凡是一切新發心菩薩。欲學六波羅蜜。欲修一切禪定。欲行三十七品。若欲說法教化眾生。學大慈悲起六神通。欲得疾入菩薩位得佛智慧。先當具足念佛三昧．般舟三昧及學妙法蓮華三昧。是諸菩薩最初應先學隨自意三昧。此三昧若成就。得首楞嚴定。隨自意三昧者。先以大悲眼觀眾生。舉足下足具六波羅蜜。菩薩行時先觀眾生起一子想。亦如幻化如影如空。不可得想。而自舉身作輕空想。觀地而行如履虗空。自令己身不曲不直。己身直行不遲不疾。亦不左右𮨇視。又不轉頭及望。若欲望時舉身皆轉。如象王視。步步進時。觀眾生勿令損傷。是時眾生即大歡喜。心無恐怖無所復畏。是時名為檀波羅蜜。名無畏施。問曰。檀波羅蜜者云何。有三種施。一者飲食。二者財寶。三者說法。飲食布施增長壽命。衣服布施能遮寒熱。醫藥布施能除患苦。說法布施能破邪見。增長慧命得三乘果。施者．受者．飲食財寶三事俱空。無自無他無所得故。名檀波羅蜜。問曰。是菩薩行時舉足下足於諸眾生空無所得。有何利益。而言具足六波羅蜜。答曰。財食等施。增長凡夫生死身命。醫藥等法但除外小病。不能除眾生生死怖畏。聽法之時。或有記心或無記心。或有漏心或無漏心。未必皆善。是時施主或有我所或無我所。或是波羅蜜或非波羅蜜。隨自意三昧中菩薩行時。以輕空身如影夢化。以大悲眼觀眾生。亦不著眾生想。亦不著無眾生想。是時眾生見菩薩威儀容貌端直而作是念。是人慈悲護念我等。即解菩薩意。離一切怖畏。大歡喜故。即發菩提心。眾生是時發菩提心。不名有記不名無記。不名有漏不名無漏。不得我所不得無我所。即得無生智。云何而言非波羅蜜。菩薩行時。眾生歡喜無所畏故。善攝行威儀。無傷損故。此即是施眾生命。不得己身不得眾生。亦不得威儀想。無所得故。此豈非是檀波羅蜜。眾生見菩薩威儀。解菩薩意。離怨結想得無生解。離煩惱結住菩薩心。此豈非是除眾生病。增長慧命智。慧命者即是波羅蜜。菩提心者盡智．無生智。煩惱盡故名為盡智。十二因緣畢竟不生故。是名無生智。此即是般若波羅蜜。汝云何言非波羅蜜。菩薩行時。以無畏施利益眾生。名檀波羅蜜。於諸眾生無所損傷。離罪福想。名尸波羅蜜。菩薩行時。心想不起亦不動搖。無有住處。十八界一切法不動故。名為羼提波羅蜜。具足忍辱故。菩薩行時。不得舉足下足心。無前思後覺。無生滅。一切法中無動無住。是名精進毗梨耶波羅蜜。菩薩行時。不得身心。一切法中無受念著。不得生死。不得涅槃。不得中道故。一切法中不亂不味。離定亂想故。是名禪波羅蜜具足。能起諸神通故。菩薩行時。頭等六分如空如影如夢化炎。無有生滅亦無斷常。無兩中間。三毒．四大．五陰．十二入．十八界．十二因緣畢竟空無所得。既無繫縛亦無解脫。是名般若波羅蜜智慧具足。是故菩薩行威儀。舉足下足。念念具足六波羅蜜。問曰。此義出何經中耶。答曰。出首楞嚴經中。有眾生得聞首楞嚴名。勝得四禪四空定。問曰。汝向說新發意菩薩學隨自意三昧。若得成就。是時名為首楞嚴定。我今不解首楞嚴定。云何菩薩行威儀中舉足動步而常入定。具足一切諸波羅蜜。唯願仁者為我解說。答曰。汝當諦聽。善思念之。吾當為汝略說此義。菩薩行時。未舉足欲舉足。未生念欲生念。先觀未念欲念心未起念時。無有心想。亦無心．心數法。是名心性。是心性無有生滅。無明無闇。無空無假。不斷不常。無相貌。無所得故。是名心性。亦名自性清淨心。是自性清淨心者是涅槃。不能覺了者即是生死。妄念思想未生時。是時畢竟無心者。名為無始。求自性清淨無始心畢竟空寂。名為能破眾生。是故佛言。無始空破眾生。畢竟空破諸法。無始空破未念心。畢竟空破欲念心。是無始空破無始無明。畢竟空破有始無明。問曰。汝向者說無始空破眾生。無始空者既是性空。諸法若性自空即無有和合。云何有眾生可破。答曰。是假名和合。虗妄顛倒非是實眾生。實眾生者名為心性。夫心性者。