英語訳
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This is the direct cause Buddha nature. The track of contemplative illumination is prajñā, which is the understanding cause Buddha nature. The track of nourishing accomplishment is all myriad virtues, which is the conditional cause Buddha nature. The two causes of conditional and understanding are precisely the virtuous functions of the tathāgatagarbha mind. Sentient beings of the nine realms, due to the power of ignorance, disturb the tathāgatagarbha and create the coarse and subtle two types of three paths. Tranquil illumination transforms into dullness and distraction. When śamatha calms distraction, then distraction transforms into tranquility. When vipaśyanā clarifies dullness, then dullness transforms into illumination. Śamatha calming body and mind is precisely morality and concentration. Vipaśyanā clarifying the mind is precisely wisdom. One should know that śamatha-vipaśyanā is precisely morality, concentration, and wisdom. When opened, it becomes the eightfold noble path, the thirty-seven factors of awakening, and the ten pāramitās. These are all wondrous practices that naturally accord with our nature.
However, capacities have gradual and sudden aspects, and vehicles have provisional and real aspects. The provisional arises by embracing the real and can horizontally manifest the real. Therefore horizontal and real mutually support each other, and gradual and sudden universally benefit. The three types of śamatha-vipaśyanā guide and transform the three capacities. What are the three types? They are gradual śamatha-vipaśyanā, indeterminate śamatha-vipaśyanā, and perfect sudden śamatha-vipaśyanā. The so-called perfect sudden śamatha-vipaśyanā is explained in the Mahā Śamatha-Vipaśyanā through five brief and ten extensive sections. The five brief are: arousing the great mind, cultivating great practice, experiencing great fruition, tearing the great net, and returning to the great place. First, arousing the great mind means arousing bodhicitta. Arousing bodhicitta has distinctions according to the four teachings. Now we take the bodhicitta of the perfect teaching's supreme wisdom-contemplation. This means believing and understanding that the present single moment of mind is precisely empty, provisional, and middle; as the mind is, so is the Buddha; as the Buddha is, so are sentient beings - arousing this vast bodhicitta.
Second, cultivating great practice means relying on the four samādhis to cultivate śamatha-vipaśyanā. The four samādhis are: first, constantly sitting samādhi; second, constantly walking samādhi; third, half-walking half-sitting samādhi; fourth, neither walking nor sitting samādhi. The first, constant sitting, is also called single-practice samādhi. This comes from the Mañjuśrī Asks About Prajñā. Residing in a quiet room or empty space,
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for a period of ninety days, except for walking meditation, eating, and relieving oneself, one sits upright facing toward one Buddha direction. Time continues without a moment's interruption. When obstacles arise, one recites one Buddha's name, eliminates various confused thoughts and evil contemplations, connects conditions to the dharmadhātu, and contemplates the dharmadhātu in one thought (etc.).
Second, constantly walking samādhi is also called Buddha-standing. This dharma comes from the Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sutra. For a period of ninety days, one adorns the practice hall, wears pure clothing, and except for eating and relieving oneself, exclusively practices walking in circles. The mouth constantly chants Amitābha Buddha, the heart constantly contemplates Amitābha Buddha, or one visualizes Amitābha Buddha's characteristics and marks. Also contemplating that seeking Buddha through form and mind is unobtainable - it is only the dharmadhātu mind arising from mental visualization, without visualization or defilement, without seeking or attachment - this is called the Buddha seal.
Third, half-walking half-sitting - this dharma comes from the Vaipulya and Lotus sutras. If one wishes to cultivate Vaipulya, first seek the twelve dream kings. If one succeeds in seeing one, then repentance is permitted. For a period of seven days, recite dhāraṇī, walk in circles 120 times, one prostration per recitation. Sit in meditation contemplating the Mahārṣi-holding dhāraṇī true characteristics middle way correct emptiness sutra (etc.). Those who teach cultivating the Lotus should examine the Lotus Samādhi practice methods. Also, Nanyue demonstrated the four peaceful and joyful practices, with and without characteristics as fully clarified therein.
Fourth, neither walking nor sitting is also called following-one's-intention samādhi. The Mahāprajñāpāramitā calls it awakening-factor samādhi. It pervades walking, sitting, and all activities. Encountering conditions and facing circumstances, investigating through the four phases of arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing, exhaustively examining the source of all dharmas. One immediately knows that each particle and each dharma has no agent and no recipient, like illusion and transformation, merely dharma-nature as one suchness. For now, relying on the Entreating Avalokiteśvara, we demonstrate this method (etc.).
