English
English version: You must directly see your nature. Nature is Buddha. Buddha is the free person, the person of no affairs and no actions. If you do not see your nature, you will be lost and confused all day long, running around seeking the Buddha externally, but you will not find it. Although there is nothing to be obtained, if you want to understand, you must also consult a good teacher (shan zhishi). You must diligently seek, so that your mind understands that the matter of birth and death is a great matter, and you must not waste time, deceiving yourself is of no benefit. Even if you have treasures piled up like mountains, and relatives as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River (Henghe sha), you can see them when your eyes are open, but can you still see them when your eyes are closed? Therefore, know that conditioned dharmas are like dreams and illusions. If you do not quickly seek a teacher, you will waste your entire life. However, Buddha-nature is inherent, but if you do not rely on a teacher, you will never understand it clearly. Those who awaken without a teacher are rare among ten thousand. If you yourself, through causes and conditions, happen to align with the intentions of the sages, then you do not need to consult a good teacher. This is the superior learning of being born with knowledge. If you have not yet awakened and understood, you must diligently and painstakingly study. You can only awaken through teaching. If you have not yet awakened, it is okay not to study, unlike deluded people who cannot distinguish black from white, falsely proclaiming the Buddha's coming, slandering the Buddha, and being jealous of the Dharma. People like these, whose teachings are as dense as rain, are all the teachings of demons, not the teachings of the Buddha. The teacher is the demon king, and the disciples are the demon people. Deluded people let them command, unknowingly falling into the sea of birth and death. These are all people who have not seen their nature, falsely claiming to be Buddhas. These beings are great sinners, deceiving all beings, leading people into the realm of demons. If you do not see your nature, even if you speak of the twelve divisions of the scriptures (shier bu jing jiao), they are all the teachings of demons, the family members of demons, not disciples of the Buddha. Since you cannot distinguish black from white, how can you escape birth and death? If you see your nature, you are a Buddha; if you do not see your nature, you are a sentient being. If, apart from the nature of sentient beings, there is another Buddha-nature to be obtained, then where is the Buddha now? The nature of sentient beings is Buddha-nature. Outside of nature, there is no Buddha. Buddha is nature. Apart from this nature, there is no Buddha to be obtained. Outside of Buddha, there is no nature to be obtained. Question: If one does not see one's nature, can one become a Buddha by reciting the Buddha's name, chanting scriptures, giving alms, upholding precepts, being diligent, and extensively promoting welfare? Answer: No. Question: Why not? Answer: Because there is a little dharma to be obtained, which is conditioned. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
