真心直說 1.35

1.35

Someone asked: "Those who have not realized the true mind, because they are deluded about the true mind, create good and evil causes; because they create good causes, they are born into good destinies; because they create evil causes, they enter into evil destinies. Receiving birth according to karma is a principle without doubt. If someone realizes the true mind, their deluded passions are completely stilled, they verify and witness the true mind, and they have no good or evil causes: upon what does the one numinous [nature] rely after the body [dies]?" The answer is: Do not say that having a reliance is superior to having no reliance. Nor should you take having no reliance to be like a wandering profligate drifting in the human world, or like a solitary ghost without a master in the realm of hungry ghosts, specifically asking this question to seek a place of reliance. The person asked: "Is that so?" The answer is: To realize the nature is not like that. Because all sentient beings are deluded about the nature of awakening, their forgotten passions and affectionate thoughts bind karma as causes, and they are born within the six destinies to receive good and evil retribution. For instance, with heavenly karma as cause, one obtains only heavenly fruit; except for the place where one is destined to be born, one cannot experience anything else. All destinies are like this. Since they follow their karma, the place where they are destined to be born is deemed pleasant, and the places where they are not born are deemed not pleasant. They take the place where they are destined to be born as their own reliance, and the places where they are not born as the reliance of others. Therefore, where there are deluded passions, there are deluded causes; where there are deluded causes, there are deluded fruits; where there are deluded fruits, there is reliance; where there is reliance, 'self' and 'other' are divided; and where 'self' and 'other' are divided, there is acceptable and unacceptable. Now, realizing the true mind accords with the nature of awakening that is without arising or ceasing, and brings forth the wondrous function that is without arising or ceasing. The wondrous essence is truly permanent, originally without arising or ceasing; the wondrous function accords with conditions, appearing to have arising and ceasing. Yet function arises from essence, and function is essence itself—how could there be arising and ceasing? The realized person directly witnesses the true essence; what does arising and ceasing have to do with them? It is like water taking moisture as its essence and waves as its function: since moisture originally has no arising or ceasing, how could the moisture within the waves have arising or ceasing? Yet because waves have no separate existence apart from moisture, waves also have no arising or ceasing. Therefore, the ancients said: 'The entire earth is a śramaṇa's pair of correct eyes; the entire earth is a monastery; all is the place where one who has awakened to the principle establishes their body and life.' Once one has realized the true mind, the four modes of birth and six destinies simultaneously vanish; the mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all the true mind. There cannot be any separate place of reliance outside this true mind. Since there are no deluded causes of the three realms, there must be no deluded fruits of the six destinies. Since deluded fruits are non-existent, what reliance can be spoken of? There must be neither 'this' nor 'that'; and since there is neither 'this' nor 'that,' what could be acceptable or unacceptable? That is to say, the worlds of the ten directions are nothing but the one true mind; the entire body is [its] experience, with no other reliance. Moreover, within the gate of manifestation, one is reborn at will without obstruction. Therefore, the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp states: 'Minister Wen Cao asked Guifeng: "When a person who has awakened to principle reaches the end of their life, upon what do they rely?" Guifeng said: "All sentient beings without exception possess the numinous, bright nature of awakening, no different from the Buddha. If one can awaken to this nature, it is the dharmakāya itself. Originally without arising, how could there be reliance? Numinously bright and undimmed, clearly and constantly aware, it has nowhere from which it comes, and nowhere to which it goes. Simply take empty quiescence as your self-essence—do not mistake the physical body [for it]; take numinous awareness as your own mind—do not mistake deluded thoughts [for it]. If deluded thoughts arise, do not follow them at all; then at the approach of death, karma naturally cannot bind you. Although the intermediate existence (antarābhava) is present, where you head is free; in the heavens or the human realm, you can rely at will." This is precisely where the true mind goes after the body [dies].'