觀心論 1.1.1

1.1.1

是觀心可名為了　又問。 上說真如佛性一切功德因覺為根。 未審無明之心一切諸惡以何為根　答曰。 無明之心雖有八萬四千煩惱情慾及恒沙眾惡無量無邊。 取要言之。 皆由三毒以為根本。 其三毒者即貪瞋癡也。 此三毒心自能具足一切諸惡。 猶如大樹根雖是一所生枝葉其數無量。 彼三毒根中生諸惡業。 百千萬億倍過於前不可為喻。 如是心於本體中自為三毒。 若應現六根亦名六賊。 其六賊者則名六識。 出入諸根貪著萬境。 能成惡業損真如體。 故名六賊。 一切眾生由此三毒及以六賊。 惑亂身心沈沒生死。 輪迴六道受諸苦惱。 又有江河因少泉源涓流不絕。 乃能彌漫波濤萬里。 若復有人斷其本源。 則眾流皆息。 求解脫者除其三毒及以六賊。 自能除一切諸苦　又問。 三界六趣廣大無邊。 若唯觀心云何免彼之苦　答曰。 三界業報惟心所生。 本若無心則無三界。 三界者即是三毒。 貪為欲界。 瞋為色界。 癡為無色界。 由此三心結集諸惡業報成就輪迴不具。 故名三界。 又由三毒造業輕重受趣不同分歸六處。 故名六趣　又問。 云何輕重分之為六　答曰。 若有眾生不了正因迷心修善。 未免三界生三輕趣。 云何三輕所為。 悉修十善妄求快樂。 未免貪界。 生於六趣。 悉持五戒妄起愛憎。 未免瞋界。 生於人趣。 迷執有為信邪求福。 未免癡界。 生阿修羅。 如見三類名為三重。 云何三重。 所謂縱三毒心唯造惡業。 墮三重趣。 若貪業重者墮餓鬼趣。 瞋業重者墮地獄趣。 癡業重者墮畜生趣。 如是三重通前三輕遂成六趣。 故知一切善業由自心生。 但能攝心離諸邪惡。 三界六趣輪迴之業自然消滅。 能滅諸苦即名解脫　又問。 如佛所說。 我於三代阿僧祇劫無量勤苦乃成佛道。 云何今說唯除三毒即名解脫　答曰。 佛所說言三大阿僧祇劫者即三毒心也。 胡言阿僧祇漢言不可數。 此三毒心於一念中皆為一切。 恒何沙者不可數也。 真如之性既被三毒之所覆障。 若不超越彼三恒河沙毒惡之念。 云何名得解脫也。 今者能除貪瞋癡等三種毒心。 是則名為度得三大阿僧祇劫。 末世眾生愚癡鈍根。 不解如來三種阿僧祇祕密之說。 遂言成歷劫末期。 豈不疑悟行人不退菩提方成佛道。 今令學者唯須觀心不修戒行。 云何成量善。 聚會者。 以能制三毒即有三量善普會於心故名三聚戒也。 波羅蜜者。 即是梵言。 漢言達彼岸。 以六根清淨不染世塵。 即出煩惱可至菩提岸也。 故名六波羅蜜　又問。 如經所說。 三聚淨戒者。 誓斷一切惡。 誓修一切善。 誓度一切眾生。 今言制三毒心。 豈不文義有所乖也　答曰。 佛所說經是真實語。 應無謬也。 菩薩於過去因中修苦行時。 對於三毒誓斷一切惡常修戒。 對於瞋毒誓修一切善故常修定。 對於癡戒誓度一切眾生故常修惠。 由持如是戒定惠等三種淨法故。 能超彼三毒惡業即成佛也。 以制三毒則諸惡消滅。 故名之為斷。 以能持三戒則諸善具足。 名之為佛。 以修能斷則萬行成就。 自他利己普濟群生。 故名為度。 既知所修戒行不離於心。 若自清淨故一切功德悉皆清淨　又云。 欲得淨佛云當淨其心。 隨其心淨則佛土淨。 若能制得三種毒心。 三聚淨戒自然成就　又云。 如經中所說。 六波羅蜜者亦名六度。 所謂布施持戒忍辱精進禪定智慧。 今言六根清淨六波羅蜜　若為通會。 又六度者其義云何　答曰。 欲修六度當淨六根欲淨六根先降六賊。 能捨眼賊。 離諸色境心無顧悋。 名為布施能禁耳賊。 於彼聲塵勿令縱逸。 名為持戒。 能除鼻賊。 等諸香臭自在調柔。 名為忍辱。 能制舌賊不貪邪味。 讚詠講說無疲厭心。 名為精進。 能降身賊。 於諸觸欲其心湛然不動。 名為禪定。 能攝意賊。