無有生死亦無解脫。一切眾生無始來受。故倒觀本源。無始亦空。無始空者是名性空。性空者是真實眾生。真實眾生無有生死。眾生若能解。即是無生智。爾時生死即是涅槃。更不別有涅槃之法。是故佛言。眾生涅槃本自有之。非適今也。以是義故。新學菩薩欲行時。觀未念心不可得。問曰。未念心滅。欲念心生。未念心不滅。欲念心生。答曰。未念心滅竟。欲念心生。難曰。汝未念心既滅。欲念心從何生。汝若未念心滅。欲念心生。是事不然。何以故。未念心既滅。名為斷盡者。名為死滅。若未念心盡滅。以欲念心自生者。便是兩心各不相知。心不能自知心。如指不自觸指。心亦如是。汝若一心。即無前後。復墮常中。汝若二心。生滅各異。復墮斷中。未念念心常。亦無此理。斷亦無此理。欲念心亦然。如汝向者答我。未念心滅竟欲念心生者。便是兩心。若有兩心。即有兩神。便是邪見。何以故。若有兩神。唯一有眾生即有兩眾生。即是外道義。兩神若前後亦不可。若一時亦不可。若兩神共合作一亦不可。若一能作兩亦不可。皆是外道義。何以故。般若經中一切眾生畢竟不相續。一切法亦不相續。若心及一切不相續。云何有斷前滅後生。若前滅後生者。即不相知。云何令人憶一生來事念持不忘。汝若一念中知。便應忘一切事各滅壞。若心常住不變易者。亦不能知一切法。何以故。無前因後果故。常亦無因果。斷亦無因果。亦無罪福。復無業報。瓦石無異。皆是外道義也。是故佛法中眾生心性不斷不常。畢竟不相續。無心無無心。汝未念心若不滅。欲念心自生。是亦不然。何以故。無一斷一常故。亦無前常後斷故。若未念心不滅。欲念心不生。無兩常並故。是事不然。若前念非不滅。後念非不生。是事亦不然。何以故。若得非滅。可得非不滅。既無非滅。即無非不滅。若得不生。可得非不生。既無非生。云何見非不生。非不不不滅非不不不生亦如是。皆不可得。亦無是不可得。觀菩薩既不得未念心。生滅斷常即無無明。亦不得欲念心。無諸行。是故明與無明其性無二。智者了達。凡夫謂二。明與無明雖無有二。亦非是一。是故菩薩行時。舉足下足與念念心足不自知。足亦不自知行與不行。亦不自知履地不履地。亦不自知隨道不隨道。地亦復無是念。此菩薩履我上行。不履我上行。虗空亦無是念。是菩薩於我中過不過。亦不自知是虗空非虗空。菩薩心數畢竟不生。亦無不生之想。不在內不在外。亦不在中間亦不在餘處。亦無不在。從旦涉路行至暮。無有動想。復無不動想。亦無所經由。而善了知歷涉之處。雖無去者而有所到。雖無受者而得果報。如虗空中雲。雖無心想而能降雨。雖無主我能遍方所。遠望即見。近觀即無。推尋此雲本無生處。能令眾生虗妄見有往還所起。出無分散。還無積聚。不能自生。亦不從他生。山石無念。我能生雲及以不生。雲亦無念。我從山出。不從山出。各不相知。諸法亦爾。眾生此身猶如浮雲。生時空生。滅時空滅。雖空能見善惡造罪眾生。如雲雨雹傷害五糓及殺人畜眾生亦爾。是身雖空。行十惡者失人天報。墮在三途。如雹傷糓。行有漏善者失三乘道。如殺人畜。人者喻佛。畜獸者喻緣覺．聲聞。眾生亦爾。身心雖空。行有漏業。善惡果報如天雨雹。若有持戒修福禪定道品次第聖行智慧神通及化眾生。如彼好雲。農時要月興致甘雨。五糓豐熟華茂盛。人獸快樂。眾生亦爾。身心雖空。持戒清淨修禪道品次第聖行。三界傍報五戒十善及有漏禪人天快樂。如五糓成熟。無漏禪定聖行道品智慧神通。譬如樹木華菓茂盛。大慈悲雲實相法雨。雨於人華各得成實。人者佛道具足。獸者喻緣覺．聲聞。三乘聖果。上中下別。皆因持戒行善修禪獲得此報。破戒之人終不能得持戒。雖皆是空。業報各別。如涅槃中說有二種果。色味相似。一名迦羅迦果。食者命終。復有一果名鎮頭迦。食者長命。得力得色。增壽益筭。破戒之人如迦羅迦果。持戒之人如鎮頭迦果。身心雖空果報不失。菩薩行時。身心無定無亂。亦能覺了一切眾事。