著作英譯
1991 佛七講話-1 Day 6
Ven. Zhiyu’s Dharma Talks for Buddha Recitation Seven-Day Retreat, First Term, 1991
Contemplate the Mind as Impermanent, Empty in Three Phases of Time
The Buddha’s teaching of Four Bases of Mindfulness advises that one should “contemplate the mind as impermanent.” How is it that the mind is impermanent? The mind is impermanent because it changes all the time. What was unknown can be known; what has been known can be forgotten. Therefore, we say the mind is always changing.
If the mind were permanent, you shouldn’t have forgotten whatever happened in your childhood; if the mind were permanent, you wouldn’t have learned whatever you did not know. If the mind were permanent and unchanging, students could not progress from elementary school to high school, and then from high school to university; first-fruit saints could not advance up to the second, third, and fourth fruits; sentient beings could not attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the mind is impermanent.
With regard to the impermanence of mind there are good aspects and bad aspects. In good aspects, the mind of sentient beings can achieve Buddhahood; in bad aspects, a savior may turn into an enemy. In good aspects, the mind functions in a twofold way, as the Chinese Huayan School puts it, namely being unchanging and in accordance with situations at the same time; in bad aspects, sentient beings lack perseverance.
That which does not change is the essence of the mind, and that which accords with conditions is its function. From the essence arise all kinds of functions, and in this way the mind in changelessness adapts to all conditions; all the functions eventually belong and return to the essence, therefore the mind stays unchanged though it adapts to all situations. In fact, this is the meaning of the sentence “from nowhere of abiding let the mind arise,” in the Diamond Sutra. Abiding nowhere means changelessness; to let the mind arise means to go along with conditions. To initiate functions from the essence is to let the mind arise from non-abiding; all functions return to the essence, therefore the mind, to any thoughts that have arisen, does not attach.
In the sense of the Chan School’s teaching, to let the mind arise means to discern all phenomena, and abiding nowhere means to detach from conceptualization. Non-abiding is called meditative concentration; to let the mind arise is called wisdom. The Buddhist Path is twofold—concentration and wisdom.
The Diamond Sutra interprets “non-abiding” as “all the three phases of mind unobtainable”, namely the past mind unobtainable, the future mind unobtainable, and the present mind unobtainable. Why is that so? For the mind arises in dependence upon causes and conditions, and whatever is dependently arising is selfless, empty, and therefore unobtainable. The notion of present, past, and future is also generated from causes and conditions, and is therefore empty, unobtainable.
Take past for example, it is established in relation to present and future. Without present and future, where is past? Only when there are present and future, will there be past. It is, analyzed from two sides, unobtainable:
Since only when there is present, there is past, and only when there is future, there is past, why not call it present or future, rather than past. If there really were past, it should still be there without present and future.
Future, too, is established in relation to past and present. If future really existed, it should still be there without past and present.
Now that we know past and future do not exist, we certainly know present either does not exist since it is established in relation to past and future.
Since past, future, and present are all unobtainable, and the mind is also unobtainable, therefore we know all the three phases of mind in relation to time are unobtainable.
Therefore, past, future, present and mind are all illusory and transformational, seemingly existent but actually not. Just like one’s image in the mirror, which is apparently there, but unreal after all.
Likewise, sentient beings give rise to delusive thinking and afflictions, and take what does not exist as real, all because of ignorance.
Related to the three phases of time, the sixth consciousness arises in two ways. When arising alone, the sixth consciousness is related only to past and future; when co-arising with the first five consciousnesses, it is related to present.
Therefore, everyone should detach from your past mind, future mind, and present mind, and refrain from delusive thinking. As it is taught in the sutras, the past mind has ceased, the future mind will not arise, and the present mind does not stay. When the three phases of mind are detached, manifests the great prajñā.
What does this have to do with the practice of Buddha-recitation meditation? Reciting Buddha’s name is “to think yet thought-free, thought-free yet to think”. Thought-free is the essence, and to think is to function. To initiate a function from the essence is meant by being “thought-free yet to think”; all the functions returning to the essence is meant by “to think yet thought-free”.
In fact, like every one of you, I have not reached this stage of realization yet. I only talk about the principle but have no actual achievement, heading for this goal like you all.
Today’s talk is rather complicated, but, nonetheless, I hope you can discern your learning by this principle.
