法苑珠林 86.53

86.53

又知罪緣無有自性。但以妄想因緣。虛受是苦。故維摩經云。心垢故眾生垢。心淨故眾生淨。妄想是垢。無妄想是淨。罪性不在內不在外不在中間。心亦不在內不在外不在中間。如其心然。罪垢亦然。如是却推罪性皆空。發智慧火了無明闇。無始已來所造諸惡。猶如闇室。懺悔正解。狀若明燈。明燈一照昏闇皆除。不以闇來無始能推燈也。明闇解惑爾來無始。迷因謬果具造諸非。事等如闇。今欲悔除。依佛性力發正見火。事等明燈。燈起闇除。解生惑喪。義無不滅也。亦如霜雪待日而除。亦如病疾待良藥除。亦如迷方待寤而正。亦如惡類眾薪悔如。豆火須臾殄滅。是故涅槃經云。譬如㲲華千斤不如真金一兩。造罪雖多不如少善。既對佛造愆。還同盲人向僧懺悔。罪無自性。從緣而滅。故業報差別經偈云。

Furthermore, know that the conditions of sin have no intrinsic nature; it is only through the causes and conditions of false thinking that one vainly undergoes this suffering. Hence the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa says: 'Because the mind is defiled, sentient beings are defiled; because the mind is pure, sentient beings are pure. False thinking is defilement; absence of false thinking is purity. The nature of sin is not internal, not external, and not in between; the mind is also not internal, not external, and not in between. As the mind is, so is the defilement of sin.' Examining thus, the nature of sin is entirely empty. Emitting the fire of wisdom, one illumines the darkness of ignorance. All the evils created since beginningless time are like a dark room. The correct understanding of repentance is like a bright lamp. Once the bright lamp shines, the dim darkness is entirely eliminated; it is not that because darkness has been here since beginningless time it can expel the lamp. Light and dark, understanding and delusion, have been thus from beginningless time. Confused about causes and mistaken about results, one fully commits all misdeeds; this is like darkness. Now wishing to repent and eliminate them, one relies on the power of Buddha-nature to kindle the fire of right view; this is like a bright lamp. When the lamp rises, darkness is dispelled; when understanding arises, delusion is destroyed—there is nothing that is not extinguished. It is also like frost and snow awaiting the sun to melt, like an illness awaiting good medicine to be cured, like losing one's way awaiting awakening to be corrected, and like the gathering of bad firewood where repentance is like bean-stalk fire, extinguished in an instant. Therefore, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'For instance, a thousand pounds of cotton flower are not equal to one ounce of true gold; though sins committed are many, they are not equal to a little good.' Having created transgressions before the Buddha, it is just like the blind people repenting to the saṃgha. Sins have no intrinsic nature; they are extinguished through conditions. Hence a verse of the Karmavibhaṅga-sūtra says: