2
2
一
One
緣門問曰、夫言聖人者、当断何法、当得何法、而云聖也。
A visitor named Yuanmen asked: When we speak of a sage, what should they abandon and what should they attain to be called a sage?
入理曰、一法不断、一法不得、即為聖也。
Ruli said: Not cutting off a single thing, not grasping a single thing—that is what it means to be a sage.
二
Second.
問曰、若不断不得、与凡何異。
Question: If one neither cuts off nor attains, how is that any different from an ordinary person?
答曰、不同。何以故、一切凡夫妄有所断、妄有所得。
He replied: They are not the same. Why? Because ordinary people all have deluded ideas about what must be cut off and what must be gained.
三
Three
問曰、今言凡有所得、聖無所得。然得与不得、有何異。
Question: You speak of ordinary people having something to attain, while the sage has nothing to attain. But what is the difference between attaining and not attaining?
答曰、凡有所得、即有虚妄。聖無所得、即無虚妄。有虚妄故、即論同与不同。無虚妄故、即無異無不異。
He replied: Whatever is obtained is illusory. The sage obtains nothing, and so is free from illusion. Because there is illusion, one speaks of "same" and "different." Because there is no illusion, there is neither difference nor non-difference.
四
Four
問曰、若無異者、聖名何立。
Question: If there is no distinction, how can the name "noble" be established?
答曰、凡夫之与聖人、二俱是名。名中無二、即無差別。如說龜毛兔角。
The answer is: both ordinary people and sages are merely names. Within these names there is no duality, and therefore no difference. It is like speaking of the hair of a turtle or the horns of a rabbit.
五
Five
問曰、若聖人同龜毛兔角者、応是畢竟無。令人学何物。
Question: If sages are like turtle fur and rabbit horns—things that don't exist at all—then they are ultimately nothing. What is there for people to learn from?
答曰、我說龜毛無、不說龜亦無。汝何以設此難也。
He replied: I say that "turtle fur" does not exist, but I do not say that the turtle itself does not exist. Why do you raise this objection?
六
Six
問曰、無毛喻何物、龜喻何物。
Question: What does "no hair" represent, and what does "turtle" represent?
答曰、龜喻於道、毛喻於我。故聖人無我而有道。但彼凡夫而有我有名者、如橫執有龜毛兔角也。
He replied: The turtle represents the Path, and the hair represents the self. Thus the sage is without self and possesses the Path. But ordinary people, who have a self and cling to names, are like someone who insists that a turtle has hair or a rabbit has horns.
七
Seven
問曰、若如此者、道応是有、我応是無。若是有無、豈非有無之見。
Question: If that is so, then the Path to Cessation should be something that exists, and the self should be something that does not exist. But if there is existence and non-existence, is this not the view of existence and non-existence?
答曰、道非是有、我非是無。何以故、龜非先無今有、故不言有。毛非先有今無、故不言無。道之与我、譬類可知。
The answer is: The Path is not "existent," and I am not "nonexistent." Why? A turtle's fur was never nonexistent and then became existent, so we do not call it "existent." A rabbit's horns were never existent and then became nonexistent, so we do not call them "nonexistent." The relationship between the Path and myself can be understood by analogy.
八
Eight
問曰、夫求道者、為一人得耶、為眾人得耶。為各各得耶、為惣共有之。為本來有之、為復修成得之。
Question: When someone seeks the Path to Cessation, is it attained by one person, or by many people? Is it attained individually by each, or shared in common by all? Is it something that has existed from the very beginning, or is it something that is attained through practice?
答曰、皆不如汝所說。何以故、若一人得者、道即不遍。若眾人得者、道即有窮。若各各得者、道即有数。若惣共得者、方便即空。若本來有者、万行虛設。若修成得者、造作非真。
He replied: None of these are as you say. Why? If one person attains it, the Path to Cessation would not be universal. If many people attain it, the Path to Cessation would have limits. If each attains it separately, the Path to Cessation would be multiple. If all attain it together, skillful means would be empty. If it were originally present, all practices would be pointless. If it is attained through cultivation, that which is fabricated is not true.
九
Chapter 9
問曰、究竟云何。
A questioner asked: What exactly is the ultimate truth?
答曰、離一切根量、分別貪欲。
They answered: Free from all perception and measurement, and from the discrimination of greed and desire.