覺及所覺俱不可得。無有諸大陰界入。眾魔群盜不得入。是故名為首楞嚴定。從初發心終至佛果。一切聖行皆如隨自意三昧。無初發心。無果可至。亦不失因果。因果雖在。亦無受者。雖無受者。果不敗亡。雖不敗亡。亦無處所。何以故。因空故無有作。果空故無有想。因之與果正是一空。更無別空。觀此空法。無空可得。是名空空。一切皆空名為大空。不失因果名為中道第一義空。菩薩觀察生死諸行及修道聖行。一切皆是第一義空。是故佛言。眾生性即菩提。菩提性即眾生。菩提眾生無一二。知如此名世尊。菩薩行時。觀此身心一切威儀。無行無住無坐無臥無起無立。亦無去無來無出無沒無生無滅。亦無一切陰界諸入。是故維摩經云。法無去來。常不住故。諸法不有亦不無。以因緣故。諸法生因者即是無明。緣者即是諸行。是故佛言。因眼見色。因心思覺。生貪愛心。愛者即是無明。為愛造業名之為行。若能反流觀無明源及心性空。思愛亦空。無業無行。即無諸法生。無緣和故。一切諸法本因緣空無主。覺此盡本源。故稱真沙門。亦名無生忍。復名無起法忍。菩薩觀色心。無垢無淨不動不變。猶如虗空無想可得。名之為空亦非是空。何以故。眾生此身頭等六分假名色身。本由一念妄念心生。隨業受報天人諸趣。猶如化生夢幻之體亦不可得。菩薩既知妄念心空。即無妄念。非是空假。色身亦爾。如影如空求不可得。是故佛言。眾生色身。此色身生時但空生。滅時亦空滅。頻婆娑羅王聞佛說此。得第三果次第。即得無生法忍智。是故般若經中曇無竭菩薩語薩陀波崙言。法無來無去。空法即是佛。無相法無生。空法無滅。法亦如是無來無去。即佛從無住法亦如是。既無有住亦無來無去。是故菩薩行威儀中。觀此未念及欲念心性自清淨無有動變。故得不動三昧。發一切智慧。解一切佛法。從初發心終至佛果未曾動變。亦不從一地至一地。一念了知三世之事。凡聖心想國土世界劫數遠近眾生煩惱根性差別一念盡知。是名菩薩遍覺三昧。亦得名為照明三昧。以此三昧神通力故。湛然不變色身變現十方國土。隨感不同說音聲亦復如是。則名為首楞嚴定力隨自意三昧具足成就。
For all newly aspiring bodhisattvas who wish to study the six perfections, cultivate all forms of meditation, practice the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, or teach the Dharma to transform sentient beings, develop great compassion, and attain the six superknowledges—those who wish to quickly enter the stage of a bodhisattva and attain the Buddha’s wisdom should first fully perfect the mindfulness-of-Buddha samadhi, the *Pratyutpanna Samadhi*, and the *Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Samadhi*. Among these, bodhisattvas should first learn the *Samadhi of Following One’s Own Will*. If this samadhi is accomplished, they attain the *Shurangama Samadhi*.
