菩提達摩大師血脈論

第一課

三界混起，同歸一心，前佛後佛，以心傳心，不立文字。問曰：若不立文字，以何為心？答曰：汝問吾即是汝心，吾答汝即是吾心。吾若無心因何解答汝？汝若無心因何解問吾？問吾即是汝心，從無始曠大劫以來，乃至施為運動一切時中，一切處所，皆是汝本心，皆是汝本佛。即心是佛，亦復如是。除此心外，終無別佛可得；離此心外覓菩提涅槃無有是處。自性真實非因非果。法即是心義，自心是涅槃。若言心外有佛及菩提可得，無有是處。佛及菩提皆在何處？

Everything that appears in the three realms comes from the mind. Hence buddhas of the past and future teach mind to mind without bothering about definitions.
But if they don't define it, what do they mean by mind?
You ask. That's your mind. I answer. That's my mind. If I had no mind, how could I answer? If you had no mind, how could you ask? That which asks is your mind. Through endless kalpas without beginning, whatever you do, wherever you are, that's your real mind, that's your real buddha. This mind is the buddha says the same thing. Beyond this mind you'll never find another buddha. To search for enlightenment or nirvana beyond this mind is impossible. The reality of your own self-nature, the absence of cause and effect, is what's meant by mind. Your mind is nirvana. You might think you can find a buddha or enlightenment somewhere beyond the mind, but such a place doesn't exist.

第二課

譬如有人以手提虛空得否？虛空但有名，亦無相貌；取不得、捨不得，是捉空不得。除此心外，見佛終不得也。佛是自心作得，因何離此心外覓佛？前佛後佛只言其心，心即是佛，佛即是心；心外無佛，佛外無心。若言心外有佛，佛在何處？心外既無佛，何起佛見？遞相誑惑，不能了本心，被它無情物攝，無自由。若也不信，自誑無益。佛無過患，眾生顛倒，不覺不知自心是佛。若知自心是佛，不應心外覓佛。

Trying to find a buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It's not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can't grab it. Beyond this mind you'll never see a buddha. The buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a buddha beyond this mind?
Buddhas of the past and future only talk about this mind. The mind is the buddha, and the buddha is the mind. Beyond the mind there's no buddha, and beyond the buddha there's no mind. If you think there's a buddha beyond the mind, where is he? There's no buddha beyond the mind, so why envision one? You can't know your real mind as long as you deceive yourself. As long as you're enthralled by a lifeless form, you're not free. If you don't believe me, deceiving yourself won't help. It's not the buddha's fault. People, though, are deluded. They're unaware that their own mind is the buddha. Otherwise they wouldn't look for a buddha outside the mind.

第三課

佛不度佛，將心覓佛不識佛。但是外覓佛者，盡是不識自心是佛。亦不得將佛禮佛，不得將心念佛。佛不誦經，佛不持戒，佛不犯戒，佛無持犯，亦不造善惡。若欲覓佛，須是見性，見性即是佛。若不見性，念佛誦經持齋持戒亦無益處。念佛得因果，誦經得聰明，持戒得生天，布施得福報，覓佛終不得也。若自己不明了，須參善知識，了卻生死根本。若不見性，即不名善知識。若不如此縱說得十二部經，亦不免生死輪迴，三界受苦，無出期時。

Buddhas don't save buddhas. If you use your mind to look for a buddha, you won't see the buddha. As long as you look for a buddha somewhere else, you'll never see that your own mind is the buddha. Don't use a buddha to worship a buddha. And don't use the mind to invoke a buddha. Buddhas don't recite sutras. Buddhas don't keep precepts. And buddhas don't break precepts. Buddhas don't keep or break anything. Buddhas don't do good or evil. To find a buddha, you have to see your nature. Whoever sees his nature is a buddha. If you don't see your nature, invoking buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings, and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking buddhas results in good karma, reciting sutras results in a good memory; keeping precepts results in a good rebirth, and making offerings results in future blessings---but no buddha.
If you don't understand by yourself, you'll have to find a teacher to get the to bottom of life of death. But unless he sees his nature, such a person isn't a teacher. Even if he can recite the Twelvefold Canon, he can't escape the Wheel of Birth and Death. He suffers in the three realms without hope of release.

