations and discuss scattered goodness, thereby increasingly multiplying delusion? How could this benefit the beginner's mind?"

1.31

Answer: "The nature of names is empty, and they are all solely dharmatā; they only arise from conditions and do not fall into existence or non-existence. The Dharmapada Sūtra says: 'The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Baoming: "Just observe the names of these Buddhas: if they exist, then speaking of food to a person should satisfy his hunger; if names do not exist, the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara would not have conferred a prophecy upon me, and regarding your name, if none had been conferred, I should not have attained Buddhahood. You should know that words and phrases have already been such for a long time; because of my suchness, they fully manifest all dharmas. The nature of names is empty, not residing in existence or non-existence."' The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Just as all dharmas do not discriminate their own natures, nor do they discriminate sounds, yet their own natures are not abandoned and their names are not extinguished; a bodhisattva is also like this: he does not abandon practices, conforms with what is done in the world, yet has no clinging to either of these.' Therefore, without moving from bhūta-koṭi, one establishes the gates of practice; without destroying nominal designations, one completely penetrates the self-nature."

1.32

Question: "Why not act freely and spontaneously, harmonizing with the path through mindlessness? Why must the myriad practices and physical activities occupy the mind?"

1.33

Answer: "Ancient worthies revealed that the fruit of Buddhahood has three kinds: first, putting an end to words and cutting off practice, which solely clarifies the dharmakāya as the uncreated fruit; second, gradual cultivation through practices, fulfilling the fruit through the three asaṃkhyeya kalpas; third, the fruit of the unimpeded, perfect fusion of principle and wisdom from the very beginning. This is for people of the highest capacity: completely cultivating and completely realizing, although a single thought-moment is suddenly complete, it does not obstruct the application and enactment of the myriad practices; although the myriad practices are applied and enacted, they do not depart from a single thought-moment. If one puts an end to sentiments and silently unites, each is a distinct gate; slowness or swiftness is left to individual capacity, but the Dharma has no before or after."

1.34

Question: "Whatever meets the eye is bodhi, and every step taken is the path; why is it necessary to separately establish phenomenal sanctuaries, wearying the thoughts and toiling the body? How could this accord with the wondrous purport?"

1.35

Answer: "Sanctuaries are of two kinds: first, the sanctuary of principle; second, the sanctuary of phenomena. As for the sanctuary of principle, it pervades every land and dust mote; as for the sanctuary of phenomena, it is a pure ground adorned and decorated. Yet, through phenomena principle is revealed, and relying on principle phenomena are accomplished. Phenomena emptily grasp principle, so there are no phenomena without principle; principle truly responds to conditions, so there is no principle that obstructs phenomena. Therefore, clarifying principle through phenomena must rely on adornment; entering the ultimate from the conventional relies entirely on establishment, serving as the foundation of taking refuge and veneration, and acting as the gateway for inspiration and encouragement, so that beholding the signs adorns the mind, benefiting both oneself and others."

1.36

The Mohe zhiguan states: 'For a beginner in the perfect teaching, though contemplation of principle is clear, forbearance regarding dharmas is not yet achieved. One must set up and adorn a place of practice on pure ground, and in the six intervals of the day and night cultivate the five repentances, repenting of sins committed through the six sense faculties. Entering contemplation practice means giving equal urgency to both vehicle and precepts; phenomena and principle are flawless; with the empowerment of the buddhas, true illumination suddenly dawns, proceeding straight to the first abhimukha stage, which can be reached in a single lifetime.' The Ritual Guidelines of the Upper Capital states: 'Taking refuge in the Three Jewels requires pointing to a direction and establishing marks, fixing the mind, and grasping an object; it does not mean formlessness and separation from thought. The Buddha foresaw that ordinary beings cannot even manage to bind their minds, let alone become separated from marks. That would be like an unskilled person trying to build a house in empty space. Relying on the three contemplations of precious images and the like, attainment is certain beyond doubt.' The Buddha said: 'After my parinirvāṇa, those who are able to contemplate my image are no different from me.' The Da zhidu lun states: 'Bodhisattvas are never satiated with only three things: first, they are never satiated with making offerings to the Buddha; second, they are never satiated with hearing the Dharma; third, they are never satiated with providing for the Saṅgha.' Tiantai Zhiyi asked: 'There are practitioners in the world who cultivate emptiness but cling to foolish emptiness, which does not accord with the sūtras. Hearing this contemplation of mind, they raise an objection: "If contemplation of mind is the dharmakāya, it should be equal in all things. Why give rise to reverence toward scriptures and images, yet harbor contempt toward paper and wood? Since reverence and contempt differ, there is no equality; since there is no equality, the meaning of dharmakāya is not established." The answer is: "Because I am in the rank of an ordinary being, I contemplate such marks only to disclose this dharmatā. By revering scriptures and images, wisdom is not bound; by causing immeasurable people to venerate the good and eliminate evil, skillful means are not bound. How could this be the same as your view?"' Furthermore, widely organizing Dharma assemblies, establishing altar rituals, conferring empowerment with hand gestures, and adorning sublime undertakings bring about actual realization in the place of practice and the empowerment of the buddhas; these are all the Great Sage extending compassion to demonstrate the essential protocols. Whether seeing signs of incense and flowers so that virtue of the precepts is made pure again, or beholding Samantabhadra's body so that the source of sin is entirely cleansed, through these the Dharma practices are made complete and the Buddha's path flourishes far and wide. With such spiritual resonance manifest, taking refuge has its basis. Therefore, one must follow the ancient sages and confirm matters by the canons, rather than relying on empty speculation born of personal opinion, destroying virtue, ruining the good, falling back into the cycle of heterodoxy, rejecting existence, stagnating in emptiness, and fruitlessly throwing oneself into the snare of error.