法。是因果。是受报。是轮回法。不免生死。何时得成佛道。成佛须是见性。若不见性。因果等语。是外道法。若是佛不习外道法。佛是无业人无因果。但有少法可得。尽是傍佛。凭何得成。但有住着一心一能一解一见。佛都不许。佛无持犯。心性本空。亦非垢净诸法。无修无证。无因无果。佛不持戒。佛不修善。佛不造恶。佛不精进。佛不懈怠。佛是无作人。但有住着心。见佛即不许也。佛不是佛。莫作佛解。若不见此义。一切时中。一切处处。皆是不了本心。若不见性。一切时中。拟作无作想。是大罪人。是痴人。落无记空中。昏昏如醉人。不辨好恶。若拟修无作法。先须见性。然后息缘虑。若不见性。得成佛道。无有是处。有人拨无因果。炽然作恶业。妄言本空作恶无过。如此之人。堕无间黑暗地狱。永无出期。若是智人。不应作如是见解。 问曰。既若施为运动。一切时中。皆是本心。色身无常之时。云何不见本心。答曰。本心常现前。汝自不见。 问曰。心既见在。何故不见。师曰。汝曾作梦否。答曾作梦。 问曰。汝作梦之时。是汝本身否。答是本身 又问。汝言语施为运动与汝别不别。答曰。不别。 师曰。既若不别。即此身是汝本法身。即此法身是汝本心。此心从无始旷大 劫来。与如今不别。未曾有生死。不生不灭。不增不减。不垢不净。不好不恶。不来不去。亦无是非。亦无男女相。亦无僧俗老少。无圣无凡。亦无佛亦无众生。亦无修证。亦无因果。亦无筋力。亦无相貌。犹如虚空。取不得舍不得。山河石壁。不能为碍。出没往来。自在神通。透五蕴山。渡生死河。一切业拘此法身。不得此心微妙。难见此心。不同色心。此心是人皆欲得见。于此光明中。运手动足者。如恒河沙。及乎问着。总道不得。犹如木人相似。总是自己受用。因何不识。佛言。一切众生尽是迷人。因此作业。堕生死河。欲出还没。只为不见性。众生若不迷。因何问着其中事。无有一人得会者。自家运手动足。因何不识。故知圣人语不错。迷人自不会晓。故知此难明。惟佛一人。能会此法。余人天及众生等。尽不明了。若智慧明了。此心号名法性。亦名解脱生死。不拘一切法。拘它不得。是名大自在王如来。亦名不思议。亦名圣体。亦名长生不死。亦名大仙。名虽不同。体即是一。圣人种种分别。皆不离自心。心量广大。应用无穷。应眼见色。应耳闻声。应鼻嗅香。应舌知味。乃至施为运动。皆是自心。一切时中。但有语言道断。即是自心。故云如来色无尽。智慧亦复然。色无尽是自心。心识善能分别一切。乃 现代汉语译本 劫初之时，与现在没有什么区别。那时没有生死，不生不灭，不增不减，不垢不净，不好不坏，不来不去，也没有是非，也没有男女之相，也没有僧俗老少之分，没有圣人也没有凡人，没有佛也没有众生，没有修行也没有证悟，没有因也没有果，没有筋骨气力，也没有具体相貌，就像虚空一样，无法取得也无法舍弃。山河石壁，不能阻碍它。出入来往，自由自在，具有神通。能穿透五蕴之山，能渡过生死之河。一切业力都无法束缚这个法身。这个心非常微妙，难以见到。这个心不同于色和心。这个心是人人都想见到的。在这光明之中，运用手动脚的人，多如恒河沙数，等到问及此心，却都说不出来，就像木头人一样。明明都是自己在受用，为什么不认识呢？ 佛说：‘一切众生都是迷惑之人，因此造作各种业，堕入生死之河，想要出来却又沉没下去，只因为没有见到自性。众生如果不迷惑，为什么问及其中的道理，却没有一个人能够领会呢？明明是自己运用手动脚，为什么不认识呢？’所以说圣人的话没有错，是迷惑的人自己不能理解。所以说这个心难以明白，只有佛一人，能够领会这个法。其余的人天以及众生等，都不明白。如果智慧明了，这个心就叫做法性，也叫做解脱生死，不被一切法所束缚，一切法也束缚不了它，这叫做大自在王如来，也叫做不可思议，也叫做圣体，也叫做长生不死，也叫做大仙。名称虽然不同，本体却是一个。圣人的种种分别，都不离自心。心量广大，应用无穷。应眼见色，应耳闻声，应鼻嗅香，应舌知味，乃至一切施为运动，都是自心。一切时中，只要语言停止的地方，就是自心。所以说如来的色是无尽的，智慧也是如此。色无尽就是自心，心识能够善于分别一切，乃至……
English
English version The time of the Kalpa is no different from now. There was no birth and death, neither arising nor ceasing, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither good nor bad, neither coming nor going, neither right nor wrong. There was no distinction of male or female, no distinction of monks, laity, old or young, no saints and no ordinary people, no Buddha and no sentient beings, no cultivation and no realization, no cause and no effect, no physical strength, and no appearance. It is like empty space, which cannot be taken or abandoned. Mountains, rivers, and stone walls cannot obstruct it. Coming and going freely, possessing supernatural powers. It can penetrate the mountain of the five skandhas and cross the river of birth and death. All karmic forces cannot bind this Dharmakaya. This mind is subtle and difficult to see. This mind is different from form and mind. This mind is what everyone wants to see. Those who move their hands and feet in this light are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, but when asked about it, they cannot explain it, like wooden puppets. It is all for their own enjoyment, so why don't they recognize it? The Buddha said, 'All