第四課

昔有善星比丘，誦得十二部經，猶自不免輪迴，緣為不見性。善星既如此，今時人講得三五本經論以為佛法者，愚人也。若不識得自心，誦得閑文書，都無用處。若要覓佛，直須見性。性即是佛，佛即是自在人，無事無作人。若不見性，終日茫茫，向外馳求，覓佛元來不得。雖無一物可得，若求會亦須參善知識，切須苦求，令心會解。生死事大，不得空過，自誑無益。縱有珍饈如山，眷屬如恆河沙，開眼即見，合眼還見麼？故知有為之法，如夢幻等。

Long ago, the monk Good Star was able to recite the entire Canon. But he didn't escape the Wheel, because he didn't see his nature. If this was the case with Good Star, then people nowadays who recite a few sutras or shastras and think it's the Dharma are fools. Unless you see your mind, reciting so much prose is useless.
To find a buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is the buddha. And the buddha is the person who's free: free of plans, free of cares. If you don't see your nature and run around all day looking somewhere else, you'll never find a buddha. The truth is, there's nothing to find. But to reach such an understanding you need a teacher and you need to struggle to make yourself understand. Life and death are important. Don't suffer them in vain. There's no advantage in deceiving yourself. Even if you have mountains of jewels and as many servants as there are grains of sand along the Ganges, you see them when your eyes are open. But what about when your eyes are shut? You should realize then that everything you see is like a dream or illusion.

第五課

若不急尋師，空過一生。然即佛性自有，若不因師，終不明了。不因師悟者，萬中希有。若自己以緣會合，得聖人意，即不用參善知識。此即是生而知之，勝學也。若未悟解，須勤苦參學，因教方得悟。若未悟了，不學亦得。不同迷人，不能分別皂白，妄言宣佛敕，謗佛忌法。如斯等類，說法如雨，盡是魔說，即非佛說。師是魔王，弟子是魔民，迷人任它指揮，不覺墮生死海。

If you don't find a teacher soon, you'll live this life in vain. It's true, you have the buddha-nature. But without the help of a teacher you'll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher's help.
If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn't need a teacher. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you're so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you'll understand.
People who don't understand and think they can do so without study are no different from those deluded souls who can't tell white from black. Falsely proclaiming the Buddhadharma, such persons in fact blaspheme the Buddha and subvert the Dharma. They preach as if they were bringing rain. But theirs is the preaching of devils, not of buddhas. Their teacher is the King of Devils and their disciples are the Devil's minions. Deluded people who follow such instruction unwittingly sink deeper into the Sea of Birth and Death.

第六課

但是不見性人，妄稱是佛。此等眾生，是大罪人，誑它一切眾生，令入魔界。若不見性，說得十二部經教，盡是魔說。魔家眷屬，不是佛家弟子。既不辨皂白，憑何免生死。若見性即是佛，不見性即是眾生。若離眾生性，別有佛性可得者，佛今在何處？即眾生性，即是佛性也。性外無佛，佛即是性；除此性外，無佛可得，佛外無性可得。

問曰：若不見性，念佛誦經布施持戒精進，廣興福利，得成佛否？答曰：不得。又問：因何不得？答曰：有少法可得，是有為法，是因果、是受報、是輪迴法，不免生死，何時得成佛道。成佛須是見性。若不見性，因果等語，是外道法。若是佛不習外道法。佛是無業人，無因果，但有少法可得，盡是謗佛，憑何得成。但有住著一心一能一解一見，佛都不許。佛無持犯，心性本空，亦非垢淨。諸法無修無證，無因無果。

Unless they see their nature, how can people call themselves buddhas? They're liars who deceive others into entering the realm of devils. Unless they see their nature, their preaching of the Twelvefold Canon is nothing but the preaching of devils. Their allegiance is to Mara, not to the Buddha. Unable to distinguish white from black, how can they escape birth and death?
Whoever sees his nature is a buddha; whoever doesn't is a mortal. But if you can find your buddha-nature apart from your mortal nature, where is it? Our mortal nature is our buddha-nature. Beyond this nature there's no buddha. The buddha is our nature. There's no buddha besides this nature. And there's no nature besides the buddha.

But suppose I don't see my nature, can't I still attain enlightenment by invoking buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings, observing precepts, practicing devotions, or doing good works?
No, you can't.
Why not?
If you attain anything at all, it's conditional, it's karmic. It resuts in retribution. It turns the Wheel. And as long as you're subject to birth and death, you'll never attain enlightenment. To attain enlightenment you have to see your nature. Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause and effect is nonsense. Buddhas don't practice nonsense. A buddha is free of karma, free of cause and effect. To say he attains anything at all is to slander a buddha. What could he possibly attain? Even focusing on a mind, a power, an understanding, or a view is impossible for a buddha. A buddha isn't one-sided. The nature of his mind is basically empty, neither pure nor impure. He's free of practice and realization. He's free of cause and effect.