1.37

Question: 'The Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra says: "If one sees me by form, or seeks me by sound, this person walks a heterodox path and cannot see the Tathāgata." Why then establish marks and display bodily forms, calling them pure deeds?'

1.38

Answer: 'Ceasing conditions and extinguishing phenomena belongs to the school that dismantles marks; directly explaining and disclosing principle belongs to the initial teaching of the Mahāyāna. They have not yet achieved the simultaneous practice of existence and non-existence, nor the reciprocal penetration of essence and function. If regarded through the unobstructed perfect gate, nature and marks merge and penetrate: raising a single mote of dust encompasses the dharmadhātu. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: "Pure gates of compassion, numerous as dust motes of the lands, together produce a single wondrous mark of the Tathāgata; every single mark is like this, and therefore those who behold them are never satiated." The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra says: "You have realized all-knowledge, the ten powers, and other Buddha dharmas; fully endowed with the thirty-two marks, through to true extinction." The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Formlessness is the liberation of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; form is the liberation of the buddhas, the tathāgatas." How could this be the same as ordinary beings obstinately clinging to stubborn and obstructive objects as real form, or the two vehicles partially realizing the inert ashes of extinction as the true body? Therefore, whatever meets the six senses, one sees the Tathāgata; contemplating all forms at once, the dharmadhātu is fully illuminated. Why wait for shapes to dissolve and shadows to vanish before achieving the mysterious objective?'

1.39

Question: 'This very mind is Buddha; why seek outside? If one recognizes external dust, one's own Dharma will be obscured.'

1.40

Answer: 'The Dharma-doors of the buddhas are not one-sided; they all include self-power and other-power, own-characteristic and common-characteristic, the comprehensive inclusion of the Ten Mysteries, and the harmonious integration of the Six Characteristics. Following conditions they appear distinct, but in terms of nature they are always united. From the mind objects appear, and objects are this very mind; subsuming the objective into the subjective, the other is this very self. An ancient master said: "If one clings to mind and object as two, it is negated by saying they are not two, because outside the mind there is no separate dust; if one clings to them as one, it is negated by saying they are not one, because conditions are not nonexistent." The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra says: "Established by the divine power of the buddhas." Master Zhiyi said: "Those who exclusively practice the contemplation of non-arising only believe in the benefit of the mind, and do not believe in the benefit of the empowerment of external buddhas." A sūtra says: "Neither internal nor external, yet both internal and external. Because it is internal, the liberation of all buddhas is sought in mental practice; because it is external, all buddhas protect and remember them. Why not believe in external benefit?" The path of causes and conditions and the gate of progressive cultivation are all brought about by a confluence of conditions; nothing stands alone. If self-power is fully sufficient, one does not rely on conditions; if self-power is not yet adequate, one must depend on the influence of others. For example, when a worldly person is in legal trouble, if lacking the strength to escape on their own, they must rely on an influential person for rescue. Or again, as with pulling a heavy object, if one's own strength is insufficient, one must rely on the strength of others to move it. One should only evaluate real inner virtue, and never let oneself hinder others. Furthermore, if one clings to internal power, that is own-nature; if one claims external power, that becomes other-nature; if one claims spiritual resonance through mutual accord, that is common-nature; if one says it is neither cause nor condition, that is causeless nature—these are all obstructive attachments that have not entered perfect completion. If one understands the true mind, there is nowhere to abide.'

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