景德傳燈錄 13.46

13.46

"Doing meaningful things is the mind of awakening (here, 'meaningful' refers to reasonable principles, not humaneness, righteousness, kindness, or duty; the sense being made clear is that in whatever one undertakes, one must first examine benefit and harm in detail, having a sound reason that accords with principle before carrying it out, only then avoiding becoming like an intoxicated, mad person. Within the Buddha-Dharma there are three kinds of meaning for which one may act: first, matters that sustain the physical body, referring to worldly meanings such as clothing, food, medicine, and lodgings; second, matters that sustain the Dharma-body, referring to the primary meaning such as the precepts, concentration, wisdom, and the six pāramitās; third, propagating the true Dharma and benefiting all living beings, as well as various other supporting conditions for the Dharma, spanning the mundane and supramundane). Doing meaningless things is the madly confused mind (meaning that whatever one undertakes, if it does not accord with the three things above, it is called meaningless. As for being 'madly confused', take for instance worldly drunks and madmen: where they go, they do not select places; what they do, they do not weigh right and wrong. Now, if one does not choose what has meaning and benefit, but merely indulges emotional, false thoughts, doing whatever one wants to do, one is just like a madman. The preceding four lines describe the karmic cause; the following four lines describe the receiving of retribution). 'Madly confused, one follows emotional thoughts; at the end of life, one is dragged along by karma (since one follows false thoughts and acts as one pleases, not using the wisdom that awakens to principle to discern right from wrong, one is just like a madman. Therefore, at the end of life, on the path of karma, one is drawn along by karma and receives future retribution. Thus the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Ignorance is the master, craving is the māra-king; they drive the body and mind, spurring them on like servants'). Awakening does not proceed from emotions; at the end of life, one can transform karma (if within one's emotions one desires to act, but upon examining the principle it is inappropriate, one must immediately stop; if within one's emotions one does not desire to act, but upon illuminating the principle it is appropriate, one must immediately act. Acting solely according to the principle of right and wrong, and not according to emotions of liking and disliking, then at the end of life karma cannot bind one; one is sovereign at will, in the heavens or the human realm. Generally speaking, if what one does from morning to evening is dragged by emotional defilements, then at the end of life one is dragged along by karma and takes rebirth. If what one undertakes and does proceeds from awakened wisdom and not from emotional defilements, then at the end of life one takes rebirth through one's own sovereignty, not determined by karma. One should know: if you wish to verify whether at the end of life your receiving of rebirth will be sovereign or not sovereign, just verify whether your ordinary mind's functioning amid sense-objects is free or not free)."