廣弘明集 30.35

30.35

The Preface says: What is meant by samādhi? It refers to concentrated reflection and tranquil contemplation. When reflection is concentrated, the will is single and undivided; when contemplation is tranquil, the breath is empty and the spirit is luminous. When the breath is empty, wisdom is calm in its illumination; when the spirit is luminous, there is no obscurity that it does not penetrate. These two are the mysterious tally of nature: when brought together into unity, their application is realized. For this reason, resting in reverent quiet and guarding seclusion, one moves all things and communicates with the spiritual. When the mind is guided solely by correctness, every movement enters into the subtle. This is to employ cultivation to coalesce the spirit, accumulating merit to transform one's nature. How much more so for one who, like a corpse at rest or in 'sitting and forgetting,' deeply merges with the ultimate limit, whose wisdom leaves the universe behind, walking serenely in the Great Square! / Let us speak of its beginning: when a bodhisattva first ascends the stage of the Path and just peers into the mysterious portal, he embodies quiescence as asaṃskṛta yet leaves nothing undone. When it comes to his spiritual transformations, he causes the long and short to alter their normal measures, and the vast and minute to enclose one another. The three luminaries reverse their courses to shift their radiance, while heaven and earth roll up and unfold into his bosom. / Furthermore, the names of the various samādhis are exceedingly numerous; but for supreme efficacy and ease of progress, mindfulness of the Buddha stands foremost. Why is this? The One who exhausts the mysterious and reaches the utmost quiescence is venerably titled the Tathāgata. Embodying the spirit and uniting with transformation, his response is not confined to any quarter. Therefore, he causes one who enters this concentration to forget knowledge in profound stillness, using the object of contemplation to form a mirror: when it shines, internal illumination inter-reflects and the myriad forms are born therein; where ears and eyes cannot reach, hearing and seeing nevertheless take place. Thereupon, beholding that substance of a deep, still, empty mirror, one realizes that the spiritual root is clear, unified, luminous, and natural. Perceiving the mysterious sound striking the hearing of the heart, defilements melt away with each strike and stagnant feelings become harmonious and radiant. If it were not the utmost wonder under heaven, who could take part in this? / Viewed from this, the impression of a single vision can disclose the deep veils of long-accumulated habits and clear away the heavy delusions of the murky world. If compared with the objects of ordinary people's various concentrations, their relative merits certainly cannot be spoken of in the same breath—this can be known without leaving one's seat. / For this reason, the worthy practitioners who uphold the Dharma all longed for the harmony of a single tally; moved by the declining shadows of fleeting moments, they feared that future provisions were not yet amassed. Thereupon, washing their minds in the Dharma hall and adjusting their lapels toward the pure direction, they forgot sleep at midnight and were diligent morning and night. They hoped that through the merit of upright attainment they might realize the aspirations of the three vehicles; standing at the ferry crossings, they would go forth together with the nine conditions. Looking upward, they sought to emulate the inspiration of plucking reed roots to leap forward; looking downward, they guided the weak in progress, holding out the whip behind them. Looking upon the wielding of brushes in these numerous pieces, how could they be merely literary verses?