The Buddha’s Enlightenment Is Uncreated and Never-ending
Purna asked, “If our inherent Bodhi is fundamentally as wondrous as the mind of the Buddha, neither greater nor any less than the Buddha’s enlightenment, then how is it that all conditioned phenomena – the mountains, the rivers, and everything else – suddenly arise for no reason? Also, now the Buddha has realized emptiness and enlightenment, will the mountains, the rivers, as well as the worldly habits and outflows of ordinary beings ever arise again?
The Buddha said to Purna, “If a man loses his way in a village and mistakes south for north, does his error come from delusion or enlightenment?”
Purna replied, “From neither. Because delusion has no basis in reality, so how can it be a cause? And since enlightenment does not beget confusion, it can’t be the cause either.”
The Buddha then asked again, “If this man meets someone who shows him the right way, then do you suppose he will lose his way again?”
“He will not, World-Honored One.”
“Then it is the same with all Buddhas in the ten directions, Purna. Delusion has no root in reality, for in its very nature it is empty. There has never been anything real about the delusion since beginningless time. It only appears as if there’s so-called confusion and enlightenment. Once one has awakened, the confusion vanishes, and from enlightenment no confusion can arise.
“It is like someone with cataracts may see flowers in the air, but once the disease is cured, the flowers he saw in the air will disappear. If he keeps waiting at the old spot for the flowers to appear again, do you suppose he is stupid or intelligent?”
Purna replied, “There were never any flowers up there in the first place. Its appearance and disappearance are due to distorted views. To expect them to reappear again would be even more deluded than to see them disappear. What’s the point of defining such crazy person as stupid or wise?”
The Buddha said, “Since you put it that way, why did you even have to ask if the mountains, the rivers, and the great lands would come about again from the clear emptiness and luminous awakening of all Buddhas?
“Also take the example of a gold mine, where the ore contains pure gold as well as other impurities. Once the pure gold is extracted, it cannot be mixed with the ore again. Likewise, the ashes of burnt wood cannot become wood again. It is the same case with all Buddhas having realized Bodhi and entered Nirvana.”
富樓那言：若此妙覺本妙覺明，與如來心不增不減。無狀忽生山河大地諸有為相。如來今得妙空明覺，山河大地有為習漏何當復生。佛告富樓那。譬如迷人，於一聚落，惑南為北，此迷為復因迷而有，因悟所出。富樓那言：如是迷人，亦不因迷，又不因悟。何以故。迷本無根，云何因迷。悟非生迷，云何因悟。佛言：彼之迷人，正在迷時。焂有悟人指示令悟。富樓那。於意云何。此人縱迷，於此聚落，更生迷不。不也世尊。富樓那。十方如來亦復如是。此迷無本，性畢竟空。昔本無迷，似有迷覺。覺迷迷滅，覺不生迷。亦如翳人見空中華，翳病若除，華於空滅。忽有愚人，於彼空華所滅空地，待華更生。汝觀是人為愚為慧。富樓那言：空元無華，妄見生滅。見華滅空，已是顛倒，敕令更出，斯實狂癡。云何更名如是狂人為愚為慧。佛言：如汝所解，云何問言諸佛如來妙覺明空，何當更出山河大地。又如金礦雜於精金。其金一純，更不成雜。如木成灰，不重為木。諸佛如來菩提涅槃，亦復如是。
Buddha Mind 