第七課

佛不持戒，佛不修善，佛不造惡，佛不精進，佛不懈怠，佛是無作人。但有住著心，見佛即不許也。佛不是佛，莫作佛解。若不見此義，一切時中，一切處處，皆是不了本心。若不見性，一切時中擬作無作想，是大罪人，是癡人，落無記空中；昏昏如醉人，不辨好惡。若擬修無作法，先須見性，然後息緣慮。若不見性得成佛道，無有是處。有人撥無因果，熾然作惡業，妄言本空，作惡無過；如此之人，墮無間黑暗地獄，永無出期。若是智人，不應作如是見解。

A buddha doesn't observe precepts. A buddha doesn't do good or evil. A buddha isn't energetic or lazy. A buddha is someone who does nothing, someone who can't even focus his mind on a buddha. A buddha isn't a buddha. Don't think about buddhas. If you don't see what I'm talking about, you'll never know your own mind.

People who don't see their nature and imagine they can practice thoughtlessness all the time are liars and fools. They fall into endless space. They're like drunks. They can't tell good from evil. If you intend to cultivate such a practice, you have to see your nature before you can put an end to rational thought. To attain enlightenment without seeing your nature is impossible.

Still others commit all sorts of evil deeds, claiming karma doesn't exist. They erroneously maintain that since everything is empty, committing evil isn't wrong. Such persons fall into a hell of endless darkness with no hope of release. Those who are wise hold no such conception.

第八課

問曰：既若施為運動，一切時中皆是本心；色身無常之時，云何不見本心？答曰：本心常現前，汝自不見？問曰：心既見在，何故不見？師曰：汝曾作夢否？答：曾作夢。問曰：汝作夢之時，是汝本身否？答：是本身。　又問：汝言語施為運動與汝別不別？答曰：不別。　師曰：既若不別，即此身是汝本法身；即此法身是汝本心。此心從無始曠大劫來，與如今不別；未曾有生死，不生不滅。不增不減，不垢不淨，不好不惡，不來不去；亦無是非、亦無男女相、亦無僧俗老少、無聖無凡；亦無佛、亦無眾生、亦無修證、亦無因果、亦無筋力、亦無相貌；猶如虛空，取不得、捨不得，山河石壁不能為礙；出沒往來，自在神通；透五蘊山，渡生死河；一切業拘此法身不得。此心微妙難見，此心不同色心，此心是人皆欲得見。於此光明中運手動足者，如恆河沙，及乎問著，總道不得，猶如木人相似，總是自己受用，因何不識？

But if our every movement or state, whenever it occurs, is the mind, why don't we see this mind when a person's body dies?
The mind is always present. You just don't see it.
But if the mind is present, why don't I see it?
Do you ever dream?
Of course.
When you dream, is that you?
Yes, it's me.
and is what you're doing and saying different from you?
No, it isn't.
But if it isn't, then this body is your real body. And this real body is your mind. And this mind, though endless kalpas without beginning, has never varied. It has never lived or died, appeared or disappeared, increased or decreased. It's not pure or impure, good or evil, past or future. It's not true or false. It's not male or female. It doesn't appear as a monk or as a layman, an elder or a novice, a sage or a fool, a buddha or a mortal. It strives for no realization and suffers no karma. It has no strength or form. It's like space. You can't possess it and you can't lose it. Its movements can't be blocked by mountains, rivers or rock walls. Its unstoppable powers penetrate the Mountain of Five Skandhas and cross the River of Samsara. No karma can restrain this real body. But this mind is subtle and hard to see. It's not the same as the sensual mind. Everyone wants to see this mind, and those who move their hands and feet by its light are as many as the grains and sand along the Ganges, but when you ask them, they can't explain it. They're like puppets. It's theirs to use. Why don't they see it?

第九課

佛言一切眾生，盡是迷人，因此作業，墮生死河，欲出還沒，只為不見性。眾生若不迷，因何問著其中事，無有一人得會者，自家運手動足因何不識？故知聖人語不錯，迷人自不會曉。故知此難明，惟佛一人能會此法；餘人天及眾生等，盡不明了。若智慧明了，此心號名法性，亦名解脫。生死不拘，一切法拘它不得，是名大自在王如來；亦名不思議，亦名聖體，亦名長生不死，亦名大仙。名雖不同，體即是一。聖人種種分別，皆不離自心。

心量廣大，應用無窮，應眼見色，應耳聞聲，應鼻嗅香，應舌知味，乃至施為運動，皆是自心。一切時中但有語言道斷，即是自心。故云如來色無盡，智慧亦復然。色無盡是自心，心識善能分別一切，乃至施為運用，皆是智慧。心無形相，智慧亦無盡。故云如來色無盡，智慧亦復然。