can this contemplation of the mind be called definitive?

It is asked again: Above you explained that the true suchness of the Buddha-nature and all meritorious virtues have awakening as their root. I do not yet understand what the root is of the mind of ignorance and all evils?

Answer: Although the mind of ignorance possesses eighty-four thousand afflictions, passions, and desires, as well as myriad evils as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, measureless and boundless, to state the essentials: they all take the three poisons as their fundamental root. These three poisons are greed, anger, and delusion. These three poisonous minds are naturally capable of complete possession of all evils. It is like a great tree: though its root is single, the branches and leaves it produces are immeasurable in number. The evil karmas produced from the root of those three poisons exceed the former by a hundred thousand million times beyond compare. Such a mind within its original substance naturally acts as the three poisons. If it manifests responsive to the six sense faculties, they are also called the six thieves. These six thieves are indeed called the six consciousnesses. Entering and exiting the various sense faculties, they greedily cling to the myriad sensory realms. Capable of creating evil karma and damaging the substance of true suchness, they are therefore called the six thieves. All sentient beings, on account of these three poisons and the six thieves, have their bodies and minds deluded and confused, and sink down into birth and death, transmigrating through the six destinies and suffering various afflictions. Furthermore, there are rivers that, due to a small spring of water flowing ceaselessly, can expand into rolling waves across ten thousand miles. If there were someone who cut off their original source, then all the streams would cease. Those who seek liberation eliminate the three poisons and the six thieves, and naturally can eliminate all suffering.

It is asked again: The three realms and six destinies are vast and boundless. If one only contemplates the mind, how can one escape those sufferings?

Answer: The karmic retributions of the three realms are produced solely by the mind. Originally, if there is no mind, then there are no three realms. The three realms are none other than the three poisons: greed is the desire realm, anger is the form realm, and delusion is the formless realm. Because these three minds assemble all evil karmas and karmic retributions, completing transmigration without lack, they are therefore called the three realms. Moreover, according to whether the karma created by the three poisons is light or heavy, the destinies received differ and are divided into six places; therefore they are called the six destinies.

It is asked again: How does the light and heavy divide them into six?

Answer: If there are sentient beings who do not understand the correct cause and cultivate goodness with a deluded mind, they will not escape the three realms, but will be born in the three lighter destinies. What are the three lighter ones? Practicing all the ten good deeds and falsely seeking pleasure, they do not escape the realm of greed, and are born in [the heavenly] destinies. Maintaining all the five precepts and falsely giving rise to love and hatred, they do not escape the realm of anger, and are born in the human destiny. Deludedly clinging to conditioned phenomena and trusting in heterodoxy to seek blessings, they do not escape the realm of delusion, and are born as asuras. Such three categories are called the three [lighter] ones. What are the three heavier ones? So-called giving free rein to the mind of the three poisons and creating only evil karma, they fall into the three heavier destinies. If greed-karma is heavy, one falls into the hungry ghost destiny. If anger-karma is heavy, one falls into the hell destiny. If delusion-karma is heavy, one falls into the animal destiny. These three heavier ones, together with the previous three lighter ones, subsequently form the six destinies. Therefore, know that all good and bad karmas are produced from one's own mind. If one can only collect the mind and separate from all evils, the karmas of transmigration through the three realms and six destinies will naturally be eradicated. Being able to eradicate all suffering is called liberation.