sentient beings are deluded people, and therefore create various karmas, falling into the river of birth and death, wanting to get out but sinking again, just because they have not seen their own nature. If sentient beings were not deluded, why is it that when asked about the matter, no one can understand it? Clearly, they are moving their own hands and feet, so why don't they recognize it?' Therefore, the words of the sages are not wrong, it is the deluded people who cannot understand. Therefore, this mind is difficult to understand, only the Buddha alone can comprehend this Dharma. The rest of the humans, devas, and sentient beings do not understand. If wisdom is clear, this mind is called Dharmata (Dharmadhatu), also called liberation from birth and death, not bound by any Dharma, and no Dharma can bind it. This is called the Great自在王如来 (Great自在王Tathagata), also called inconceivable, also called the Holy Body, also called eternal life, also called the Great Immortal. Although the names are different, the essence is the same. All the distinctions made by the sages do not depart from one's own mind. The capacity of the mind is vast, and its applications are endless. Responding to the eye seeing form, responding to the ear hearing sound, responding to the nose smelling fragrance, responding to the tongue knowing taste, and even all actions and movements are one's own mind. At all times, wherever language ceases, that is one's own mind. Therefore, it is said that the form of the Tathagata is inexhaustible, and so is wisdom. Inexhaustible form is one's own mind, and the mind-consciousness is able to skillfully distinguish everything, and so on... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
至施为运用。皆是智慧。心无形相。智慧亦无尽。故云如来色无尽。智慧亦复然。四大色身即是烦恼色身。即有生灭。法身常住。无所住。如来法身常不变异。故经云。众生应知佛性本自有之。迦叶只是悟得本性。本性即是心。心即是性。性即此同诸佛心。前佛后佛只传此心。除此心外。无佛可得。颠倒众生。不知自心是佛。向外驰求。终日忙忙。念佛礼佛。佛在何处。不应作如是等见。但知自心心外。更无别无。经云。凡所有相皆是虚妄。又云。所在之处即为有佛。自心是佛。不应将佛礼佛。但是有佛及菩萨相貌。忽尔见前。切不用礼敬我心。空寂本无。如是相㒵。若取相即是魔。尽落邪道。若是幻从心起。即不用礼。礼者不知。知者不礼。礼被魔摄。恐学人不知。故作是辨。诸佛如来本性体上。都无如是相㒵。切须在意。但有异境界。切不用采括。亦莫生怕怖。不要疑惑。我心本来清净。何处有如许相㒵。乃至天龙夜叉鬼神帝释梵王等相。亦不用心生敬重。亦莫怕惧。我心本来空寂。一切相㒵皆是妄相。但莫取相。若起佛见法见。及佛菩萨等相㒵。而生敬重。自堕众生位中。若欲直会。但莫取一切相即得。更无别语。故经云。凡所有相皆是虚妄。都无定实。幻无定相。是无常法。但不取相。合它圣意。故经云。离 现代汉语译本 关于施展和运用，一切都源于智慧。心没有固定的形状，智慧也没有穷尽的时候。所以说，如来的色身是无尽的，智慧也是如此。四大和合的色身就是烦恼的色身，有生有灭。法身常住，无所不在。如来的法身永远不变异。所以经上说：‘众生应当知道佛性本来就存在于自身之中。’ 迦叶（Mahākāśyapa，佛陀十大弟子之一，以头陀行著称）只是领悟了本性。本性就是心，心就是性，这个‘性’与诸佛的心是相同的。过去的佛和未来的佛只是传授这个心。除了这个心之外，没有其他的佛可以获得。颠倒的众生，不知道自己的心就是佛，向外奔波寻求，终日忙碌，念佛礼佛，佛在哪里呢？不应该有这样的见解。只要知道自己的心，心外没有其他的佛。经上说：‘凡是所有相，都是虚妄的。’ 又说：‘所在之处即为有佛。’ 自己的心就是佛，不应该用佛来礼拜佛。但是如果有佛和菩萨的相貌，忽然出现在眼前，千万不要礼敬，我的心是空寂的，本来就没有这些相貌。如果执着于这些相，那就是着魔，会堕入邪道。如果是幻象从心中生起，就不用礼拜。礼拜的人是不明白道理，明白道理的人就不会礼拜。礼拜会被魔所摄持。恐怕学佛的人不明白，所以这样辨别。诸佛如来在本性本体上，都没有这样的相貌。一定要注意。只要有奇异的境界，千万不要理睬，也不要害怕。不要疑惑，我的心本来清净，哪里会有这么多的相貌？乃至天龙（Devas and Nāgas，佛教中的天神和龙神）、夜叉（Yakṣa，一种守护神）、鬼神、帝释（Indra，佛教中的天神之王）、梵王（Brahmā，佛教中的色界天之主）等的相貌，也不要心生敬重，也不要害怕。我的心本来空寂，一切相貌都是虚妄的。只要不执着于相。如果生起佛见、法见，以及佛菩萨等的相貌，而生起敬重，就会自己堕入众生之位。如果想要直接领会，只要不执着于一切相就可以了，没有其他的说法。所以经上说：‘凡是所有相，都是虚妄的。’ 都没有固定的实体，幻象没有固定的相貌，是无常的法。只要不执着于相，就符合圣人的心意。所以经上说：‘离一切相，即是诸佛。’