真心直說 1.29

1.29

或曰。有心修因不疑功德矣。無心修因功德何來。曰有心修因得有為果。無心為因顯性功德。此諸功德本來自具。妄覆不顯。今既妄除功德現前。故永嘉云。三身四智體中圓。八解六通心地印。乃是體中自具性功德也。古頌。若人靜坐一須臾勝造恒沙七寶塔。寶塔畢竟化為塵。一念淨心成正覺。故知無心功大於有心也。洪州水潦和尚參馬祖問。如何是西來的的意。被馬祖一踏踏到。忽然發悟起來撫掌。大笑云。也大奇也大奇。百千三昧無量妙義。只向一毛頭上便一時識得根源去。乃作禮而退。據此則功德不從外來。本自具足也。四祖謂懶融禪師曰。夫百千法門同歸方寸。河沙功德總在心源。一切戒門定門慧門神通變化。悉自具足不離汝心據祖師語。無心功德甚多。但好事相功德者。於無心功德自不生信耳。

Someone asked: "Cultivating causes with mind, one does not doubt that there is merit; but cultivating causes with no-mind, whence does merit come?"
I answered: "Cultivating causes with mind yields conditioned fruits; taking no-mind as the cause reveals the virtues of one's nature. All these virtues are originally complete in oneself; obscured by delusion, they do not appear. Now that delusion is eliminated, the virtues appear before one. Therefore Yongjia says: 'The three bodies and four wisdoms are perfected within the essence; the eight liberations and six supernormal knowledges are the seal of the mind-ground.' These are the virtues of one's nature originally complete within the essence. An ancient verse says: 'If a person sits quietly for a single moment, it surpasses building seven-jeweled stūpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges; the jeweled stūpas will ultimately turn to dust, but a single thought of pure mind accomplishes right awakening.' Hence we know that the merit of no-mind is greater than that of having mind. Monk Shuiliao of Hongzhou called upon Mazu and asked: 'What is the exact intention of the coming from the west?' He was kicked down by Mazu with one kick; suddenly he attained awakening, got up, clapped his hands, and laughed heartily, saying: 'How wondrous! How wondrous! Hundreds of thousands of samādhis and immeasurable wondrous meanings—right on the tip of a single hair, in a single moment, I have recognized their source!' Then he made prostrations and withdrew. According to this, merit does not come from outside; it is originally complete in oneself. The Fourth Patriarch said to Dhyāna Master Niutou Farong: 'Indeed, the hundreds of thousands of Dharma-gates all return to the square inch [of the heart]; merit like the sands of the Ganges is entirely in the mind's source. All gates of precepts, samādhi, wisdom, and supernormal transformations are all complete of themselves and do not depart from your mind.' According to the patriarch's words, the merits of no-mind are very numerous; it is just that those who are fond of phenomenal merits do not generate faith in the merits of no-mind on their own."