Third, experiencing great fruition refers to the bodhisattva's pure great fruition reward. When practice accords with the middle way, even dwelling in the fragmentary, the flower reward is still excellent - how much more so the true fruition
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reward of the first ground and above. Fourth, tearing the great net: if a person accomplishes mind-contemplation, then inner wisdom becomes clear, penetrating gradual and sudden teachings, universally manifesting various bodies, adapting to capacities to bestow teachings, breaking others' nets of doubt. Fifth, returning to the great place means personally entering the three virtues' secret treasury and also enabling others to enter the secret treasury.
The ten extensive sections are: first, great meaning; second, explaining names; third, essence and characteristics; fourth, embracing dharmas; fifth, partial and perfect; sixth, expedients; seventh, correct contemplation; eighth, fruition rewards; ninth, arising teachings; tenth, ultimate purpose. These are fully clarified in the Mahā Śamatha-Vipaśyanā. Now we briefly explain expedients and correct contemplation to benefit beginners. Expedients have distant and near aspects. Distant expedients refer to the twenty-five expedients, fully clarified in the śamatha-vipaśyanā text. Near expedients are the ten objects: the objects of aggregates-entrances-elements, afflictions, illness, karma, demons, meditative concentration, views, pride, two vehicles, and bodhisattvas.
So-called correct contemplation means cultivating perfect śamatha-vipaśyanā regarding the previous ten objects. The Mahā Śamatha-Vipaśyanā states: "Among the ten objects, the single object of aggregates-entrances constantly manifests before us. Whether arising or not arising, it can always serve as contemplation. The remaining nine objects are contemplated when they arise. If they don't arise, what is there to contemplate? Also, eight objects are distant from the correct path - one must deeply add protection to return to the correct track. Two objects are close to the correct path - when reaching this stage, one need not worry about lacking contemplation. Even slight cultivation becomes correct."
Jakujitsu: This passage is a diamond hammer that destroys the great perverted views of later generations who treasure the aggregate thieves, bestow various excellent names upon them, demean and insult the two vehicles and bodhisattvas of the previous three teachings, and wrongly add disparagement. I hope those who revere Tiantai will wipe their eyes and see this passage.
Moreover, these ten objects do not go beyond the three obstacles and four demons. When opened, they are like dust and sand. The first, aggregates-entrances-elements: setting aside entrances-
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elements for now, we briefly clarify the ten dharmas regarding the aggregate object. Aggregates are the five aggregates. Among the five aggregates, excluding the four of form etc., we only contemplate the consciousness aggregate. The consciousness aggregate is mind. Contemplating mind includes the ten vehicles: first, contemplating the inconceivable object; second, arousing compassionate mind; third, skillfully settling śamatha-vipaśyanā; fourth, breaking through dharma pervading; fifth, recognizing passable and blocked; sixth, cultivating path factors; seventh, counteracting, assisting, and opening; eighth, knowing sequential stages; ninth, being able to patiently endure; tenth, having no dharma-love.
The ten vehicles are completely provided to guide beginners, leading practitioners to enter the secret treasury. So-called contemplating the inconceivable object means contemplating one mind naturally containing three thousand, being immediately empty, provisional, and middle. However, although sentient beings possess this principle, it is hidden by ignorance. Only the Buddha Tathāgata ultimately manifests it. Therefore, the Buddha's realm is taken as the object of contemplation. When contemplating according to principle, tainted unwholesome aggregates transform to become wholesome aggregates; tainted wholesome aggregates transform to become untainted aggregates; untainted aggregates transform to become both-tainted-and-untainted aggregates; both-tainted-and-untainted aggregates transform to become neither-tainted-nor-untainted aggregates.
Therefore, although contemplating the single deluded thought of aggregates, it is precisely the wonderful dharma of three thousand mutually containing and mutually interpenetrating. The essential point of contemplation lies entirely in transforming and abandoning the previous aggregates and transforming to attain the subsequent aggregates within the six identity stages. The nine contemplations from arousing compassionate mind onward are briefly omitted here.
How great is Zhizhe's interpretation of the Lotus! The ten subtleties and ten vehicles are precisely the essential meaning of the tathāgatagarbha mind. Therefore, all great and small, provisional and real - teachings, principles, wisdom, cutting off, practice, stages, causes, and effects - all return to the Wonderful Dharma Lotus. Why? Because vehicles have provisional and real, dharmas have coarse and subtle. Responding to capacities through universal gates, opening understanding and establishing practice, causing sentient beings to use śamatha to calm distraction, use vipaśyanā to clarify dullness, transform and abandon the three paths, and manifest the three virtues. Therefore, opening the coarse immediately becomes subtle; opening the provisional immediately becomes real. Thus coarse and subtle, provisional and real, all without exception