As for the *Samadhi of Following One’s Own Will*: first, with the eye of great compassion, observe sentient beings. Every step you take, whether lifting or placing your foot, should complete the six perfections. When a bodhisattva walks, first see all beings as your only child, yet also as illusory, like a shadow or like empty space—with no notion that they can be grasped. While lifting your body, think of it as light and empty. Observe the ground as you walk, as if treading on emptiness. Let your body be neither bent nor stiff. Walk straight, neither too slow nor too fast. Do not glance left or right, and do not turn your head to look. If you need to look, turn your whole body, like a king elephant gazing. With each step, watch over beings so as not to harm them. At that time, beings will feel great joy, their minds free from fear and terror. This is called the perfection of giving (*dāna pāramitā*), the gift of fearlessness.
**Question:** How is the perfection of giving understood? There are three kinds of giving: food and drink, wealth and treasures, and teaching the Dharma. Giving food extends life; giving clothing protects from cold and heat; giving medicine removes illness; giving Dharma teachings destroys wrong views, increases the life of wisdom, and leads to the fruits of the three vehicles. The giver, the receiver, and the gift are all empty—no self, no other, nothing to attain. This is the perfection of giving.
**Question:** When this bodhisattva walks, lifting and placing each foot, there is nothing to attain regarding beings. What benefit is there, that you say the six perfections are fulfilled?
**Answer:** Giving material things like wealth and food only increases the worldly life and body of ordinary beings. Medicines only cure minor external illnesses; they cannot remove beings’ fear of birth and death. When listening to the Dharma, sometimes the mind is mindful, sometimes not; sometimes it is defiled, sometimes undefiled—it is not always good. At that time, the giver may or may not have a sense of self-possession; it may or may not be a perfection. In the *Samadhi of Following One’s Own Will*, when the bodhisattva walks, using the body as light as empty space, like a shadow, a dream, or an illusion, and with the eye of great compassion observes beings—neither attached to the notion of beings nor to the notion of no-beings—at that time, beings see the bodhisattva’s dignified and upright appearance and think, “This person is compassionate and protects us.” They understand the bodhisattva’s intent, leave all fear, and, filled with great joy, give rise to the mind of enlightenment (*bodhicitta*). At that moment, the beings’ arising of bodhicitta is neither mindful nor unmindful, neither defiled nor undefiled. There is no attainment of self or no-self, and they instantly attain the wisdom of non-arising. How can you say this is not a perfection?
When the bodhisattva walks, beings are joyful and fearless because they are well-protected by the dignified conduct and suffer no harm. This is giving life to beings, yet there is no attainment of self, no attainment of beings, and no thought of dignified conduct. Because there is nothing to attain, is this not the perfection of giving? When beings see the bodhisattva’s dignified conduct, they understand the bodhisattva’s intent, release thoughts of enmity, attain the understanding of non-arising, dissolve emotional bonds, and settle in the bodhisattva’s mind. Is this not curing beings’ illnesses, increasing the life of wisdom? The life of wisdom is itself the perfection. The mind of enlightenment is the wisdom of exhaustion and the wisdom of non-arising. Because afflictions are exhausted, it is called the wisdom of exhaustion. Because the twelve links of dependent origination ultimately do not arise, it is called the wisdom of non-arising. This itself is the perfection of wisdom (*prajñā pāramitā*). How can you say it is not a perfection?