四大色身，即是煩惱，色身即有生滅，法身常住無所住，如來法身常不變異故。經云：眾生應知，佛性本自有之。迦葉只是悟得本性，本性即是心，心即是性，性即此同諸佛心。前佛後佛只傳此心，除此心外，無佛可得。顛倒眾生不知自心是佛，向外馳求，終日忙忙；念佛禮佛，佛在何處？不應作如是等見，但知自心，心外更無別佛。經云：凡所有相，皆是虛妄。又云：所在之處，即為有佛。自心是佛，不應將佛禮佛；

The Buddha said people are deluded. This is why when they act they fall into the River of Endless Rebirth. And when they try to get out, they only sink deeper. And all because they don't see their nature. If people weren't deluded, why would they ask about something right in front of them? Not one of them understands the movement of his own hands and feet. The Buddha wasn't mistaken. Deluded people don't know who they are. Something so hard to fathom is known by a buddha and no one else. Only the wise know this mind, this mind called dharma-nature, this mind called liberation. Neither life nor death can restrain this mind. Nothing can. It's aso called the Unstoppable Tathagata, the Incomprehnsible, the Sacred Self, the Immortal, the Great Sage. Its names vary but not its essence. Buddhas vary too, but none leaves his own mind.

The mind's capacity is limitless, and its manifestations are inexhaustible. Seeing forms with your eyes, hearing sounds with your ears, smelling odors with your nose, tasting flavors with your tongue, every movement or state is all your mind. At every moment, where language can't go, that's your mind.

The sutras say, "A tathagata's forms are endless. And so is his awareness." The endless variety of forms is due to the mind. Its ability to distinguish things, whatever their movement or state, is the mind's awareness. But the mind has no form and its awareness no limit. Hence it's said, "A tathagata's forms are endless. And so is his awareness."

A material body of the four elements is trouble. A material body is subject to birth and death. But the real body exists without existitng, because a tathagata's real body never changes. The sutras say, "People should realize that the buddha-nature is something they have always had." Kashyapa only realized his own nature.

Our nature is the mind. And the mind is our nature. This nature is the same as the mind of all buddhas. Buddhas of the past and future only transmit this mind. Beyond this mind there's no buddha anywhere. But deluded people don't realize that their own mind is the buddha. They keep searching outside. They never stop invoking buddhas or worshipping buddhas and wondering Where is the buddha? Don't indulge in such illusions. Just know your mind. Beyond your mind there's no other buddha. The sutras say, "Everything that has form is an illusion." They also say, "Wherever you are, there's a buddha." Your mind is the buddha. Don't use a buddha to worship a buddha.

第十課

但是有佛及菩薩相貌，忽爾見前，切不用禮敬。我心空寂，本無如是相貌，若取相即是魔，盡落邪道。若是幻從心起，即不用禮。禮者不知，知者不禮，禮被魔攝。恐學人不知，故作是辨。諸佛如來本性體上，都無如是相貌，切須在意。但有異境界切不用採括，亦莫生怕怖，不要疑惑，我心本來清淨，何處有如許相貌。乃至天龍夜叉鬼神帝釋梵王等相，亦不用心生敬重，亦莫怕懼；我心本來空寂，一切相貌皆是妄見，但莫取相。

若起佛見法見，及佛菩薩等相貌，而生敬重，自墮眾生位中。若欲直會，但莫取一切相即得，更無別語。故經云：凡所有相，皆是虛妄。都無定實，幻無定相。是無常法，但不取相，合它聖意。故經云：離一切相，即名諸佛。

Even if a buddha or bodhisattva should suddenly appear before you, there's no need for reverence. This mind of ours is empty and contains no such form. Those who hold onto appearances are devils. They fall from the Path. Why worship illusions born of the mind? Those who worship don't know, and those who know don't worship. By worshipping you come under the spell of devils. I point this out because I'm afraid you're unaware of it. The basic nature of a buddha has no such form. Keep this in mind, even if something unusual should appear. Don't embrace it, and don't fear it, and don't doubt that your mind is basically pure. Where could there be room for any such form? Also, at the appearance of spirits, demons, or devine beings, conceive neither respect nor fear. Your mind is basically empty. All appearances are illusions. Don't hold on to appearances.

If you envision a buddha, a dharma, or a bodhisattva and conceive respect for them, you relegate yourself to the realm of mortals. If you seek direct understanding, don't hold on to any appearance whatsoever, and you'll succeed. I have no other advice. The sutras say, "All appearances are illusions." They have no fixed existence, no constant form. They're impermanent. Don't cling to appearances, and you'll be of one mind with the Buddha. The sutras say, "That which is free of all form is the buddha."

