The True Visual Awareness
Ananda asked, “If the nature of Enlightenment has neither causes nor conditions, why does the Buddha always tell the bhikshus that the nature of seeing exists because of the four conditions of emptiness, light, mind, and eye? What does that mean?”
The Buddha said, “Ananda, what I have said about all the worldly causes and conditions has nothing to do with the Supreme Truth. Ananda, I now ask you: When a person says that he can see, what does he mean by ‘seeing’ and ‘not seeing’?”
Ananda replied, “By seeing, he means that due to the light of the sun, moon, or lamps, he can see all kinds of appearances. While in the absence of such light, he cannot see.”
“Ananda, if it is called ‘not seeing’ when there is no light, he should not see darkness either. If he sees darkness when there is no light, how can you call it ‘not seeing’? If you call it ‘not seeing’ when there is no light, you should also call it ‘not seeing’ when there is light and you do not see darkness. Thus, there would be ‘no seeing’ in both cases. But as we know, your seeing-nature never ceases for an instant, be it in light or in darkness. Since there is seeing in both cases, how can you call it ‘not seeing’?
“Therefore, Ananda, you should know that when you see light, the seeing is not bright. When you see darkness, the seeing is not dark. When you see emptiness, the seeing is not empty. When you see obstruction, the seeing is not obstructed.
“Once you have realized these four aspects, you should also know that when your Absolute Seeing sees the Essence of Seeing, the former is beyond the latter, and the latter cannot reach it. That being the case, how can you say that your absolute intuitive perception has something to do with causes, conditions or spontaneity?
“You narrow-minded Hearers are so ignorant that you are unable to realize the purity and clarity of Absolute Reality. Now I will show it to you, and you should consider it carefully, never allowing indolence or remissness to obstruct your Path to the profound Bodhi.”
阿难白佛言：世尊！必妙觉性，非因非缘；世尊云何常与比丘宣说：见性具四种缘，所谓因空、因明、因心、因眼，是义云何？
佛言：阿难！我说世间诸因缘相，非第一义！阿难！吾复问汝！诸世间人，说我能见，云何名见？云何不见？阿难言：世人因于日月灯光，见种种相，名之为见；若复无此三种光明，则不能见。阿难 ！若无明时，名不见者，应不见暗；若必见暗，此但无明，云何无见？阿难！若在暗时，不见明故，名为不见；今在明时，不见暗相，还名不见 。如是二相，俱名不见。若复二相自相陵夺，非汝见性于中暂无。如是则知，二俱名见，云何不见？是故阿难！汝今当知 ，见明之时，见非是明；见暗之时，见非是暗；见空之时，见非是空；见塞之时，见非是塞。四义成就。汝复应知：见见之时，见非是见 ；见犹离见，见不能及。云何复说因缘自然，及和合相？汝等声闻，狭劣无识，不能通达清净实相。吾今诲汝，当善思惟！无得疲怠妙菩提路。
Buddha Mind 