When the bodhisattva walks, benefiting beings with the gift of fearlessness is called the perfection of giving. Causing no harm to any being, free from notions of merit and sin, is called the perfection of ethical conduct (*śīla pāramitā*). When the bodhisattva walks, thoughts do not arise and the mind does not waver, with no abiding place. Because all things in the eighteen realms are unmoving, this is called the perfection of patience (*kṣānti pāramitā*), the fulfillment of endurance. When the bodhisattva walks, there is no mind that lifts or places the foot, no prior thought or later awareness, no arising or ceasing. In all things, there is no movement and no abiding. This is called the perfection of diligence (*vīrya pāramitā*). When the bodhisattva walks, there is no attainment of body or mind. In all things, there is no grasping, no attachment. There is no attainment of birth and death, no attainment of nirvāṇa, and no attainment of the middle way. In all things, there is no confusion and no indulgence, free from the notions of concentration and distraction. This is called the full perfection of meditation (*dhyāna pāramitā*), which gives rise to all superknowledges. When the bodhisattva walks, the six parts of the body (head, etc.) are like space, like a shadow, like a dream, like a mirage—without arising or ceasing, without permanence or annihilation, and without any middle ground. The three poisons, the four elements, the five aggregates, the twelve sense fields, the eighteen realms, and the twelve links of dependent origination are ultimately empty, with nothing to attain. Since there is no bondage, there is also no liberation. This is called the perfection of wisdom, the full endowment of wisdom. Therefore, in every dignified movement of the bodhisattva, lifting and placing each foot, each moment fully embodies the six perfections.
**Question:** Which scripture does this teaching come from?
**Answer:** It comes from the *Shurangama Sutra*. A being who merely hears the name of the *Shurangama Samadhi* gains more than those who attain the four meditations and four formless attainments.
**Question:** You just said that a newly aspiring bodhisattva who studies the *Samadhi of Following One’s Own Will* and perfects it attains what is called the *Shurangama Samadhi*. I do not yet understand the *Shurangama Samadhi*. How can a bodhisattva, in walking and moving, always remain in samadhi and fully perfect all the perfections? I only ask you to explain this for me.
**Answer:** Listen carefully, and think well upon this. I will briefly explain this principle for you. When the bodhisattva is about to walk, before lifting the foot, before a thought arises, first observe the mind before the arising of thought. At that time, there is no mental activity, and no mental factors. This is called mind-nature. This mind-nature has no arising or ceasing, no brightness or darkness, no emptiness or conventionality, no cessation or permanence, no form, and nothing to attain. This is called mind-nature. It is also called the intrinsically pure mind. This intrinsically pure mind is nirvāṇa. Not being able to realize it is birth and death. When deluded thoughts have not yet arisen, at that time there is ultimately no mind—this is called “beginningless.” Seeking the intrinsically pure, beginningless mind is ultimately empty and still. This is called “the ability to destroy beings.” Therefore, the Buddha said, “The emptiness of the beginningless destroys beings. The emptiness of the ultimate destroys all phenomena. The emptiness of the beginningless destroys the unarisen thought. The emptiness of the ultimate destroys the thought about to arise. The emptiness of the beginningless destroys beginningless ignorance. The emptiness of the ultimate destroys the ignorance that has a beginning.”
**Question:** You just said that “the emptiness of the beginningless destroys beings.” Since the emptiness of the beginningless is itself the emptiness of nature, if all phenomena are naturally empty, there is no combination. How can there be any “beings” to be destroyed?
**Answer:** This is merely a conventional designation, a combination of deluded inversions—not a real being. The real being is called mind-nature. Mind-nature has no birth and death and no liberation. All beings have received it since beginningless time. Therefore, when we examine the source of inversion, the beginningless is also empty. The emptiness of the beginningless is called the emptiness of nature. The emptiness of nature is the true being. The true being has no birth and death. If beings can understand this, it is the wisdom of non-arising. At that moment, birth and death are themselves nirvāṇa; there is no separate nirvāṇa apart from this. Therefore, the Buddha said, “Beings’ nirvāṇa has existed from the beginning; it is not newly obtained.” For this reason, when a newly aspiring bodhisattva is about to walk, he observes that the unarisen mind is ungraspable.
