Eliminating Discrimination and Revealing the Essential Bodhi
Then Manjushri, the Dharma King, who took pity on the audience, rose from his seat in the midst of the great assembly, prostrated at the Buddha’s feet, placed his palms together respectfully, and said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, all people here have not awakened to the Tathagata’s teaching about the essence of reality as being both form and emptiness and as being neither of them. We think that if causal form and emptiness were the reality, then there would be an indication of it; if they were not the reality, then there would be nothing visible to be seen. It is not that our roots from former lives are inferior or deficient, but simply we do not understand and therefore we are confused and bewildered. May the Tathagata enlighten us and reveal to us exactly what things fundamentally are, and that there is neither ‘is’ nor ‘is not’ between object and the essence of seeing.”
是時文殊師利法王子。愍諸四眾，在大眾中，即從座起，頂禮佛足，合掌恭敬，而白佛言：世尊，此諸大眾，不悟如來發明二種精見色空。是非是義。世尊。若此前緣色空等象，若是見者，應有所指。若非見者，應無所矚。而今不知是義所歸。故有驚怖。非是疇昔善根輕鮮。惟願如來大慈發明，此諸物象，與此見精，元是何物，於其中間，無是非是。
The Buddha told Manjushri and the great assembly, “To all Tathagatas and all great Bodhisattvas of the ten directions, who abide in the state of Samadhi, seeing and the conditions of seeing, as well as all thoughts and all forms imaginable, are like flowers in the air – fundamentally empty. This seeing and its conditions are essentially the wonderful, pure, and bright substance of Bodhi (Enlightenment). How can there be ‘is’ and ‘is not’ in it? Manjushri, take yourself as an example, I now ask you this: Is there still another Manjushri who is and is not?”
佛告文殊，及諸大眾。十方如來。及大菩薩，於其自住三摩地中，見與見緣，并所想相。如虛空華，本無所有。此見及緣，元是菩提妙淨明體。云何於中有是非是。文殊。吾今問汝。如汝文殊。更有文殊是文殊者。為無文殊。
Manjushri replied: “No, World Honored One, I am the real Manjushri. There is no Manjushri who ‘is.’ If there were still another Manjushri who ‘is’ Manjushri, there would be two Manjushris. But my presence here does not mean that there ‘is no’ Manjushri either. In fact, neither the concept of ‘is’ nor the concept of ‘is not’ exists.”
如是世尊。我真文殊。無是文殊。何以故。若有是者，則二文殊。然我今日，非無文殊。於中實無是非二相。
The Buddha said, “And this is not only the case with seeing. Likewise, the objects (seen) and the emptiness are fundamentally the projections or manifestations of the wonderful, pure and bright Bodhi – the pure, perfect, and true mind, which tend to be falsely perceived as form and emptiness, as hearing and seeing. Just like a second moon is perceived with the misconception of real or unreal: which one ‘is’ the moon and which one ‘is not’ the moon? Manjushri, there is only one true moon, and within it there is neither a moon that ‘is’ nor a moon that ‘is not.’ Therefore, if you discern seeing and the objects seen and give rise to all kinds of mental creation, they are called false thoughts, and this act of wrong thinking will prevent you from getting out of the dual condition of ‘is’ and ‘is not.’ However, once you realize the innermost pure essence of the true Mind, you will be able to leave the dualistic state behind.”
佛言：此見妙明，與諸空塵，亦復如是。本是妙明無上菩提淨圓真心。妄為色空。及與聞見。如第二月，誰為是月，又誰非月。文殊。但一月真。中間自無是月非月。是以汝今觀見與塵，種種發明，名為妄想。不能於中出是非是。由是真精妙覺明性。故能令汝出指非指。
Buddha Mind 