觀心論 1.1.2

1.1.2

Not complying with ignorance, constantly cultivating awakening wisdom, and delighting in all merits is called wisdom. Furthermore, to cross over (du) means to transport: the six pāramitās are compared to a boat or raft that can transport sentient beings to reach the other shore; therefore they are called the six crossings [six pāramitās]. It was asked again: "It is said that when Śākyamuni Tathāgata was a bodhisattva, he attained the Buddha path only after drinking three dǒu and six shēng of milk gruel. This means that he first partook of milk and only afterwards realized the fruit of buddhahood. How then can one attain liberation merely by contemplating the mind?" The answer is: Truly it is as you say, without falsehood. He necessarily partook of milk and only then began to become a Buddha. The Buddha spoke of drinking milk; [yet] there are two kinds of milk. What the Buddha consumed was not worldly, impure milk, but the pure Dharma-milk of True Suchness. The three dǒu are the three categories of pure precepts. The six shēng are the six pāramitās. At the time of attaining the Buddha path, he consumed such Dharma-milk and only then realized the fruit of buddhahood. If one says that the Tathāgata consumed the impure, rank, and foul milk of a worldly cow born of sexual union, would that not constitute a grave slander of the Dharma? The Tathāgata is himself the adamantine, indestructible, outflow-free Dharma body, eternally separated from all worldly suffering. How could he need such impure milk to satisfy hunger and thirst? The cow that was spoken of does not dwell on high plateaus, nor does it dwell in low damp places; it does not eat grain, wheat, chaff, bran, or beans, and does not herd with bulls. Its body is of purplish-burnished gold. This cow refers to Rocana Buddha. Out of great kindness and great compassion, feeling pity [for sentient beings], from within his pure body he nurtures all sentient beings seeking liberation with this wondrous Dharma-milk of the three categories of pure precepts and the six pāramitās. It is not only the True Tathāgata who, drinking this pure milk from within truth, attained the path; if all sentient beings consume it, they will all attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. It was asked again: "In the scriptures it is said that the Buddha stated that if sentient beings build monasteries, cast images, burn incense, scatter flowers, light ever-burning lamps, circumambulate stūpas and practice the path during the six intervals of the day and night, observe fasts, and perform prostrations, by such manifold merits they will all attain the Buddha path. If merely contemplating the mind encompasses all practices, then such matters must be false!" The answer is: The Buddha taught immeasurable skillful means. All sentient beings are of dull faculties and narrow inferiority; [because the truth is] extremely profound, he used conditioned things as metaphors for the unconditioned. If one does not practice internally but only seeks externally, hoping to obtain blessings, that is impossible. The word saṅghārāma is Sanskrit from the Western lands; in this region it is translated as 'pure place'. If one eternally eliminates the three poisons and constantly purifies the six sense faculties, with body and mind clear and tranquil, pure inside and out, this is called 'building a monastery'. Furthermore, casting images means that sentient beings seeking the Buddha path cultivate various awakening practices to emulate the Tathāgata; how could it refer to the casting and pouring of bronze and gold? Therefore, those who seek liberation take the body as the furnace, the Dharma as the fire, wisdom as the craftsman, and the three categories of pure precepts and the six pāramitās as the draft and pattern. They smelt the body, mind, and the True Suchness Buddha-nature, pouring it everywhere into the mould of all monastic rules, practicing according to the teachings without defect or leakage, naturally bringing to completion an image of the true countenance. What is wrought is the ultimate, eternally abiding, wondrous form body, not a conditioned, corruptible phenomenon. If a person seeking the path does not understand this casting of the true countenance, on what basis can they rashly claim to have accomplished merit? Furthermore, burning incense is also not worldly incense with form, but rather the unconditioned incense of the true Dharma, which perfumes all defiled and evil karmas, causing them all to be purified and extinguished. This incense of the true Dharma has five substances: the first is the incense of precepts, which means being able to cut off all evils and cultivate all goods; the second is the incense of concentration, which means resolving faith in the Great Vehicle with a mind that never backslides; the third is the incense of wisdom, which means constantly observing body and mind, internally and externally; the fourth is the incense of liberation, which means being able to sever all bonds of ignorance; the fifth is the incense of the knowledge and vision of liberation, which means awakening insight constantly penetrating without obstacle of ignorance. These five incenses are peerless in the world. When the Buddha was in the world, he had all his disciples burn this priceless incense with the fire of wisdom to make offerings to all Buddhas of the ten directions. Sentient beings nowadays are foolish and of dull faculties; not understanding the Tathāgata's true meaning, they merely use external fire to burn worldly, material incenses such as agarwood, sandalwood, and frankincense. Hoping for a retribution of blessings, how could they obtain it? Furthermore, scattering flowers has the same meaning. It means expounding the true Dharma to speak the flowers of merit, benefiting sentient beings, scattering them so they moisten all, universally bestowing adornment upon the nature of True Suchness. These flowers of merit are praised by the Buddha; ultimately eternally abiding, they have no time of withering and falling. If someone scatters such flowers, they will obtain immeasurable blessings. If the Tathāgata had sentient beings cut silk and damage plants and trees to scatter flowers, that would be impossible. Why is that? One who upholds pure precepts does not cause any violation against all the myriad phenomena of the great earth; one who mistakenly violates them incurs great sin. How much more so if one now intentionally violates the prohibitions and injures the myriad things to seek a retribution of blessings? Wishing for benefit, one brings about harm instead; how could this be so? [The questioner] asked again: [The master continued:] As for lamps, they are the awakening of the correct mind: clarity of wisdom is compared to a lamp. Therefore, all who seek liberation constantly take the body as the lampstand, the mind as the lamp cup, faith as the wick, and the increase of all precept practices as the adding of oil. The radiant penetration of wisdom is compared to the lamp flame constantly burning. Such a bright lamp of True Suchness right awakening destroys all darkness of ignorance and delusion. Being able to use this Dharma to awaken one another sequentially is precisely one lamp lighting hundreds of thousands of lamps; by lamp continuing light, the light is never exhausted in the end. Because it is inexhaustible, it is called 'ever-burning'. In the past there was a Buddha named Dīpaṃkara; the meaning is also like this. Foolish sentient beings do not comprehend the Tathāgata's skillful means; exclusively practicing vanity, clinging to the conditioned, they then light lamps of worldly butter and oil to illuminate a single room, claiming this complies with the teaching. Is this not an error? Why is that? The Buddha emits from between his brows the light of a white curl of hair that illuminates eighteen thousand worlds above. If the light of his body fully shines, it permeates the ten directions universally. How could he rely on such mundane lamps for benefit? When carefully examining this principle, should it not be otherwise? Furthermore, practicing the path during the six intervals means constantly practicing the Buddha path among the six sense faculties at all times. 'Path' (dao) means awakening: it is cultivating awakening practices to tame the six feelings; not abandoning pure practice over a long period is called 'practicing the path during the six intervals'. A stūpa is the body; constantly having awakening wisdom circumambulate body and mind without stopping for a single thought-moment is called 'circumambulating a stūpa'. In the past, noble saṅgha members practiced the path like this and attained nirvāṇa. If those seeking liberation do not comprehend this principle, how can it be called practicing the path?