第十一課

問曰：因何不得禮佛菩薩等？答曰：天魔波旬阿修羅示見神通，皆作得菩薩相貌。種種變化，是外道，總不是佛。佛是自心，莫錯禮拜。佛是西國語，此土云覺性。覺者靈覺，應機接物，揚眉瞬目，運手動足，皆是自己靈覺之性。性即是心，心即是佛，佛即是道，道即是禪。禪之一字，非凡聖所測。又云：見本性為禪。若不見本性，即非禪也。

假使說得千經萬論，若不見本性，只是凡夫，非是佛法。至道幽深，不可話會，典教憑何所及。但見本性，一字不識亦得。見性即是佛，聖體本來清淨，無有雜穢。所有言說，皆是聖人從心起用。用體本來空，名言猶不及，十二部經憑何得及。

But why shouldn't we worship buddhas and bodhisattvas?
Devils and demons possess the power of manifestation. They can create the appearance of bodhisattvas in all sorts of guises. But they're false. None of them are buddhas. The buddha is your own mind. Don't misdirect your worship.

Buddha is Sanskrit for what you call aware, miraculously aware. Responding, perceiving, arching your brows, blinking your eyes, moving your hands and feet, it's all your miraculously aware nature. And this nature is the mind. And the mind is the buddha. And the buddha is the path. And the path is zen. But the word zen is one that remains a puzzle to both mortals and sages. Seeing your nature is zen. Unless you see your nature, it's not zen.

Even if you can explain thousands of sutras and shastras, unless you see your own nature yours is the teaching of a mortal, not a buddha. The true Way is sublime. It can't be expressed in language. Of what use are scriptures? But someone who sees his own nature finds the Way, even if he can't read a word. Someone who sees his nature is a buddha. And since a buddha's body is intrinsically pure and unsullied, and everything he says is an expression of his mind, being basically empty, a buddha can't be found in words or anywhere in the Twelvefold Canon.

第十二課

道本圓成，不用修證。道非聲色，微妙難見。如人飲水，冷暖自知，不可向人說也。唯有如來能知，餘人天等類，都不覺知。凡夫智不及，所以有執相。不了自心本來空寂，妄執相及一切法即墮外道。

若知諸法從心生，不應有執，執即不知。若見本性，十二部經總是閑文字。千經萬論只是明心，言下契會，教將何用？

至理絕言；教是語詞，實不是道。道本無言，言說是妄。若夜夢見樓閣宮殿象馬之屬，及樹木叢林池亭如是等相；不得起一念樂著，盡是托生之處，切須在意。臨終之時，不得取相，即得除障。疑心瞥起，即魔攝。法身本來清淨無受，只緣迷故，不覺不知，因茲故妄受報。所以有樂著，不得自在。只今若悟得本來身心，即不染習。

The Way is basically perfect. It doesn't require perfecting. The Way has no form or sound. It's subtle and hard to perceive. It's like when you drink water: you know how hot or cold it is, but you can't tell others. Of that which only a tathagata knows men and gods remain unaware. The awareness of mortals falls short. As long as they're attached to appearances, they're unaware that their minds are empty. And by mistakenly clinging to the appearance of things they lose the Way.

If you know that everything comes from the mind, don't become attached. Once attached, you're unaware. But once you see your own nature, the entire Canon becomes so much prose. Its thousands of sutras and shastras only amount to a clear mind. Understanding comes in midsentence. What good are doctrines?

The ultimate Truth is beyond words. Doctrines are words. They're not the Way. The Way is wordless. Words are illusions. They're no different from things that appear in your dreams at night, be they palaces or carriages, forested parks or lakeside pavilions. Don't conceive any delight for such things. They're all cradles of rebirth. Keep this in mind when you approach death. Don't cling to appearances, and you'll break through all barriers. A moment's hesitation and you'll be under the spell of devils. Your real body is pure and impervious. But because of delusions you're unaware of it. And because of this you suffer karma in vain. Wherever you find delight, you find bondage. But once you awaken to your original body and mind, you're no longer bound by attachments.

