大乘無生方便門 1.1.4

1.1.4

[When one] craves craving for nirvāṇa and views viewing of the Buddha-lands, realizes the six sense faculties as the Buddha-land, and uses immobility as adornment; realizes the immobility of the six sense faculties and comprehends that the nature of craving, anger, and delusion is empty, yet seeing emptiness grasps emptiness as realization, detesting birth and death and dwelling in nirvāṇa—this is called the bondage of expedient means without wisdom. / [Next,] the liberation of expedient means with wisdom: A bodhisattva who already has a mind of craving and views craves craving for nirvāṇa and views [the Buddha-lands]; purifies the six sense faculties as the Buddha-land and uses immobility as adornment; realizes the immobility of the six sense faculties and comprehends that the nature of craving, anger, and delusion is empty; sees emptiness but does not grasp emptiness as realization, neither detesting birth and death nor dwelling in nirvāṇa—this is called the liberation of expedient means with wisdom. / [Next,] the bondage of wisdom without expedient means: It refers to a bodhisattva dwelling in craving, anger, wrong views, and other defilements while planting roots of virtue; realizing the immobility of the six sense faculties and comprehending that the nature of craving, anger, and delusion is empty, yet seeing emptiness grasps emptiness as realization, detesting birth and death and dwelling in nirvāṇa; this bodhisattva [dwells in] craving, anger, wrong views, and other defilements while planting roots of virtue; when there is sound, when there is no sound, and when sounds cease, he does not hear. Not hearing is called the bondage of wisdom without expedient means. / [Next,] the liberation of wisdom with expedient means: It refers to a bodhisattva departing from craving, anger, wrong views, and other defilements while planting roots of virtue; realizing the immobility of the six sense faculties and comprehending that the nature of craving, anger, and delusion is empty; seeing emptiness, he does not grasp emptiness as realization, neither detesting birth and death nor dwelling in nirvāṇa; this bodhisattva thus departs from craving, anger, wrong views, and other defilements while planting roots of virtue, dedicating it toward anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi; when there is sound, when there is no sound, and when sounds cease, he constantly hears. This is called the liberation of wisdom with expedient means. / Furthermore, contemplate the body: the body is not separate from illness; this illness and this body are neither new nor old. The cause being in the past, the four great elements are not new; existing in the present, the five aggregates are not old. The body and mind do not arise, severing the cause of outflows; [then] one will attain the fully endowed fruit of nirvāṇa. It is not a dharma of cause and effect; it is the original source of all Buddhas. / [Regarding] 'dwelling in the world': what is the place? The mind is the place. The five aggregates are the world; the mind dwells in the world. / 'Like empty space': empty space is the mind; the mind's tathatā is jñāna. / 'Like a lotus flower': the lotus flower is form; form's tathatā is prajñā. / Samādhi and prajñā being pure transcends those five faculties; this is 'transcending them.' / 'Kowtowing' is reverent salutation, which is conformity. Constantly conforming to samādhi and prajñā in cultivation is the 'Unsurpassed Honoured One.' / 'Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra': What is the 'marvelous dharma'? The mind is the marvelous dharma. The lotus flower is form. The mind's tathatā is jñāna; form's tathatā is prajñā. It is the sūtra of samādhi and prajñā. / 'Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra': 'Great, broad, and expansive' is the mind; 'flower adornment' is form. The mind's tathatā is jñāna; form's tathatā is prajñā. It is the sūtra of samādhi and prajñā. / 'Vajracchedikā Sūtra': 'Gold' (vajra) is the mind; 'hard' is form. The mind's tathatā is jñāna; form's tathatā is prajñā. It is the sūtra of samādhi and prajñā. / 'Saddharmapuṇḍarīka' (Lotus of the Marvelous Dharma): What is the 'marvelous dharma'? Samādhi and prajñā are the marvelous dharma. The lotus flower is a metaphor. By possessing samādhi and prajñā, in the world one is not defiled by the world; clearly know that samādhi and prajñā are indeed the marvelous dharma. The lotus flower is mingled in the water, yet it is not defiled by the water; seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing function with sovereignty, yet are not defiled by the six sense objects. Like the lotus flower blossoming with fragrance, cherished and respected by humans and devas, it is therefore brought forward as a metaphor. For those who have not yet attained