At that time, Non-Abiding
Bodhisattva heard what the Budha said about the single taste
being true and inconceivable. From the distant past up to the
present, [Non-Abiding] had drawn near to the tathagatas' seats
and listened to [the tathagatas] carefully and with full attention.
Accessing that pure, transparent place, his body and mind were
motionless.
At that time, the Budha addressed
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva: "Whence
have you come from? Where now have you arrived?"
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva replied, "Lord!
I come from where there is no origin, and have now arrived
where there is no origin."
The Budha said, "You originally
came from nowhere and now you have also arrived nowhere. As
you have gained the original inspiration, which is inconceivable,
you are a bodhisattva-mahasattva."
Then, while emitting a great ray of light that pervaded the
many thousands of world-systems, he recited gathas:
How great you are, oh bodhisattva,
You who are replete in knowledge and wisdom.
Constantly by means of the original inspiration,
You inspire sentient beings.
In all the four postures [walking, standing, sitting, lying],
You constantly abide in the original inspiration,
Guiding all the classes of beings,
Without either coming or going.
At that time, Non-Abiding Bodhisattva
addressed the Budha: "Lord!
Through what inspiring transmutation may one transmute all the
affective consciousness of sentient beings so that they will
access the amala[-vijnana, immaculate consciousness]?"
The Budha replied, "All
the Budhas, the tathagatas, constantly transmute all the consciousness
by means of the one enlightenment so that they will access
the amala. Why is this? The original enlightenment of each
and every sentient being is constantly enlightening all sentient
beings by means of that one enlightenment, prompting them all
to regain their original enlightenment. They become enlightened
to the fact that all the affective consciousnesses are void,
calm and unproduced. Why is this? It is a given that the original
natures [of the eight consciousness] are originally motionless."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva asked, "Each
and every one of the eight consciousness is produced, conditioned
by the sense realm. So how is it that they are motionless?"
The Budha answered, "All
the sense realms are originally void. All consciousness are
originally void. Being void, their natures are not subject
to conditions. So how are they produced by conditions?"
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva retorted, "If
all the sense realms are void, then how can there be visions?"
The Budha replied, "Vision
is in fact deceptive. Why so? All the myriad of existing things
are unproduced and signless. Originally they have no names
for themselves and are all void and calm. So too is this the
case for all characteristics of dharmas. The bodies of all
sentient beings are also just the same. And if even those bodies
do not exist, then how much less so could vision!"
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva said, "If
all te sense realms are void, all bodies are void, and all
consciousness are void, then enlightenment too must be void."
The Budha replied, "Each
and every enlightenment has a given nature that is neither
destroyed nor annihilated. They are neither void nor nonvoid
for they are free from voidness or nonvoidness."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva remarked, "It
is the same too for all the sense realms. They are not marked
by voidness and yet they must be so marked."
The Budha assented, "So
it is. The natures of all the sense realms are originally fixed.
The bases of those fixed natures are not located anywhere."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva said, "Enlightenment
is also the same: it is not located anywhere."
The Budha assented, "So
it is. Because enlightenment has no locus, it is pure. As it
is pure, it is free from [any semblance of such a limiting
concept as] enlightenment. As material things have no locus,
they are pure. As they are pure, they are free from [any such
limiting concept] as materiality."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva remarked, "The
mind and the visual consciousness as well are similarly inconceivable."
The Budha said, "Yes, the
mind and the visual consciousness as well are similarly inconceivable.
Why is this? Materiality has no location; it is pure and nameless.
It does not intrude into the internal [sense-bases]. The visual
[base] has no location; it is pure and sightless. It does not
go out into the external [sense objects]. The mind has no location;
it is pure and unsurpassed, and has no place where it is produced.
Consciousness has no location; it is pure and motionless, not
distinguished by conditions. Its nature is entirely void and
calm. That nature is free from any semblance of enlightenment,
but if one becomes enlightened [that nature too] will then
be enlightened [completing the process of actualizing enlightenment].
"Oh son of good family!
Once one awakens to the knowledge that there is no enlightenment,
all the consciousness then access [enlightenment]. Why is this?
At the stage of adamantine knowledge, the path leading to liberation
is eradicated. Once it is eradicated, you access the nonabiding
stage [of sublime enlightenment] where there is neither egress
nor access, that stage of certitude where the mind has no locus.
That state is pure, like transparent beryl [representing the
great, perfect mirror wisdom]. That nature is constantly in
equilibrium, like the great earth [representing the impartial
wisdom]. Enlightened, sublime, contemplative examination [representing
the subsequently obtained wisdom] is like the effulgence of
the sun of wisdom. [One's ability to] inspire [others] is perfected
and one gains original [enlightenment]; this is like the great
rain of dharma [representing the wisdom that has accomplished
what was to be done]. Accessing this knowledge is accessing the
Budhas' stage of knowledge [the sublime enlightenment where
these four types of wisdom are perfected]. For one who has accessed
this stage of knowledge, none of the consciousnesses is produced."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva said, "The
Tathagata has explained that the sanctified dynamism of the
one enlightenment and the stage of [sublime enlightenment where]
the four vast wisdoms [are perfected] are in fact the enlightened
inspiration that is innate in all sentient beings. And why
is this? Because these are present originally in the bodies
of all sentient beings."