第十三課

若從聖入凡，示見種種雜類，自為眾生，故聖人逆順皆得自在，一切業拘它不得。聖成久有大威德，一切品類業，被它聖人轉，天堂地獄無奈何它。凡夫神識昏昧，不同聖人，內外明徹。若有疑即不作，作即流浪生死，後悔無相救處。貧窮困苦皆從妄想生，若了是心，遞相勸勉，但無作而作，即入如來知見。

初發心人，神識總不定；若夢中頻見異境，輒不用疑，皆是自心起故，不從外來。夢若見光明出現，過於日輪，即餘習頓盡，法界性見。若有此事，即是成道之因。唯自知，不可向人說。

Anyone who gives up the transcendent for the mundane, in any of its myriad forms, is a mortal. A buddha is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad. Such is his power that karma can't hold him. No matter what kind of karma, a buddha transforms it. Heaven and hell are nothing to him. But the awareness of a mortal is dim compared to that of a buddha, who penetrates everything, inside and out.

If you're not sure, don't act. Once you act, you wander through birth and death and regret having no refuge. Poverty and hardship are created by false thinking. To understand this mind you have to act without acting. Only then will you see things from a tathagata's perspective.

But when you first embark on the Path, your awarenes won't be focused. You're likely to see all sorts of strange, dreamlike scenes. But you shouldn't doubt that all such scenes come from your own mind and nowhere else.

If, as in a dream, you see a light brighter than the sun, your remaining attachments will suddenly come to an end and the nature of reality will be revealed. Such an occurrence serves as the basis for enlightenment. But this is something only you know. You can't explain it to others.

第十四課

或靜園林中行住坐臥，眼見光明，或大或小，莫與人說，亦不得取，亦是自性光明。或夜靜暗中行住坐臥，眼睹光明，與晝無異，不得怪，並是自心欲明顯。或夜夢中見星月分明，亦自心諸緣欲息，亦不得向人說。夢若昏昏，猶如陰暗中行，亦是自心煩惱障重，亦自知。

若見本性，不用讀經念佛，廣學多知無益，神識轉昏。設教只為標心；若識心，何用看教？若從凡入聖，即須息業養神，隨分過日。若多瞋恚，令性轉與道相違，自賺無益。聖人於生死中，自在出沒，隱顯不定，一切業拘它不得。聖人破邪魔，

Or if, while you're walking, standing, sitting, or lying in a quiet grove, you see a light, regardless of whether it's bright or dim, don't tell others and don't focus on it. It's the light of your own nature.

Or if, whel you're walking, standing, sitting, or lying in the stillness and darkness of night, everything appears as though in daylight, don't be startled. It's your own mind about to reveal itself.

Or if, while you're dreaming at night, you see the moon and stars in all their clarity, it means the workings of your mind are about to end. But don't tell others. And if your dreams aren't clear, as if you were walking in the dark, it's because your mind is masked by cares. This too is something only you know.

If you see your nature, you don't need to read sutras or invoke buddhas. Erudition and knowledge are not only useless but also cloud your awareness. Docrines are only for pointing to the mind. Once you see your mind, why pay attention to doctrines?

To go from mortal to buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings. If you're always getting angry, you'll turn your nature against the Way. There's no advantage in deceiving yourself. Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will. They can't be restrained by karma or overcome by devils.

第十五課

一切眾生但見本性，餘習頓滅。神識不昧，須是直下便會，只在如今。欲真會道，莫執一切法；息業養神，餘習亦盡。自然明白，不假用功。外道不會佛意，用功最多；違背聖意，終日驅驅念佛轉經，昏於神性，不免輪迴，

佛是閑人，何用驅驅廣求名利，後時何用？但不見性人，讀經念佛，長學精進；六時行道，長坐不臥；廣學多聞，以為佛法。此等眾生，盡是謗佛法人。前佛後佛，只言見性。諸行無常。若不見性，妄言我得阿耨菩提，此是大罪人。

十大弟子阿難多聞中得第一，於佛無識只學多聞，二乘外道皆無識佛，識數修證，墮在因果中。是眾生業報，不免生死，遠背佛意，即是謗佛眾生，殺卻無罪過。經云：闡提人不生信心，殺卻無罪過。若有信心，此人是佛位人。

若不見性，即不用取次謗它良善，自賺無益。善惡歷然，因果分明。天堂地獄只在眼前，愚人不信，現墮黑暗地獄中；亦不覺不知，只緣業重故，所以不信。譬如無目人，不信道有光明，縱向伊說亦不信，只緣盲故，憑何辨得日光；

愚人亦復如是。現今墮畜生雜類，誕在貧窮下賤，求生不得，求死不得。雖受是苦，直問著亦言我今快樂，不異天堂。故知一切眾生，生處為樂，亦不覺不知。如斯惡人，只緣業障重故，所以不能發信心者，不自由它也。

若見自心是佛，不在剃除鬚髮，白衣亦是佛。若不見性，剃除鬚髮，亦是外道。

Once mortals see their nature, all attachments end. Awareness isn't hidden. But you can only find it right now. It's only now. If you really want to find the Way, don't hold on to anything. Once you put an end to karma and nurture your awareness, any attachments that remain will come to an end. Understanding comes naturally. You don't have to make any effort. But fanatics don't understand what the Buddha meant. And the harder they try, the farther they get from the Sage's meaning. All day long they invoke buddhas and read sutras. But they remain blind to their own divine nature, and they don't escape the Wheel.

