Distortions in Visual Awareness Are Due to Karma
Ananda said to the Buddha, “Although the Buddha has explained to us about causes and conditions, about spontaneity, and about mixing and uniting or the absence of mixing and uniting, we became more perplexed as we heard that seeing is not seeing. World-Honored One, please open our wisdom-eye further.” He wept as he was saying this, and then, after prostrating himself at the Buddha’s feet, he waited earnestly to receive the sacred teaching.
Then the Buddha, out of pity for Ananda and the assembly, began to explain extensively the profound practice of the Samadhis of the Great Dharani: “Though you have memorized my teachings, it only broadens your knowledge. Your mind has not yet truly realized the subtle insight and illumination of Samatha. Now listen attentively as I explain it in detail, for the benefit of all who are still in the stream of transmigration, so that all may reach the fruition of Bodhi.
“Ananda, all living beings are subject to transmigration through various worlds because of two types of inverted, discriminating false views, which cause people to stay caught up in the turning wheel of samsara. What causes those two kinds of false views? The first is caused by people’s individual karma; the second is caused by collective karma.
“What is it meant by saying that individual karma causes false views? Ananda, it is like a man who, because his eyes are inflamed, sees at night around the lamp a circular reflection composed of layers of five colors. Is this circle the colors of lamplight, or is it the colors of his seeing?
“If it were the colors of lamplight, then someone without the eye condition would also see it. If it were the colors of his own seeing, then the seeing itself would have become colored. So, the question would be – what is the true color of the lamplight? Moreover, if the circular reflection were independent of the lamp, then it would be seen around the nearby curtains, the furniture, and the mats. If it were independent of the seeing, then it should not be seen by the eyes.
“Therefore, you should know that the color is revealed by the lamp and becomes a circle when a person with eye condition sees it. Both the distorted shape (form) and the faulty seeing (perception) are the results of the person’s eye conditions. Thus, we should not say that it is due to the lamp or the seeing, or that it is neither due to the lamp nor due to the seeing.
“It is like a second moon often seen when one presses on one’s eye looking up into the sky. It is neither the real moon nor its shadow, because it is an illusory vision caused by the pressure exerted on one’s eye. A wise person would not say that the second moon is a form or not a form. So, wise people should not say that this illusion ‘is’ or ‘is not’, or that it exists apart from seeing or non-seeing. Likewise, how can you say that an illusion caused by eye conditions is from the lamp or from the seeing? Still less can you establish that it is neither from the lamp nor from the seeing.
“And what is it meant by saying that collective karma causes false views? Ananda, this world (Jambudvipa) comprises, besides the great seas, 3,000 continents, with the largest at the center, containing 2,300 great countries from east to west, and some other smaller continents also each consisting of smaller countries. Suppose that among them there is one small continent where there are only two countries, one of which is inhabited by people who, as a result of their bad karma, have experienced evil conditions, while the people inhabiting in another country have never seen nor even heard of them.
“Ananda, now I will go back and forth comparing these two karmic conditions for you. All living beings whose individual karma causes them to see falsely, are like the man whose eyes have cataracts and therefore he sees a circular reflection around the lamp, which appears to be real, but in fact it only comes into being because of his eye disease. The circle is not a product of form. And the essence of seeing is free from all defects or diseases.
“Similarly, if you look at mountains, rivers and people, they are all brought about by the distortion in your seeing, which was acquired since the beginningless time. This seeing and its causal falsities are in front of you, but they originally arise from your subjective awareness of your bright enlightenment, which leads to false perception of objective phenomena. Although awareness and perception cause wrong seeing, the bright, pure, and true Bodhi Mind is free from all ills and able to see clearly. Its realization that the awareness and perception are faulty will never fall into delusion. It is what I mean by true seeing, which is not discriminative, while your seeing, hearing, feeling and knowing are all discriminative.
“Therefore, your actual seeing of yourself, of me and of all living beings is a distorted seeing, and certainly not that which is aware of your wrong seeing. For the true essential seeing by nature is beyond all ills, hence it is not called seeing.