**Question:** If the unarisen mind ceases, the about-to-arise mind arises. If the unarisen mind does not cease, the about-to-arise mind arises.
**Answer:** If the unarisen mind has completely ceased, how does the about-to-arise mind arise from? If you say the unarisen mind has ceased, and then the about-to-arise mind arises, this is not correct. Why? If the unarisen mind has completely ceased, that is called complete extinction or death. If the unarisen mind is completely extinct and the about-to-arise mind arises by itself, then there are two separate minds, each unaware of the other. The mind cannot know itself, just as a finger cannot touch itself. This is the same. If you have a single mind, there is no before or after, and you fall into permanence. If you have two minds, with arising and ceasing being different, you fall into annihilation. The unarisen mind being permanent is not logical; its being annihilated is also not logical. The same applies to the about-to-arise mind.
Your earlier answer—that the unarisen mind ceases and then the about-to-arise mind arises—implies two minds. If there are two minds, there are two selves, which is a wrong view. Why? If there are two selves, then one being has two beings—this is the doctrine of outsiders. Two selves being sequential is also impossible; being simultaneous is also impossible; two selves combining into one is also impossible; one being able to become two is also impossible. All these are the doctrines of outsiders. Why? In the *Prajñā Sūtra*, it is said that all beings are ultimately not continuous, and all phenomena are not continuous. If mind and all phenomena are not continuous, how can there be a cessation of the former and arising of the latter? If the former ceases and the latter arises, they do not know each other. How then can one remember past lives and retain memories? If you know in a single moment, you should then forget everything, as each thing is separate. If the mind is permanent and unchanging, it also cannot know all phenomena. Why? Because there would be no cause and no effect. Permanence has no cause and effect. Annihilation also has no cause and effect. There would also be no merit or sin, no karmic retribution—just like tiles and stones. All these are the doctrines of outsiders.
Therefore, in the Buddhadharma, the mind-nature of beings is neither permanent nor annihilated, ultimately not continuous. There is no mind and no no-mind. If you say that the unarisen mind does not cease and the about-to-arise mind arises by itself, that is also not correct. Why? Because there is no mixture of permanence and annihilation. There is also no former permanence and later annihilation. If the unarisen mind does not cease and the about-to-arise mind does not arise—since there are not two permanent things existing together—this cannot be. If you say the former thought is not non-ceasing and the later thought is not non-arising, this also cannot be. Why? If you can attain non-ceasing, you can attain non-non-ceasing. Since there is no non-ceasing, there is no non-non-ceasing. If you can attain non-arising, you can attain non-non-arising. Since there is no non-arising, how can you see non-non-arising? The same applies to non-non-non-ceasing and non-non-non-arising. All are ungraspable. There is also no “this is ungraspable.”
When the bodhisattva observes that the unarisen mind cannot be attained, arising, ceasing, permanence, and annihilation all disappear, and there is no ignorance. He also does not attain the about-to-arise mind, so there are no mental formations. Therefore, ignorance and enlightenment are non-dual in nature. The wise realize this; ordinary beings see duality. Although ignorance and enlightenment are not two, they are also not one. Therefore, when the bodhisattva walks, lifting and placing each foot, the foot does not know itself; the foot does not know whether it is walking or not; the foot does not know whether it is touching the ground or not; the foot does not know whether it is following the path or not. The ground also has no thought: “This bodhisattva is walking on me” or “not walking on me.” Space also has no thought: “This bodhisattva is passing through me” or “not passing through me.” The bodhisattva does not know whether he is space or not-space. The bodhisattva’s mental factors ultimately do not arise, nor is there even the thought of non-arising. They are not inside, not outside, not in the middle, not anywhere else, and yet not absent. From morning until evening, as he travels the road, there is no thought of movement and no thought of non-movement. There is no path being traversed, yet he clearly knows the places he passes through. Although there is no “goer,” there is arrival. Although there is no “receiver,” there is result. It is like clouds in the sky—though without thought, they can rain. Though without a controller, they can spread everywhere. Seen from afar, they appear; examined closely, they vanish. Investigating this cloud, it has no place of origin. It causes beings to falsely see coming and going. When it emerges, it does not disperse; when it returns, it does not gather. It cannot arise by itself, nor does it arise from another. Mountains and rocks have no thought, “I can produce clouds or not.” The cloud also has no thought, “I come from the mountain” or “I do not come from the mountain.” Each does not know the other. So it is with all phenomena.