How to do it, anyway?
“To think yet thought-free, thought-free yet to think” is too profound. Here is a simple way: When you are reciting the Buddha’s name, all your afflictions just vanish and not a thought but the Buddha’s name is being repeated—that means thought-free; being free from distracting thought, it is the right time to recollect the Buddha—that means to think.
Therefore, to apply this method, when your mind is being afflicted, hasten to recite the Buddha’s name, upon which all afflictions will subside. This is what “to think yet thought-free, thought-free yet to think” means, also “from nowhere of abiding let the mind arise, and the mind, to any thoughts that have arisen, does not attach”, and “in changelessness adapt to all conditions, and stay unchanged though adapting to all conditions”.
Now, let’s recite Amitâbha Buddha together.
觀心無常三時皆空
四念處曾說過，「觀心無常」。心怎麼是無常的呢？因為心變動不拘，所以無常。不知道的，可以知道；知道的，可以忘記。所以，變動不拘。
假使心常的話，你小時候的事情，現在不應該忘記；如果心是常，你不知道的學問，不應該知道。如果心常，不變動的話，小學到不了中學，中學到不了大學；初果不能到二果、三果、四果；眾生不能成佛。所以，心是無常的。
心無常，可以從好的方面講，和壞的方面講。好的方面講，眾生心可以成佛；壞的方面講，恩人可以變成冤家。如果從好的方面講，華嚴宗說過，一心起二用，不變隨緣；從壞的方面講，眾生心沒有恆心。
不變是體，隨緣是用。從體起用，所以不變隨緣；用全歸體，所以隨緣不變。其實，這就是《金剛經》所說的「無所住而生其心」。無所住，就是不變；而生其心，就是隨緣。由體起用，是無所住而生其心；用全歸體，所以生心而無所住。
約禪宗說，生其心，是分別一切法；無所住，是不作分別想。無所住，稱為定；而生其心，稱為慧。佛道有二，就是定道、慧道。
《金剛經》把無所住，解釋為「三心不可得」，所謂過去心不可得、未來心不可得、現在心不可得。這是因為什麼呢？因為心是因緣生，因緣生沒有自性、空的，所以不可得；現在、過去、未來也是因緣生、空的，所以不可得。
譬如說，過去是對現在、未來而立，沒有現在、沒有未來，那有過去？有現在、有未來，才有過去。從兩方面看，它不可得。
既然有現在，才有過去；有未來，才有過去。那應該稱現在、稱未來，不稱過去。如果有過去，應該沒有現在、沒有未來，還有過去。
未來也是一樣，對過去、對現在而立。如果定有未來，沒有過去、沒有現在，也有未來。
既然知道，沒有過去、沒有未來，那麼，現在是對過去、未來而立，當然也沒有現在。
既然過去、未來、現在不可得，心也不可得，所以說，三心都不可得。
所以，過去、未來、現在和心，都是如幻如化的，似有而實無。好比人的影子照在鏡子裏面，明明鏡裏有影，可是講起來，實在是無。
由於這個關係，眾生心起妄想、起煩惱，把無當成有，所以，全體都是無明。
因為有三時的關係，所以六識分為兩種。第六意識獨頭意識起的時候，僅僅對過去、未來；和前五識同時起的時候，對現在。
所以大家過去心斷、未來心斷、現在心斷，不起妄想。經上說，過去心已滅，未來心不生，現在心不住。三心若斷，是大般若。
這和念佛有什麼關係呢？念佛「念而無念，無念而念」。無念是體，念是用。由體起用，無念而念；用全歸體，念而無念。
其實，我和各位一樣，修行沒有到這個地步。不過僅僅憑一張嘴，沒實在修行，和大家一樣，正朝著這個方向努力。
今天和大家講的很複雜，希望大家能利用這個法去簡別。
話又講回來，怎麼個簡別法呢？
念而無念、無念而念，太深。有個簡單的辦法，當你念佛的時候，一切煩惱化歸烏有，單提一聲佛號，沒有雜念，就是無念；當你沒有雜念的時候，正好念佛，就是念。
所以，修行這個法，起煩惱的時候，趕緊念佛，一念佛，煩惱就下去。這就是念而無念、無念而念，也就是無所住而生其心、生心而無所住，也就是修不變隨緣、隨緣不變。
現在，讓我們大家一同來念阿彌陀佛。