真心直說 1.11

1.11

或曰。真心已知名字。其體如何耶。曰放光般若經云。般若無所有相無生滅相。起信論云。真如自體者。一切凡夫聲聞緣覺菩薩諸佛。無有增減。非前際生非後際滅。畢竟常恒。從本已來性自滿足一切功德。據此經論真心本體。超出因果通貫古今。不立凡聖無諸對待。如太虛空遍一切處。妙體凝寂絕諸戲論。不生不滅非有非無。不動不搖湛然常住。喚作舊日主人翁。名曰威音那畔人。又名空劫前自己。一種平懷無纖毫瑕翳。一切山河大地草木叢林萬象森羅。染淨諸法皆從中出。故圓覺經云。善男子。無上法王有大陀羅尼門。名為圓覺。流出一切清淨真如菩提涅槃及波羅蜜。教授菩薩。圭峯云。心也者。沖虛妙粹。炳煥靈明。無去無來冥通三際。非中非外洞徹十方。不滅不生。豈四山之可害。離性離相。奚五色之能盲。故永明唯心訣云。夫此心者。眾妙群靈而普會。為萬法之王。三乘五性而冥歸。作千聖之母。獨尊獨貴無比無儔。實大道源是真法要。信之則三世菩薩同學。蓋學此心也。三世諸佛同證。蓋證此心也。一大藏教詮顯。蓋顯此心也。一切眾生迷妄。蓋迷此心也。一切行人發悟。蓋悟此心也。一切諸祖相傳。蓋傳此心也。天下衲僧參訪。蓋參此心也。達此心則頭頭皆是物物全彰。迷此心則處處顛倒念念痴狂。此體是一切眾生本有之佛性。乃一切世界生發之根源。故世尊鷲峯良久。善現巖下忘言。達磨少室壁觀。居士毘耶杜口。悉皆發明此心妙體。故初入祖門庭者。要先識此心體也。

Someone asked: As for the true mind, its names are now known; what is its essence like? I answered: The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra says: "Prajñā has no mark of existence and no mark of arising and ceasing." The Dàshéng qǐxìn lùn says: "As for the self-essence of tathatā, in all ordinary beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and all Buddhas, it does not increase or decrease; it does not arise in the prior limit nor cease in the posterior limit, but is ultimately eternal and constant. From the beginning, its nature is inherently replete with all merits and virtues." According to these sūtras and treatises, the original essence of the true mind transcends cause and effect and runs through ancient and modern times. It does not establish the ordinary and the holy, and is without any dualities. It is like empty space, pervading everywhere; its wondrous essence is profoundly tranquil, cutting off all conceptual proliferations. It neither arises nor ceases, is neither existent nor non-existent; motionless and unshakable, it is limpidly ever-abiding. It is called the "master of former days," named "the person beyond the kalpa of the Sound of Majesty," and also named "oneself before the empty kalpa." It is a single level bosom, without the slightest flaw or blemish. All mountains, rivers, the great earth, plants, trees, thickets, forests, and myriad phenomena; defiled and pure dharmas—all emerge from within it. Therefore the Yuanjue jing says: "Good sons, the unsurpassed Dharma King has a great dhāraṇī-gate named perfect awakening, from which flow forth all pure tathatā, bodhi, nirvāṇa, and pāramitā to instruct bodhisattvas." Guifeng said: "As for this mind, it is soaringly empty and wondrously pure, brightly shining and spiritually luminous. Having no going and no coming, it secretly connects the three periods of time; being neither inside nor outside, it thoroughly penetrates the ten directions. Neither ceasing nor arising, how could the four mountains harm it? Free from nature and free from marks, how could the five colors blind it?" Therefore Yongming's Weixin jue says: "Now, as for this mind, it universally gathers the myriad wonders and spiritual beings, acting as the king of the myriad dharmas; the three vehicles and five natures secretly return to it, acting as the mother of the thousand sages. Solitarily revered and solitarily noble, without compare and without equal, it is truly the source of the Great Path and the essential key of the true Dharma. Believing in it, the bodhisattvas of the three periods of time learn together—for they learn this mind; the Buddhas of the three periods of time together realize it—for they realize this mind; the great repository of the canon's teachings expounds and reveals it—for it reveals this mind; all sentient beings are deluded and confused—for they are deluded about this mind; all practitioners awaken—for they awaken to this mind; all the patriarchs transmit it to each other—for they transmit this mind; patch-robed monks throughout the world travel and inquire—for they inquire into this mind. Reaching this mind, then every single thing is right, and each phenomenon is fully manifest; deluded about this mind, then everywhere is topsy-turvy, and every thought is foolish and mad." This essence is the buddhadhātu originally possessed by all sentient beings, the root and source from which all worlds are produced. Therefore the Bhagavat remained silent on Vulture Peak, Subhūti forgot words under the cliff, Bodhidharma sat facing the wall at Shaoshi, and the Vimalakīrti kept silent in Vaiśālī; all of them elucidated this wondrous essence of the mind. Therefore, those who first enter the patriarchs' gate must first recognize this essence of the mind.