廣弘明集 22.6

22.6

佛者覺也。覺者知也。凡夫之與佛地。立善知惡未始不同也。但佛地所知者得善之正路。凡夫所知者失善之邪路。凡夫得正路之知與佛之知不異也。正謂以所善非善故失正路耳。故知凡夫之知與佛之知不異。由於所知之事異知不異也。凡夫之所知不謂所知非善。在於求善而至於不善。若積此求善之心。會得歸善之路。或得路則至于佛也。此眾生之為佛性。寔在其知性常傳也。

A Buddha is one who is awakened. Awakening is knowing. Between an ordinary mortal and the Buddha-stage, the establishment of the good and the knowing of evil have never been different. It is only that what the Buddha-stage knows attains the correct path of the good, whereas what the ordinary mortal knows loses the good to the deviant path. The knowing of an ordinary mortal when obtaining the correct path is not different from the knowing of a Buddha. It is precisely because one takes what is not good to be good that one loses the correct path. Therefore, we know that the knowing of an ordinary mortal is not different from the knowing of a Buddha; it is because the things known are different, while the knowing itself is not different. As for what an ordinary mortal knows, it is not that he intends the known object not to be good; it lies in seeking the good but ending up in what is not good. If one accumulates this mind of seeking the good, one will eventually find the path of returning to the good; when one finds the path, one reaches the Buddha. That sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature truly lies in the perpetual transmission of their knowing-nature.