A buddha is an idle person. He doesn't run around after fortune and fame. What good are such things in the end? People who don't see their nature and think reading sutras, invoking buddhas, studying long and hard, practicing morning and night, never lying down, or acquiring knowledge is the Dharma, blaspheme the Dharma. Buddhas of the past and future only talk about seeing your nature. All practices are impermanent. Unless they see their nature, people who claim to have attained unexcelled, complete enlightenment are liars.

Among Shakyamuni's ten greatest disciples, Anada was foremost in learning. But he didn't know the Buddha. All he did was study and memorize. Arhats don't know the Buddha. All they know are so many practices for realization, and they become trapped by cause and effect. Such is a mortal's karma: no escape from birth and death. By doing the opposite of what he intended, such people blaspheme the Buddha. Killing them would not be wrong. The sutras say, "Since icchantikas are incapable of belief, killing them would be blameless, whereas people who believe reach the state of buddhahood."

Unless you see your nature, you shouldn't go around criticizing the goodness of others. There's no advantage in deceiving yourself. Good and bad are distinct. Cause and effect are clear. Heaven and hell are right before your eyes. But fools don't believe and fall straight into a hell of endless darkness without even knowing it. What keeps them from believing is the heaviness of their karma. They're like blind people who don't believe there's such a thing as light. Even if you explain it to them, they still don't believe, because they're blind. How can they possibly distinguish light?

The same holds true for fools who end up among the lower orders of existence or among the poor and despised. They can't live and they can't die. And despite their sufferings, if you ask them, they say they're as happy as gods. All mortals, even those who think themselves wellborn, are likewise unaware. Because of the heaviness of their karma, such fools can't believe and can't get free.

People who see that their mind is the buddha don't need to shave their head. Laymen are buddhas too. Unless they see their nature, people who shave their head are simply fanatics.

第十六課

問曰：白衣有妻子，婬欲不除，憑何得成佛？答曰：只言見性不言婬欲。只為不見性；但得見性，婬欲本來空寂，自爾斷除，亦不樂著，縱有餘習，不能為害。何以故？性本清淨故。雖處在五蘊色身中，其性本來清淨，染污不得。法身本來無受，無飢無渴，無寒熱，無病，無恩愛，無眷屬，無苦樂，無好惡，無短長，無強弱，本來無有一物可得；只緣執有此色身，因即有飢渴寒熱瘴病等相，

若不執，即一任作。若於生死中得自在，轉一切法，與聖人神通自在無礙，無處不安。若心有疑，決定透一切境界不過。不作最好，作了不免輪迴生死。若見性，旃陀羅亦得成佛。

問曰：旃陀羅殺生作業，如何得成佛？答曰：只言見性不言作業。縱作業不同，一切業拘不得。從無始曠大劫來，只為不見性，墮地獄中，所以作業輪迴生死。從悟得本性，終不作業。若不見性，念佛免報不得，非論殺生命。若見性疑心頓除，殺生命亦不奈它何。

自西天二十七祖，只是遞傳心印。吾今來此土，唯傳頓教大乘，即心是佛，不言持戒精進苦行。乃至入水火，登於劍輪，一食長坐不臥，盡是外道有為法。若識得施為運動靈覺之性，汝即諸佛心。前佛後佛只言傳心，更無別法。若識此法，凡夫一字不識亦是佛。若不識自己靈覺之性，假使身破如微塵，覓佛終不得也。

But since married laymen don't give up sex, how can they become buddhas?

I only talk about seeing your nature. I don't talk about sex simply because you don't see your nature. Once you see your nature, sex is basically immaterial. It ends along with your delight in it. Even if some habits remain, they can't harm you, because your nature is essentially pure. Despite dwelling in a material body of four elements, your nature is basically pure. It can't be corrupted. Your real body has no sensation, no hunger or thirst, no warmth or cold, no sickness, no love or attachment, no pleasure or pain, no good or bad, no shortness or length, no weakness or strength. Actually, there's nothing here. It's only because you cling to this material body that things like hunger and thirst, warmth and cold, and sickness appear.

