英語訳
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stages of practice, this is reasonable and necessary. What is there to find strange? However, regarding students aspiring toward great bodhi, how could there be no differences in the stages of wisdom, elimination of afflictions, practice, and position? Some call it "realization," some "grasping the essence," some "sudden understanding," some "awakening," some "thorough penetration." Awakening has great and small aspects—the earlier are shallow, the later are deep. Layer upon layer, like peeling banana skin—peel away one layer and there is yet another layer.
Dahui described his awakening experiences: "Great awakenings eighteen times, small awakenings countless in number." How could these words be false? Yet was the eighteenth time the ultimate enlightenment? There were also ancient worthies who did not approve of Dahui's awakening—this should be considered. Weishan said: "Although present beginners may through conditions achieve sudden awakening to principle in one thought, they still have beginningless eons of habitual tendencies that cannot be suddenly purified. One must teach them to purify and eliminate present karma and flowing consciousness—this is cultivation. This does not mean there is a separate dharma teaching them cultivation and direction. This is the cultivation without cultivation, the position without position of sudden teaching." How could present karma and flowing consciousness be easily purified? If difficult to suddenly purify, then through one or two lifetimes, or even countless asaṃkhyeya kalpas, this is not strange.
Moreover, establishing the forty-two stages of worthies and sages over three asaṃkhyeya kalpas is the inherent positional dhāraṇī of the bodhisattva's nature-virtue. How could this be called circuitous? Establishing sequential arrangement of teaching, principle, wisdom, elimination, practice, position, cause and effect is the aspect of characteristics. Eliminating and merging the teaching, principle, wisdom, elimination, practice, position, cause and effect is nature. Nature and characteristics are the essential meaning of all dharmas—they cannot be separated.
Therefore, reaching nature through characteristics, merging characteristics through nature, with nature and characteristics mutually completing and supporting each other—this is correct dharma. Being stuck in characteristics while neglecting nature, grasping nature while slighting characteristics, with nature and characteristics mutually biased—this is degeneracy. Using nature to
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abolish characteristics, using characteristics to abolish nature, with nature and characteristics mutually abolished—this is heterodoxy. I secretly worry that ordinary Chan practitioners do not understand that the patriarchs' advocacy of complete elimination and non-dependence is actually one dharma gate of using nature to merge characteristics in sudden teaching, but instead use nature to abolish characteristics, falsely equating the ordinary and lowly with superior sages, misleading themselves and others. Their fault is endless. Therefore, I now tentatively cite Tiantai teaching for comparison.
Those who speak of "realization" and "grasping the essence," dwelling peacefully and steadily, generally do not surpass the Buddha-eye of the nominal identity in Tiantai classification. Those who speak of "sudden understanding" should include sudden understanding at the nominal position or sudden understanding at the stage of contemplative practice. Those who speak of "great awakening and great penetration" should include the nominal, contemplative practice, similarity, and partial truth stages—the boundaries of the four positions cannot be hastily determined. Now, relying on sacred teachings, I will clarify the general standards.
Those whose true wisdom merges with suchness, exit the aggregates and enter the sense-fields, play in samādhi, manifest great supernatural powers, obtain dhāraṇī, turn the great dharma wheel, travel to the ten directions in a single thought, serve all buddhas, rescue sentient beings, etc.—these are bodhisattvas of the partial truth position. Those who awaken to mind-nature and abandon the coarse bondage of aggregates and sense-fields, yet whose knowledge and views have not yet left shadow-images, whose samādhi and supernatural powers are not yet free, etc.—these are bodhisattvas of the similarity position.
