廣弘明集 21.39

21.39

Fayun of Guangzhai Temple inquired, saying: "I do not know whether the permanently abiding Dharma-body is attained through the myriad practices or not?" The directive responded, saying: "Within the path of names and marks, it is attained through the myriad practices." He also inquired: "Since it is attained through the myriad practices, how can one say it is without marks? If it is necessarily without marks, how could it be attained through the myriad practices?" The directive answered: "Being without name and without mark, when was there ever an attainment? Relying on names and marks, it is provisionally said that there is attainment." He also inquired: "There truly are the myriad practices, and one truly attains the Buddha fruition. How can it be, on account of formlessness, that there is entirely no attainment?" The directive answered: "The questioner's mind abides in the view that there truly are myriad practices. I now say that the myriad practices are in themselves empty; how could there be a real fruition that can be attained?" He also inquired: "Presently there are sentient beings who cultivate the myriad practices. I do not know why this is said to be entirely non-existent." The directive answered: "What the worldly perceive, they call existent. Examining it according to the principle, there truly are no myriad practices." He also inquired: "The sūtras state that the permanently abiding is subtle existence. If it is a provisional explanation, why is it called subtle existence?" The directive answered: "Relying on names and marks, it is therefore called subtle existence. When the principle transcends names and marks, what subtlety or what existence could there be?"