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.
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.
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.
“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.”
阿难即从座起。顶礼佛足。而白佛言。我辈愚钝。好为多闻。于诸漏心未求出离。蒙佛慈诲。得正熏修。身心快然。获大饶益。世尊。如是修证佛三摩提。未到涅槃。云何名为干慧之地。四十四心。至何渐次。得修行目。诣何方所。名入地中。云何名为等觉菩萨。作是语已。五体投地。大众一心。伫佛慈音。瞪瞢瞻仰。
尔时。世尊赞阿难言。善哉善哉。汝等乃能普为大众。及诸末世一切众生。修三摩提求大乘者。从于凡夫。终大涅槃。悬示无上正修行路。汝今谛听。当为汝说。
阿难大众。合掌刳心。默然受教。
佛言。阿难。当知妙性圆明。离诸名相。本来无有世界众生。因妄有生。因生有灭。生灭名妄。灭妄名真。是称如来无上菩提。及大涅槃。二转依号。阿难。汝今欲修真三摩地。直诣如来大涅槃者。先当识此众生世界。二颠倒因。颠倒不生。斯则如来真三摩地。阿难。云何名为众生颠倒。阿难。由性明心。性明圆故。因明发性。性妄见生。从毕竟无。成究竟有。此有所有。非因所因。住所住相。了无根本。本此无住。建立世界。及诸众生。迷本圆明。是生虚妄。妄性无体。非有所依。将欲复真。欲真已非真真如性。非真求复。宛成非相。非生非住。非心非法。展转发生。生力发明。熏以成业。同业相感。因有感业。相灭相生。由是故有众生颠倒。阿难。云何名为世界颠倒。是有所有。分段妄生。因此界立。非因所因。无住所住。迁流不住。因此世成。三世四方。和合相涉。变化众生。成十二类。是故。世界因动有声。因声有色。因色有香。因香有触。因触有味。因味知法。六乱妄想成业性故。十二区分由此轮转。是故。世间声香味触。穷十二变。为一旋复。乘此轮转颠倒相故。是有世界。卵生胎生。湿生化生。有色无色。有想无想。若非有色。若非无色。若非有想。若非无想。
Buddha Mind 