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. Please would you open our wisdom-eye further.” After saying this, he wept, prostrated himself at the Buddha’s feet and waited earnestly to receive the holy teaching.
阿難白佛言：世尊。如佛世尊為我等輩，宣說因緣，及與自然，諸和合相，與不和合，心猶未開。而今更聞見見非見，重增迷悶。伏願弘慈，施大慧目，開示我等覺心明淨。作是語已，悲淚頂禮，承受聖旨。
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 those who are still in the stream of transmigration so that you can all win the bodhi fruit.
“Ananda, all living beings are subject to transmigration through various worlds because of two inverted, discriminating false views, which cause people to be caught in the turning wheel of samsara. What causes those two views? They are due to people’s individual and collective karmas.
爾時世尊，憐愍阿難，及諸大眾。將欲敷演大陀羅尼，諸三摩提。妙修行路。告阿難言。汝雖強記，但益多聞，於奢摩他微密觀照，心猶未了。汝今諦聽。吾當為汝分別開示。亦令將來，諸有漏者，獲菩提果。阿難。一切眾生，輪迴世間，由二顛倒分別見妄，當處發生，當業輪轉。云何二見，一者，眾生別業妄見。二者，眾生同分妄見。
“What is meant by false views based on individual karma? 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 is the colors of lamplight, why does someone without the eye condition not see it? If it is only the seeing’s colors, then the seeing is colored, and what is the true color of the lamplight? Moreover, if the circular reflection is independent of the lamp, then it would be seen around the nearby curtains, the furniture, and the mats. If it is 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 result 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. Hence, a wise person should 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.
云何名為別業妄見。阿難，如世間人，目有赤眚，夜見燈光別有圓影，五色重疊。於意云何。此夜燈明所現圓光，為是燈色，為當見色。阿難。此若燈色，則非眚人何不同見，而此圓影。唯眚之觀。若是見色，見已成色，則彼眚人見圓影者，名為何等。復次阿難。若此圓影離燈別有，則合傍觀屏帳几筵，有圓影出。離見別有，應非眼矚，云何眚人目見圓影。是故當知，色實在燈，見病為影。影見俱眚，見眚非病。終不應言是燈是見。於是中有非燈非見。如第二月，非體非影。何以故。第二之觀，捏所成故。諸有智者，不應說言，此捏根元，是形非形，離見非見，此亦如是，目眚所成今欲名誰是燈是見。何況分別非燈非見。
“And what is meant by false views caused by collective karma? Ananda, this universe (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.
云何名為同分妄見。阿難。此閻浮提，除大海水，中間平陸，有三千洲正中大洲東西括量，大國凡有二千三百。其餘小洲在諸海中，其間或有三兩百國。或一或二至於三十四十五十。阿難。若復此中，有一小洲，祇有兩國。唯一國人，同感惡緣則彼小洲，當土眾生，睹諸一切不祥境界或見二日，或見兩月其中乃至暈適珮玦。彗孛飛流。負耳虹蜺。種種惡相，但此國見彼國眾生，本所不見，亦復不聞。
“Ananda, now I will now 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 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, true Bodhi Mind is free from all ills and able to see clearly. Its realization that the awareness and perception are faulty does not 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 us compare false seeing caused by collective karma with that caused by individual karma. The illusion of a circle around the lamplight seen by a man with cataracts, 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 and non-mixture and non-union of concurrent causes, will be able to destroy all causes of birth and death, thereby perfecting the transcendental nature of Enlightenment and realizing the permanent basic Bodhi of pure Self-mind.
阿難。吾今為汝。以此二事，進退合明。阿難。如彼眾生。別業妄見，矚燈光中所現圓影，雖現似境，終彼見者，目眚所成。眚即見勞，非色所造。然見眚者，終無見咎。例汝今日，以目觀見山河國土。及諸眾生，皆是無始見病所成。見與見緣，似現前境。元我覺明見所緣眚。覺見即眚。本覺明心，覺緣非眚。覺所覺眚，覺非眚中，此實見見，云何復名覺聞知見。是故汝今見我及汝，并諸世間十類眾生，皆即見眚。非見眚者，彼見真精，性非眚者，故不名見。阿難。如彼眾生同分妄見，例彼妄見別業一人。一病目人，同彼一國。彼見圓影，眚妄所生。此眾同分所見不祥，同見業中，瘴惡所起。俱是無始見妄所生。例閻浮提三千洲中，兼四大海，娑婆世界，并洎十方諸有漏國，及諸眾生。同是覺明無漏妙心，見聞覺知虛妄病緣，和合妄生，和合妄死。若能遠離諸和合緣，及不和合，則復滅除諸生死因。圓滿菩提，不生滅性。清淨本心，本覺常住。
Buddha Mind 