samādhi and prajñā, it causes them to attain samādhi and prajñā. / 'Opening the access of expedient means to reveal the true reality': The immobility of the six sense faculties and so forth is opening the access of expedient means; samādhi and prajñā are the true reality. Because of possessing samādhi and prajñā, storing all dharmas of merit, the marks of dharmas are consummated, storing undefiled dharmas and the like; this is the treasury of the Lotus Sūtra, which ordinary beings and those of the two vehicles cannot reach, and which heavenly māras and non-Buddhists cannot destroy. Being deep, it is profound and remote, so that no person can reach it: that ordinary beings and those of the two vehicles cannot reach it is called 'deep'; that heavenly māras and non-Buddhists cannot destroy it is called 'firm.' / 'Preaching for the sake of the bodhisattvas the Mahāyāna sūtra called Immeasurable Meanings, a dharma for instructing bodhisattvas, which the Buddhas protect and keep in mind.' / Question: What is the Mahāyāna sūtra? / Answer: Samādhi and prajñā are the Mahāyāna sūtra, which is also called the Lotus Sūtra. / What are the immeasurable meanings? / Answer: Conforming to the meaning of the nature of the single true reality. / 'A dharma for instructing bodhisattvas': instructing bodhisattvas in the dharma of samādhi and prajñā. / 'Which the Buddhas protect and keep in mind': protecting the Buddha who is originally transcending thought. / Having preached this sūtra, he sat cross-legged, symbolizing that body and mind are immobile. The body being immobile, form's tathatā is prajñā; the mind being immobile, the mind's tathatā is jñāna. 'Sam' is correct; 'ādhi' is mind. With a correct mind, one cultivates in conformity with the meaning of the nature of the single true reality; this is called entering into the samādhi of the station of immeasurable meanings, symbolizing that body and mind are immobile. / At that time, the World-Honoured One arose serenely from samādhi and addressed Śāriputra: 'The wisdom of all Buddhas is extremely profound and immeasurable.' / Question: What is wisdom being extremely profound? / Answer: The Tathāgata's ocean of jñāna is bottomless, hence called 'extremely profound'; prajñā can transcend beyond the six sense objects, hence called 'immeasurable.' / 'The access to their wisdom is difficult to comprehend and difficult to enter, and cannot be known by any of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas.' Those of the two vehicles have minds with arising and ceasing, so it is difficult to comprehend; śrāvakas have minds with conceptual clinging and agitation, so it is difficult to enter. Bodhisattvas are free of clinging and agitation, so it is easy to comprehend and easy to enter. / Question: The śrāvakas of the five ranks cannot measure the Buddha's wisdom; exhausting their thoughts to ponder it together, they still cannot know it. Why do they not know it? / Answer: Having a mind that seeks through thought, they cannot know it. / How can it be known? / Answer: Having a mind without seeking through thought, it is then known. / Question: Using thinking and seeking, what purpose does it serve? / Answer: Within the thinking mind, transform thought into jñāna. / He further addressed Śāriputra: 'The undefiled, inconceivable, extremely profound, subtle and marvelous dharma has now been fully attained by me; only I know these marks, as do the Buddhas of the ten directions. Stop, stop, there is no need to speak; my dharma is marvelous and difficult to conceive. Those of overweening pride, hearing it, will surely not believe with reverence.' / [Regarding] 'overweening pride': The dharma of nothing to be attained is the supreme dharma; adding a mind that has attainments and showing pride toward others' supreme dharma is overweening pride. / Question: What is pride? / Answer: Contravening the principle is pride. / What does it contravene? / Answer: Contravening the principle of realizing nothing to be attained. In the supreme dharma there is nothing to be attained, yet those of the two vehicles add attainment; in the supreme dharma there is nothing to be realized, yet those of the two vehicles add realization. Adding attainment and adding realization is precisely contravening the principle. When the supreme dharma is without attainment and without realization, being without attainment and without realization, one is then free of overweening pride. / 'Dāna-pāramitā' is Sanskrit; in this land, it is translated as giving. Giving oneself and seeing others not giving—this is being proud toward others' supreme dharma. Not seeing that there is giving, and not seeing that there is no giving, the two marks are equal, and pride does not arise. From this giving, one attains freedom from overweening pride; this is called the supreme pāramitā.