Once you stop clinging and let things be, you'll be free, even of birth and death. You'll transform everything. You'll possess spiritual powers that can't be obstructed. And you'll be at peace wherever you are. If you doubt this, you'll never see through anything. You're better off doing nothing. Once you act, you can't avoid the cycle of birth and death. But once you see your nature, you're a buddha even if you work as a butcher.

But butchers create karma by slaughtering animals. How can they be buddhas?

I only talk about seeing your nature. I don't talk about creating karma. Regardless of what we do, our karma has no hold on us. Through endless kalpas without beginning, it's only because people don't see their nature that they end up in hell. As long as a person creates karma, he keeps passing through birth and death. But once a person realizes his original nature, he stops creating karma. If he doesn't see his nature, invoking buddhas won't release him from his karma, regardless of whether or not he's a butcher. But once he sees his nature, all doubts vanish. Even a butcher's karma has no effect on such a person.

In India, the twenty-seven patriarchs only transmitted the imprint of the mind. And the only reason I've come to China is to transmit the instantaneous teaching of the Mahayana: This mind is the buddha. I don't talk about precepts, devotions or ascetic practices such as immersing yourself in water and fire, treading a wheel of knives, eating one meal a day, or never lying down. These are fanatical, provisional teaching. Once you recognize your moving, miraculously aware nature, yours is the mind of all buddhas. Buddhas of the past and future only talk about transmitting the mind. They teach nothing else. If someone understands this teaching, even if he's illiterate he's a buddha. If you don't see your own miraculously aware nature, you'll never find a buddha even if you break your body into atoms.

第十六課

佛者亦名法身，亦名本心，此心無形相，無因果，無筋骨，猶如虛空，取不得。不同質礙，不同外道。此心除如來一人能會，其餘眾生迷人不明了。此心不離四大色身中，若離是心，即無能運動。是身無知，如草木瓦礫。身是無性，因何運動。若自心動，

乃至語言施為運動，見聞覺知，皆是動心動用。動是心動，動即其用。動用外無心，心外無動。動不是心，心不是動。動本無心，心本無動。動不離心，心不離動。動無心離，心無動離，動是心用，用是心動。動即心用，用即心動。不動不用，用體本空。空本無動，動用同心，心本無動。

故經云：動而無所動，終日去來而未曾去，終日見而未曾見，終日笑而未曾笑，終日聞而未曾聞，終日知而未曾知，終日喜而未曾喜，終日行而未曾行，終日住而未曾住。故經云：言語道斷，心行處滅，見聞覺知，本自圓寂。乃至瞋喜痛癢何異木人，只緣推尋痛癢不可得。故經云：惡業即得苦報，善業即有善報，不但瞋墮地獄，喜即生天。若知瞋喜性空，但不執即業脫。若不見性，講經決無憑，說亦無盡。略標邪正如是，不及一二也。

The buddha is your real body, your original mind. This mind has no form or characteristics, no cause or effect, no tendons or bones. It's like space. You can't hold it. It's not the mind of materialists or nihilists. Except for a tathagata, no one else---no mortal, no deluded being---can fathom it.

But this mind isn't somewhere outside the material body of four elements. Without this mind we can't move. The body has no awareness. Like a plant or stone, the body has no nature. So how does it move? It's the mind that moves.

Language and behavior, perception and conception are all functions of the moving mind. All motion is the mind's motion. Motion is its function. Apart from motion there's no mind, and apart from the mind, there's no motion. But motion isn't the mind. And the mind isn't motion. Motion is basically mindless. And the mind is basically motionless. But motion doesn't exist without the mind. And the mind doesn't exist without motion. There's no mind for motion to exist apart from, and no motion for mind to exist apart from. Motion is the mind's function, and its function is its motion. Even so, the mind neither moves nor functions, because the essence of its functioning is emptiness and emptiness is essentially motionless. Motion is the same as the mind. And the mind is essentially motionless.

Hence the sutras tell us to move without moving, to travel without traveling, to see without seeing, to laugh without laughing, to hear without hearing, to know without knowing, to be happy without being happy, to walk without walking, to stand without standing. And the sutras say, "Go beyond language. Go beyond thought." Basically, seeing, hearing, and knowing are completely empty. Your anger, joy or pain is like that of a puppet. You can search, but you won't find a thing.

According to the sutras, evil deeds result in hardships and good deeds result in blessings. Angry people go to hell and happy people go to heaven. But once you know that the nature of anger and joy is empty and you let them go, you free yourself from karma. If you don't see your nature, quoting sutras is no help. I could go on, but this brief sermon will have to do.

Back to the main page