It is asked again: As the Buddha said, 'I, through three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas of immeasurable diligent suffering, only then attained the Buddha Way.' Why do you now say that only eliminating the three poisons is called liberation?

Answer: What the Buddha referred to as the three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas is none other than the minds of the three poisons. In the western language it is asaṃkhyeya; in the language of the Han it means innumerable. These three poisonous minds, in a single thought-instant, each constitute all the sands of the Ganges, which are innumerable. Since the nature of true suchness is covered and obscured by the three poisons, if one does not transcend those poisonous and evil thoughts numerous as the sands of the three Ganges rivers, how could it be called attaining liberation? Now, being able to eliminate the three kinds of poisonous minds such as greed, anger, and delusion—this is called having crossed over the three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas. Sentient beings of the end times are foolish and of dull faculties; not understanding the Tathāgata's esoteric teaching of the three kinds of asaṃkhyeya, they subsequently say that it requires traversing the end of kalpas. Does this not cause doubt and confusion in practitioners, [thinking that only after] reaching non-retrogression of bodhi does one then accomplish the Buddha Way?

[If] now you make learners only need to contemplate the mind without cultivating the practice of the precepts, how can they accomplish the vast merits? As for 'assemblage' (saṃvara): because being able to restrain the three poisons means that the three vast merits are universally gathered in the mind, they are called the three collections of pure precepts. As for 'pāramitā': it is Sanskrit, which in the language of the Han means 'reaching the other shore.' Because the six sense faculties are purified and undefiled by worldly dust, one immediately leaves afflictions behind and can reach the shore of bodhi; therefore they are called the six pāramitās.

It is asked again: As the sūtras explain, the three collections of pure precepts are the vow to sever all evil, the vow to cultivate all good, and the vow to deliver all sentient beings. Now you speak of restraining the mind of the three poisons; does this not diverge from the meaning of the text?

Answer: The sūtras spoken by the Buddha are true words and must be without error. When the bodhisattva cultivated ascetic practices in the past as a cause, confronting the poison of greed, he vowed to sever all evil and constantly cultivated the precepts. Confronting the poison of anger, he vowed to cultivate all good and constantly cultivated concentration. Confronting the poison of delusion, he vowed to deliver all sentient beings and constantly cultivated wisdom. By upholding these three pure dharmas of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, he was able to transcend those evil karmas of the three poisons and immediately become a Buddha. Because restraining the three poisons extinguishes all evil, it is called 'severing.' Because being able to uphold the three precepts fully endows all good, it is called 'cultivating.' Because through cultivation one is able to sever, the myriad practices are accomplished: benefiting oneself and others, one universally saves all sentient beings; therefore it is called 'delivering.' Knowing already that the practice of the precepts cultivated is not separate from the mind, if [the mind] itself is pure, all meritorious virtues are therefore completely pure.

It is also said: 'If one wishes to attain a pure Buddha [land], one should purify one's mind; following the purity of its mind, the Buddha land is pure.' If one can restrain the three kinds of poisonous minds, the three collections of pure precepts are naturally accomplished.

It is also asked: As explained in the sūtras, the six pāramitās are also called the six crossings—namely, giving, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. Now you say that the purification of the six sense faculties is the six pāramitās. How can these be reconciled? Moreover, as for the six crossings, what is their meaning?

Answer: If one wishes to cultivate the six crossings, one should purify the six sense faculties; if one wishes to purify the six sense faculties, one must first subdue the six thieves. Being able to cast off the eye-thief, separating from all realms of form with a mind free of lingering stinginess, is called giving. Being able to restrain the ear-thief, not allowing it to indulge in those sound-dusts, is called morality. Being able to eliminate the nose-thief, treating all fragrances and foul odors with equanimity, being at ease and gentle, is called patience. Being able to control the tongue-thief, not being greedy for heterodox flavors, praising, reciting, and expounding without weariness, is called diligence. Being able to subdue the body-thief, keeping the mind profoundly calm and motionless regarding all tactile desires, is called meditation. Being able to collect the mind-thief...