Visual Awareness Arises Neither on Its Own Nor From Causes
Ananda said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, it is truly as the Dharma King has said: the nature of Enlightenment (Bodhi) pervades the ten directions: clear, everlasting, and by nature neither produced nor extinguished. How does it differ, then, from the concept of primordial profundity in the doctrine of Kapila, or from the teaching of the ascetics who throw ashes on themselves, or from the other externalist sects that say there is a ‘real self’ which pervades the ten directions?
“Also, in the past, the World Honored One gave a lecture on Mount Lanka explaining the principle thoroughly for the sake of Great Wisdom Bodhisattva and others: ‘Externalist sects always speak of natural existence, but I speak of causes and conditions, which is entirely different.’ Now as I look into this nature of Enlightenment, as self-existent, as beyond birth and death, and as apart from all falsehood and inversion, it seems to have nothing to do with either causes and conditions or the spontaneity advocated by others. Would you please enlighten us on this point, so that we could realize the true Mind, the bright nature of Enlightenment?”
阿難白佛言：世尊。誠如法王所說，覺緣遍十方界，湛然常住，性非生滅。與先梵志娑毗迦羅，所談冥諦，及投灰等諸外道種，說有真我遍滿十方，有何差別。世尊亦曾於楞伽山，為大慧等敷演斯義。彼外道等，常說自然，我說因緣，非彼境界。我今觀此覺性自然非生非滅，遠離一切虛妄顛倒，似非因緣，與彼自然。云何開示，不入群邪，獲真實心妙覺明性。
The Buddha said, “Now I have revealed the truth to you with such expedients, yet you do not awaken to it but mistake it for spontaneity. Ananda, if it were spontaneous existence, you would be able to distinguish the substance of such spontaneity. Now look into the wondrous seeing and see what is its self: Is it the bright light, the darkness, the emptiness, or the obstruction being itself?
“Ananda, if light is its self, you should not see darkness; if emptiness is its self, you should not see obstruction. Likewise, if darkness is its self, the nature of your seeing should cease to function when there is light, but why do you still see light?”
佛告阿難。我今如是開示方便，真實告汝。汝猶未悟，惑為自然。阿難。若必自然，自須甄明有自然體。汝且觀此妙明見中，以何為自。此見為復以明為自，以暗為自，以空為自，以塞為自。阿難。若明為自，應不見暗。若復以空為自體者，應不見塞。如是乃至諸暗等相以為自者，則於明時，見性斷滅，云何見明。
Ananda said, “Now I am certain that the nature of seeing is not spontaneous. I guess it is brought about by causes and conditions. But I am still not clear about it. I now ask the Tathagata to tell me how it accords with the nature of causes and conditions.”
阿難言。必此妙見，性非自然。我今發明，是因緣生。心猶未明，咨詣如來。是義云何，合因緣性。
The Buddha said, “You say it is causes and conditions. Let me ask you this: When you see things, the nature of seeing manifests – is it because of light that the seeing exists? Or is it because of darkness, emptiness, or obstruction that the seeing exists? If it is light that brings it into existence, you should not see darkness; if it is darkness, you should not see light. It is the same with emptiness and obstruction.
“Moreover, Ananda, does the seeing derive from the condition of light, or darkness, or emptiness, or obstruction?
“If it exists because of the condition of emptiness, you should not see obstruction; if it exists because of the condition of obstruction, you should not see emptiness. And it is the same with light and darkness. Therefore, you should know that the essential Bodhi is due to neither causes nor conditions, neither being nor nonbeing, neither reality nor unreality. It is identical with all things yet beyond all forms.
“How can you now think of it, use your mind to make distinctions, and express it with frivolous terminologies that are based on worldly sophistries? That is like grasping at empty space with your hand: you will only succeed in tiring yourself out. How could empty space possibly be grasped?”
佛言。汝言因緣。吾復問汝。汝今因見見性現前。此見為復因明有見，因暗有見，因空有見，因塞有見。阿難。若因明有，應不見暗。如因暗有，應不見明。如是乃至因空因塞，同於明暗。復次阿難。此見又復緣明有見，緣暗有見，緣空有見，緣塞有見。阿難。若緣空有，應不見塞。若緣塞有，應不見空。如是乃至緣明緣暗。同於空塞。當知如是精覺妙明，非因非緣，亦非自然，非不自然，無非不非，無是非是，離一切相，即一切法。汝今云何於中措心。以諸世間戲論名相，而得分別。如以手掌撮摩虛空，祇益自勞。虛空云何隨汝執捉。
Buddha Mind 