The body of a being is like a floating cloud. When it arises, it arises empty; when it ceases, it ceases empty. Though empty, beings can still perform good and evil and create karma. Like clouds that produce hail, harming the five grains and killing people and livestock, so too do beings. Though this body is empty, those who practice the ten evil deeds lose the rewards of human and heavenly existence and fall into the three lower realms—like hail damaging grain. Those who practice conditioned goodness lose the path of the three vehicles—like killing people and livestock. “People” refers to Buddhas; “livestock” refers to pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas. So it is with beings: though body and mind are empty, performing conditioned karma results in good and evil retributions, like rain and hail. Those who uphold moral precepts, cultivate blessings, meditation, the path factors in sequence, holy practices, wisdom, and superknowledges, and transform beings—these are like beneficial clouds. In the timely season, they bring sweet rain, making the five grains abundant, flowers and trees flourish, and people and animals happy. So it is with beings: though body and mind are empty, upholding pure precepts, cultivating meditation and path factors in sequence results in the secondary rewards of the three realms—the five precepts, ten good deeds, and conditioned meditations bring human and heavenly happiness—like the ripening of the five grains. Unconditioned meditations, holy path practices, wisdom, and superknowledges are like trees with abundant flowers and fruit. The great cloud of compassion and the rain of the Dharma of true reality rain upon the flowers of beings, each bringing forth real fruit. “Human” refers to the full equipment of the Buddha’s path. “Livestock” refers to pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas. The holy fruits of the three vehicles, divided into superior, medium, and inferior, are all obtained by upholding precepts, doing good, and cultivating meditation. Those who break precepts can never attain this.
Although all are empty, the results of karma are distinct. As the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* says, there are two kinds of fruit, similar in color and appearance. One is called the *kāraka* fruit; one who eats it dies. Another fruit is called the *cintāmaṇi* fruit; one who eats it lives long, gains strength, complexion, and extended lifespan. One who breaks precepts is like the *kāraka* fruit; one who upholds precepts is like the *cintāmaṇi* fruit. Although body and mind are empty, the retribution is not lost.
When the bodhisattva walks, body and mind are neither concentrated nor scattered, yet he can perceive all matters. The perceiver and the perceived are both ungraspable. There are no aggregates, elements, or sense fields. The hordes of demons and bands of thieves cannot enter. Therefore, this is called the *Shurangama Samadhi*. From the first arousal of the mind to the final attainment of Buddhahood, all holy practices are like the *Samadhi of Following One’s Own Will*. There is no first arousal of mind, and no fruit to be reached, yet cause and effect are not lost. Although cause and effect exist, there is no receiver. Although there is no receiver, the fruit does not decay. Although it does not decay, there is no location. Why? Because cause is empty—there is no doer; because fruit is empty—there is no notion. Cause and fruit are one and the same emptiness; there is no separate emptiness. Observing this emptiness of phenomena, there is no emptiness to attain—this is called the emptiness of emptiness. All is empty—this is called great emptiness. Not losing cause and effect is called the supreme emptiness of the middle way.
When the bodhisattva observes the conditioned actions of birth and death and the holy practices of the path, all are the supreme emptiness of the first principle. Therefore, the Buddha said, “The nature of beings is enlightenment; the nature of enlightenment is beings. Enlightenment and beings are not two. To know this is to be a World-Honored One.” When the bodhisattva walks, observing this body and mind and all dignified movements, there is no walking, no abiding, no sitting, no lying down, no rising, no standing, no coming,