The Budha replied, "So
it is. And why is this so? Although all sentient beings are
originally free from outflows and all wholesome benefits are
originally innate in them, they are being pricked by the thorn
of desire, which they have yet to overcome [and thus do not
realize that they are originally enlightened]."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva asked, "If
there is a sentient being who has yet to draw on the original
inspiration and who [continues to have the desire to] gather
and accumulate [mundane experiences], then how will he overcome
that which is difficult to overcome?"
The Budha replied, "Whether
discrimination and, therewith, the taints occur en masse or
solitarily, if his spirit reverts to abide in the cave of voidness,
he will overcome that which is difficult to overcome. Liberated
from the bonds of Mara [demonic forces personified], he will
sit supernally on the open ground where the consciousnesses
and the skandhas [will be in a state of] parinirvana."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva remarkd, "The
mind that gains nirvana is isolated and autonomous. Lingering
perpetually in nirvana, [the mind] perforce is liberated."
The Budha responded, "Lingering
perpetually in nirvana is the bondage of nirvana. Why is this?
Nirvana is the inspiration of original enlightenment, and that
inspiration is originally nirvana. The enlightened aspects
of nirvana are in fact the aspects of original enlightenment.
As the enlightened nature is undifferentiated, nirvana is undifferentiated.
As enlightenment is originally unproduced, nirvana is unproduced.
As enlightenment is originally free from extinction, nirvana
is free from extinction. Because nirvana is innate, there is
no attainment of nirvana. And if nirvana cannot be attained,
then how can one linger therein?
"Oh son of good family!
One who is enlightened need not linger in nirvana. Why is this?
Enlightenment originally is unproduced; it is far removed from
maculations of sentient beings. Enlightenment is originally
free from calmness; it is far removed from the agitation of
nirvana [i.e. the presumption that there is a process by which
nirvana is achieved]. The mind of one who lingers at such a
stage lingers nowhere. Free from both egress and acess, it
accesses the amala-consciousness."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva asked, "If the amala-consciousness
has some place where it can be accessed, [does this mean it is]
something that is attained – that is, an attained dharma?"
The Budha replied, "No, it does not. Why is this? It is
like a deluded son who carries gold coins in his hands, but does
not know that he has them. Roaming throughout all ten directions,
he passes fifty years in poverty and destitution, hardship and
suffering. Though he devotes all his efforts to seeking out a
living, he is unable to support himself. Seeing his son in such
dire straits, his father tells him, 'You're carrying around gold
coins! Why don't you use them? Then you'll be free to satisfy
your needs in every possible way.' His son awakens and discovers
the gold coins. His mind greatly joyous, he shouts, 'I found
the gold coins?' His father replies, 'My deluded son! You should
not be elated [at your good fortune]. The gold coins you've found
have always been in your possession; they are not something you've "found".
So how can you be happy?'
"Oh son of good family!
It is just the same with the amala-consciousness. It originally
is not something from which you have departed. It is not something
that has now been accessed. Even though in the past you were
unaware of it, it was not nonexistent. Even though now you
have awakened to it, it is not accessed."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva asked, "If
that father knew his son was deluded, why did he wait until
[his son] had spent fifty years roaming throughout the ten
directions in poverty and destitution, hardship and suffering,
before he told him [about the gold coins he was carrying]?"
The Budha replied, "The
passage of fifty years is but the agitation of a single moment
of thought. Roaming throughout the ten directions is but the
fantasy of distant travel."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva asked, "What
is 'the agitation of a single moment of thought?'"
The Budha replied, "The
five skandhas all arise in the action of a single moment of
thought. In the arising of the five skandhas all fifty evils
are contained."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva asked, "The fantasy of distant
travel and roaming throughout the ten directions – both
these arise in a single moment of thought and include all the
fifty evils. How can one prompt those sentient beings not to
give rise to a single thought [so that the fifty evils will not
arise]?"
The Budha replied, "One
should prompt those sentient beings to sit with their minds
and spirits calm, abiding in the adamantine stage. Once thoughts
are tranquilized so that nothing is produced, the mind will
be constantly calm and serene. This is what is meant by the
absence of even a single thought."
Non-Abiding Bodhisattva said, "This
is inconceivable. When one is enlightened to the fact that
the thoughts are unproduced, one's mind becomes calm and serene.
That is the inspiration of original enlightenment. That inspiration
is motionless; it exists in perpetuity and is not nonexistent.
But this does not mean that it is not nonexistent, or that
there is nothing to which it is not enlightened. Awakening
to the knowledge that there is no enlightenment is the original
inspiration and original enlightenment. Enlightenment is pure
and immaculate, perdurable and unchanging, because its nature
is fixed. It is inconceivable!"
The Budha replied, "So
it is."
After Non-Abiding Bodhisattva heard these words, he gained what
he had never had before and recited gathas:
The Lord is the Lord of Great Enlightenment,
He explains the dharma that produces no-thought,
The mind that is free of thoughts and is unproduced,
That mind endures in perpetuity and is never extinguished.
The inspirations of one enlightenment and original enlightenment,
Inspire all those who are endowed with original enlightenment.
It is like he who [recovered] gold coins,
But what he recovered was in fact not recovered at all.
At that time, the congregation heard these words and all gained
prajnaparamita, which is the inspiration of original enlightenment.
