How Does the World of Illusion Come into Being?
Ananda stood up, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and spoke in reverence, “We have been so foolish that, rather than stopping the outflows of our minds, we’re focusing on pursuing erudition! Now we feel so delighted and grateful that the Buddha’s most compassionate instructions have steered us back to the proper way of cultivation! World-Honored One, for someone who has entered Samadhi but not yet attained Nirvana, what does the stage of ‘Arid Wisdom’ mean? What are the stages called Forty-four Minds? And what is the sequence of cultivation? At what stage does one enter the Ten Grounds? And what does it mean to reach the stage of Equivalent to Enlightenment Bodhisattva?” Having finished asking these questions, Ananda made a full prostration, and the whole assembly awaited with bated breath and utmost admiration for the Buddha’s teaching.
阿難即從座起。頂禮佛足而白佛言。我輩愚鈍好為多聞。於諸漏心未求出離。蒙佛慈誨得正熏修。身心快然獲大饒益。世尊如是修證佛三摩提未到涅槃。云何名為乾慧之地。四十四心。至何漸次得修行目。詣何方所名入地中。云何名為等覺菩薩。作是語已五體投地。大眾一心佇佛慈音瞪矒瞻仰。
The Buddha then praised Ananda – “Very good! Excellent! For the sake of this assembly as well as all practitioners of Samadhi and Mahayana in the time of the Dharma’s ending, you have raised the questions about how an ordinary person could follow the supreme path of self-cultivation and transform themselves, stage by stage, until ultimately attaining the Great Nirvana. Now listen carefully, for I will expound on it.” Ananda and all the others placed their palms together, with their minds empty and attentive, silently awaiting to receive the instructions.
爾時世尊讚阿難言善哉善哉。汝等乃能普為大眾。及諸末世一切眾生。修三摩提求大乘者。從於凡夫終大涅槃。懸示無上正修行路。汝今諦聽當為汝說。阿難大眾合掌刳心默然受教。
The Buddha said, “Ananda, you should know that the wondrous nature of the mind is inherently perfect and illuminating, beyond names and forms, and fundamentally without worlds and beings. All phenomena arise because of delusion, and since there is coming to be, there is also ceasing to be. But even ‘coming into being’ and ‘ceasing to be’ are just delusions. Only when delusion ceases to be, can truth really be known. This is called the Supreme Bodhi of the Tathagata, and also called the Great Nirvana, which indicate two stages of reversing the light.
“Ananda, now that you wish to cultivate the true Samadhi and to directly enter the Great Nirvana of the Tathagata, you should first identify the fundamental causes for the arising of all worlds and beings. When all phenomena cease to arise, the Tathagata’s true Samadhi will appear.
“Ananda, how does the phenomenon called ‘beings’ arise? The innermost nature of the mind is originally enlightened and wholesome. But when understanding is added to it, a false nature is created, from which deluded views come forth. Thus, from absolute nothingness all phenomena come into being. Both the subjective and the objective are based on nothing. All existence comes about in this way. There is no reliable ground whatsoever, for the existence of the worlds, as well as the beings who dwell in these worlds. It is unawareness of the inherent perfection that gives rise to delusion, so this delusion has no independent nature of its own, and it is not something that can be relied upon.
“You may wish to go back to the original true nature, but your wish is already a falseness to begin with. To seek the true mind with a false mind is not something that can be accomplished – you would end up getting something unreal, something that is neither arising nor abiding, something that is neither the mind nor dharmas. Such force becomes stronger and stronger, which gives rise to ideas, which brings about actions, which then creates karma. Similar karma attracts each other, coming to be and ceasing to be, going in full circles. This is how the distorted phenomenon of beings appears.
佛言阿難當知。妙性圓明離諸名相。本來無有世界眾生。因妄有生因生有滅。生滅名妄滅妄名真。是稱如來無上菩提。及大涅槃二轉依號。阿難汝今欲修真三摩地。直詣如來大涅槃者。先當識此眾生世界二顛倒因。顛倒不生斯則如來真三摩地。阿難云何名為眾生顛倒。阿難由性明心性明圓故。因明發性性妄見生。從畢竟無成究竟有。此有所有非因所因。住所住相了無根本。本此無住。建立世界及諸眾生。迷本圓明是生虛妄。妄性無體非有所依。將欲復真欲真已非真真如性。非真求復宛成非相。非生非住非心非法。展轉發生生力發明。熏以成業同業相感。因有感業相滅相生。由是故有眾生顛倒。
“Ananda, how does the phenomenon of worlds arise? The ever-increasing fragmentation of the mind gives rise to divisions and separations; therefore, boundaries are established. The cause is not an actual cause, and the basis is groundless. The world is based on nothing but a constant and ceaseless flux. Furthermore, the intermingle of the worlds of three time-periods and four directions results in the twelve categories of beings. In this world of thusness, one thing keeps leading to another – movement brings about sounds, sounds bring about forms, forms bring about smells, smells bring about touches, touches bring about flavors, flavors bring about dharmas. Because of the karma created by these six kinds of distortion and their revolving transformation throughout the twelve categories, beings are bound to continuous cycle of death and rebirth, where they may be born from egg, or from womb, or from moisture, or via metamorphosis. They may be born with or without form, capable or incapable of cognition. Some may be born neither with form nor completely formless. Or some may be born neither fully capable of cognition nor completely lacking thought.”
阿難云何名為世界顛倒。是有所有分段妄生因此界立。非因所因無住所住。遷流不住因此世成。三世四方。和合相涉變化眾生成十二類。是故世界因動有聲因聲有色。因色有香因香有觸。因觸有味因味知法。六亂妄想成業性故。十二區分由此輪轉。是故世間聲香味觸。窮十二變為一旋復。乘此輪轉顛倒相故。是有世界卵生胎生濕生化生。有色無色有想無想。若非有色若非無色。若非有想若非無想。
Buddha Mind 