Someone asks: "The Chan school does not admire samādhi and supernatural powers but often rejects them. Why do you speak of supernatural powers and samādhi?" Answer: Their rejection of supernatural powers and samādhi is merely the aforementioned dharma gate of using nature to eliminate characteristics. If using nature to eliminate characteristics, then sentient beings in the Avīci hell are directly, without any difference from buddhas of the three times. What is there to take or reject? But using nature to illuminate characteristics,
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then supernatural powers and samādhi are the virtue and function of awakened mind, most worthy of admiration. Regardless of which school's way of studying, if one's attainment is deep, naturally there will be liberation and supernatural powers. Why? Because the so-called mind that sees nature and awakens to the Way leaves the false turnings of the three realms—what is this if not liberation? Those who attain true liberation naturally obtain pure, subtle, light, and clear physical bodies with unobstructed six sense faculties, manifesting great spiritual functions—what is this if not supernatural powers? Even those who obtain the four dhyānas through superior ten wholesome actions can still abandon the coarse and turbid form and mind of the desire realm, obtain the pure and subtle four elements of the form realm, and manifest various spiritual functions.
How much more so for those who see nature, awaken to the Way, and transcend aggregates and sense-fields—how could they not obtain such spiritual functions?
Supernatural powers and liberation are merits completely according with nature, not necessarily developed through intentional application and special practices. How could one reject the excellent virtues of dharma-nature's naturalness? Generally, there are many types of supernatural abilities: demonic powers, dependent powers, karmic powers, retribution powers, and divine powers. Among these, the first two are powers of demons and spirits.
The next two are also false powers. Divine powers have two types: those obtained through application and those obtained through freedom from defilement. Those obtained through application can be attained by both ordinary people and sages, with righteous and deviant, defiled and pure varieties. Those obtained through freedom from defilement are attained only by sages. When delusion is eliminated and the way perfected, supernatural clarity naturally arises—this is the wondrous function of nature-arising.
Now I cite sacred teachings for verification. The Ratnakūṭa Sūtra states: "After the monk Jingsheng had left home, he again addressed the Buddha saying: 'How can I now be called a renunciant?' The Buddha said: 'Monk, your name is Jingsheng (Pure Sound). You should purify your own realm. Once your own realm is purified, then you are called a monk and a renunciant.' At that time, after hearing the Buddha's teaching, the monk delighted in tranquility and had this thought: 'Realm means the eye.
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Contemplating eye-emptiness is purifying the realm. Now, pure realm is buddha-land. Ear, nose, tongue, and body are likewise. Mind is realm—if one contemplates mind-emptiness, this is pure realm. Now, pure realm is buddha-land, is one realm, is empty realm, is sentient beings' realm, is signless realm, is wishless realm, is unconditioned realm, is unconditioned realm. Good son, after Monk Jingsheng contemplated thus, he immediately obtained bodily lightness. After body and mind became light, he obtained immeasurable supernatural powers. After obtaining supernatural powers, he obtained the dhāraṇī gate of unobstructed joyful eloquence,'" etc. The distinctions of various wisdoms developing supernatural powers are explained in Yogācāra Treatise, fascicle 37.
Later generations have ignorant Chan practitioners who do not understand that liberation is precisely the excellent virtue of awakened mind and supernatural powers are precisely the wondrous function of liberation. They falsely cite demonic powers, dependent powers, and other evil powers to slander the sage-powers arising from liberation-nature. Why do they treasure and protect their own five aggregates stained with defilement and lacking liberation and supernatural powers, while covetously desiring worldly five desires, fame and profit, official honor, authority and power, and other festering sores? Treasuring what should be despised and hated—the aggregate-thieves—while being disgusted with and abandoning what should be revered and delighted in—the sacred dharma—is this not inverted?
This is indeed a great corruption common to both Chan and doctrinal schools, driven by the momentum of the times—even ten thousand oxen could not pull it back.
Those whose true and real knowledge and views correspond with concentration, whose four minds' equal flow do not depart from cessation and alertness, whose activities of three karmas accord with the five practices, whose aggregates, sense-fields, karma, and lifespan have not yet completely collapsed but whose manifest afflictions are damaged, subdued, and do not arise, whose samādhi and supernatural powers are not yet free but who become dharma teachers, expound dharma and liberate people, are revered by humans and gods, protected and supported by heavenly dragons, etc.—these are bodhisattvas of the contemplative practice position. Those who engage in true investigation and real cultivation, suddenly