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’?”
阿難白佛言：世尊，必妙覺性，非因非緣。世尊云何常與比丘。宣說見性具四種緣。所謂因空因明，因心因眼，是義云何。佛言：阿難。我說世間諸因緣相，非第一義。阿難。吾復問汝。諸世間人，說我能見。云何名見。云何不見。
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.”
阿難言：世人因於日月燈光，見種種相，名之為見。若復無此三種光明，則不能見。
“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 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 perceives 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 either causes and conditions or spontaneity, or that it has something to do with both?
“You narrow-minded Hearers are so ignorant that you are unable to realize the purity and clarity of Reality. Now I will show you the Truth and you should consider it carefully, never allowing indolence and remissness to obstruct your Path to the profound Bodhi.”
阿難若無明時，名不見者應不見暗。若必見暗，此但無明，云何無見。阿難。若在暗時，不見明故，名為不見。今在明時，不見暗相，還名不見。如是二相，俱名不見。若復二相自相陵奪，非汝見性於中暫無。如是則知二俱名見，云何不見。是故阿難。汝今當知，見明之時，見非是明。見暗之時，見非是暗。見空之時，見非是空。見塞之時，見非是塞。四義成就。汝復應知。見見之時，見非是見。見猶離見，見不能及，云何復說因緣自然，及和合相。汝等聲聞，狹劣無識，不能通達清淨實相。吾今誨汝。當善思惟。無得疲怠妙菩提路。
Buddha Mind 