“Ananda, now let’s compare the false seeing caused by collective karma with the false seeing caused by individual karma. The illusion of a circle around the lamplight seen by a man with his individual eye disease, and the evil condition experienced by all the inhabitants of that small country because of their collective karma, are both created by a falsity in the seeing since the beginningless time. Thus, the Jambudvipa’s 3,000 continents, four great seas, and all samsaric countries in the ten directions as well as their inhabitants are the product of faulty seeing, hearing, feeling and knowing.
“A person who can avoid the illusory mixture and union, as well as the non-mixture and non-union of concurrent causes, will be able to eliminate all causes of birth and death, thereby perfecting the transcendental nature of Enlightenment and realizing the permanent basic Bodhi of pure Self-mind.”
阿难白佛言：世尊！如佛世尊，为我等辈，宣说因缘及与自然，诸和合相与不和合，心犹未开。而今更闻 ，见见非见，重增迷闷！伏愿弘慈，施大慧目，开示我等，觉心明净。作是语已，悲泪顶礼，承受圣旨。
尔时世尊，怜愍阿难及诸大众，将欲敷演大陀罗尼诸三摩提妙修行路。告阿难言：汝虽强记，但益多闻。于奢摩他微密观照，心犹未了。汝今谛听 ！吾当为汝分别开示，亦令将来诸有漏者，获菩提果。
阿难！一切众生轮回世间，由二颠倒分别见妄，当处发生，当业轮转。云何二见？一者、众生别业妄见，二者、众生同分妄见。
云何名为别业妄见？阿难！如世间人，目有赤眚，夜见灯光，别有圆影，五色重叠。于意云何？此夜灯明所现圆光，为是灯色？为当见色？阿难 ！此若灯色，则非眚人，何不同见？而此圆影，唯眚之观。若是见色，见已成色；则彼眚人见圆影者，名为何等？复次阿难！若此圆影离灯别有，则合傍观屏 幛几筵，有圆影出；离见别有，应非眼瞩。云何眚人，目见圆影？是故当知，色实在灯，见病为影；影见俱眚，见眚非病 。终不应言：是灯是见，于是中有非灯非见。如第二月，非体非影。何以故？第二之观，捏所成故。诸有智者，不应说言 ，此捏根元，是形非形，离见非见。此亦如是！目眚所成，今欲名谁是灯是见？何况分别非灯非见？
云何名为同分妄见？阿难！此阎浮提，除大海水，中间平陆，有三千洲。正中大洲，东西括量，大国凡有二千三百；其余小洲在诸海中，其间或有三两百国，或一或二，至于三十四十五十。阿难 ！若复此中，有一小洲，只有两国；唯一国人，同感恶缘。则彼小洲当土众生，睹诸一切不祥境界，或见二日，或见两月，其中乃至晕适、佩玦、彗孛、飞流、负耳、虹蜺，种种恶相。但此国见，彼国众生本所不见，亦复不闻。
阿难！吾今为汝，以此二事，进退合明。阿难！如彼众生别业妄见，瞩灯光中所现圆影；虽现似境，终彼见者 ，目眚所成。眚即见劳，非色所造；然见眚者，终无见咎。例汝今日，以目观见山河国土，及诸众生，皆是无始见病所成。见与见缘，似现前境 。元我觉明，见所缘眚，觉见即眚。本觉明心，觉缘非眚。觉所觉眚，觉非眚中。此实见见，云何复名，觉 闻知见？是故汝今，见我及汝，并诸世间十类众生，皆即见眚，非见眚者。彼见真精，性非眚者，故不名见。
阿难！如彼众生同分妄见，例彼妄见别业一人。一病目人，同彼一国，彼见圆影，眚妄所生。此众同分，所见不祥，同见业中，瘴恶所起。俱是无始见妄所生。例阎浮提三千洲中，兼四大海 、娑婆世界，并洎十方诸有漏国，及诸众生，同是觉明无漏妙心，见闻觉知，虚妄病缘，和合妄生，和合妄死。若能远离诸和合缘，及不和合，则复灭除诸生死因。圆满菩提不生灭性 ，清净本心，本觉常住。
Buddha Mind 