景德傳燈錄 13.45.4

13.45.4

"Hence it is like a person with eyes who, under the sunlight, sees all kinds of dharmas. How could this be one of fixed nature? Since there is nowhere to abide and cling, why discuss stages or abodes?" Furthermore, Minister Wen Zao of Shannan asked: "For one who has awakened to principle and stilled delusion, they do not bind karma. After the end of their single lifespan, where does their spiritual nature rely upon?" The answer: "All sentient beings invariably possess the awakening nature; spiritually luminous, empty and tranquil, it is not different from the Buddhas. Yet, because from beginningless kalpas they have never understood and awakened, they deludedly cling to the body as the mark of self; hence they give rise to feelings of love and hatred. In accord with feelings they create karma, and in accord with karma they receive retribution, undergoing birth, aging, sickness, and death in transmigration for long kalpas. Yet the awakening nature within the body has never been born or died: it is like being driven to hard labor in a dream while the body itself remains at ease; it is like water turning into ice while its wet nature does not change. If one can awaken to this nature, it is itself the Dharma-body; fundamentally unarisen of itself, how could it have any reliance? Spiritually sharp and unclouded, clearly and ever cognizant, it has nowhere from which it comes, and nowhere to which it goes. However, the delusional clingings of many lifetimes have through habit become second nature, and joy, anger, sorrow, and delight flow in subtle undercurrents. Although the true principle is suddenly understood, these feelings are difficult to eliminate at once. One must continually observe and reduce them again and again, just as when the wind suddenly stops, the waves only gradually subside. How could the cultivation of a single lifetime immediately equal the power and function of the Buddhas? One should simply take emptiness and tranquility as one's own essence and not identify with the physical body; take spiritual cognizance as one's own mind and not identify with delusional thoughts. If delusional thoughts arise, do not follow them at all; then at the approach of death, karma will naturally be unable to bind you. Even though there is an intermediate state, wherever you head you will be free, relying at will upon heaven or the human realm. If thoughts of love and hatred are already eliminated, you will not receive a body of fragmented limitation; you will naturally be able to exchange the short for the long, and exchange the coarse for the subtle. If the subtle flows are all entirely extinguished, only the great wisdom of complete awakening will remain brilliantly and uniquely present; then, responding to faculties, you will manifest hundreds of thousands of myriads of bodies to deliver sentient beings who have karmic affinity, and be named a Buddha." Respectfully commenting in explanation, [Zongmi] states: "Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa summarized the tenets of a hundred Mahāyāna sūtras to compose the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna. In that treatise, he established the tenet, stating that within the mind of all sentient beings there is the meaning of awakening and the meaning of non-awakening. Within awakening, there are further the meaning of original awakening and the meaning of initial awakening. What was stated above, although only spoken in terms of illuminating principle and contemplating the mind, has Dharma-meanings that are also identical to that treatise. Namely, from the beginning up to 'not different from the Buddhas' is original awakening. From 'Yet, because from beginningless' downward is non-awakening. From 'If one can awaken to this' downward is initial awakening. Within initial awakening there are further sudden awakening and gradual cultivation: from this point down to 'nowhere to which it goes' is sudden awakening. From 'However, the delusional clingings of many lifetimes' downward is gradual cultivation. Within gradual cultivation, from initial arousing of the mind up to the attainment of Buddhahood, there are three stages of mastery: from this point down to 'relying at will' is mastery over receiving birth. From 'If thoughts of love and hatred' downward is mastery over transformation. From 'If the subtle flows' down to the end is ultimate mastery. Furthermore, from 'One should simply take emptiness and tranquility as one's own essence' down to 'karma will naturally be unable to bind you' is precisely the key method for cultivating calm and insight, practiced day and night by one who has awakened to principle. Zongmi previously had an eight-line gāthā that clearly stated this meaning, which I once recited at the Minister's place. Having received the order to explain it, I now respectfully comment on it, as in the following gāthā:"