眠威儀臥品第四
Chapter 4: Posture of Sleep
昏夜寢息 當願眾生 休息諸行 心淨無穢
At dusk and night, when resting, May all beings Put all conditioned actions to rest And dwell with a pure, untainted mind.
身四威儀中 眠臥最安樂 菩薩涅槃臥
諸行皆寂莫
Among the Four Dignified Postures of the body, Sleeping and lying down are the most peaceful. When a Bodhisattva lies in the sleep of Nirvana, All conditioned states become still and silent.
新學菩薩安穩臥時。知一切法皆如臥相。寂不動搖。云何為安。不危者為安。夫安穩者。何者是也。不動不流名為安也。何法不動。何法不流。所謂眼對色生貪愛。必造諸行業。貪愛為動。行業為流。隨業受報天人六趣豈非流也。如大集經中佛告舍利弗。因眼見色生貪愛者。即是無明為愛造業。名之為行。至心專念名之為識。由識造業遍行諸趣。當觀此眼。識在何處。何者是根。誰能見色。色從何生。精非是眼。如清盲人眼精不壞根亦不破。如好眼人不能見色。生盲謝時即能見之。然此盲法初無生處。又無滅處。盲法不自知我是盲能遮於色。亦不作念不能遮色。眼不自知我色法盲來遮我。亦不作是念盲不遮我。各不相知。眼色亦爾。何者是眼。清自非眼。童人亦非眼。色亦非是眼。精及中淚亦非是眼。迬骨亦非是眼。若一一是眼。應有眾多眼。無多眼故。當知非一一是眼。若共成一眼。是義不然。無和合故。盲及眾緣一一皆空。無有集散。各無生滅。空明亦然。畢竟空寂。如是觀時無多無一。即無有眼。亦無名字。不斷不常。無諸陰界。無貪無愛亦無無明。都無相貌。如睡無夢都無所見。明與無明俱不可得。無行亦無識。亦復如是。亦無一切陰界諸入。是故維摩經言。所見色與盲等。一切諸法畢竟不動。不動者即是不流。如人臥時。一切事息都無思覺。諸法亦爾。是名安眠。不動曰安。不現曰隱。寂滅為眼。菩薩自覺。復以此法覺悟眾生增長慧命。是名眼義。法施檀波羅蜜。菩薩臥時。善惡欲界不可得故。亦以此法利益眾生。是名持戒尸波羅蜜。菩薩臥時。一切陰界不動搖故。自利及眾生。是名忍辱羼提波羅蜜。菩薩臥時。一切陰界無生住滅。自利及他。是名精進毗利耶波羅蜜。菩薩臥時。一切陰界無定亂故。能利眾生。是名定智禪波羅蜜。菩薩臥時。一切陰界入如虗空華。無決定相。能利一切法界眾生畢竟解脫。皆得菩提亦悉具足行住坐義。菩薩雖眠。應化普現無量法界。一切威儀。眾生感皆得稱機安穩而臥。同證涅槃。萬行休息。如人睡眠。是名菩薩眠義中般若波羅蜜。耳．鼻．舌．身．意亦復如是。同上三威儀不復更重廣說。
When a novice bodhisattva sleeps peacefully, they understand that all phenomena are like the nature of sleep itself—still, unmoving, and unshaken. What is peace? Not being in danger is peace. What is tranquility? Not moving and not flowing is tranquility. What is not moving? What is not flowing? When the eye encounters forms and gives rise to greed and attachment, it necessarily creates all kinds of karma. Greed and attachment are movement; karma is flow. Following karma and receiving its results in heavens, humans, or the six realms—isn't that flow?
As the Buddha told Shariputra in the *Great Collection Sutra*: When the eye sees forms and greed arises, that is ignorance, which creates karma through attachment—this is called action (karma-formation). Wholehearted focused mindfulness is called consciousness (vijñāna). Through consciousness, karma is made, leading to traversing all realms of rebirth. You should observe this eye: Where is consciousness located? What is the sense faculty? Who sees forms? Where do forms come from?
The eyeball itself is not the eye. For example, a person blind from birth has undamaged eyeballs and sense faculties, yet cannot see forms, unlike a person with good eyesight. But when blindness clears, they can see. Yet this blindness originally has no origin, no cessation. Blindness itself does not know "I am blindness that blocks forms," nor does it think "I cannot block forms." The eye does not know "my vision is blocked by blindness," nor does it think "blindness does not block me." They do not know each other. The same applies to the eye and forms.
What is the eye? The clear fluid is not the eye. The pupil is not the eye. Color is not the eye. The lens and tears are not the eye. The bony socket is not the eye. If each of these were the eye, there would be many eyes. Since there are not many eyes, you should know that none of these individually is the eye. If they formed one eye together, that would not be correct either, because there is no combination. Blindness, light, and all conditions are each empty; they have no unity or dispersion, no arising or ceasing. Emptiness and light are likewise. Ultimately, they are empty and still.
Contemplating thus, there is neither multiplicity nor unity—so there is no eye, no name. Neither continuous nor discontinuous, no aggregates or sense-bases, no greed or attachment, no ignorance. No characteristics at all. Like sleeping without dreams, with no seeing at all. Clarity and ignorance are both unobtainable. No action, no consciousness, likewise. No aggregates, sense-bases, or realms at all.
Therefore, the *Vimalakīrti Sutra* says: "What is seen of forms is like blindness." All phenomena are ultimately unmoving. "Unmoving" means not flowing. When a person sleeps, all activities cease, with no thought or awareness. Phenomena are likewise. This is called peaceful sleep. "Not moving" is peace. "Not appearing" is stillness. "Extinction" is the eye. The bodhisattva awakens to this, and further uses this teaching to awaken sentient beings, nurturing their wisdom life. This is the meaning of the eye, the perfection of generosity (*dāna pāramitā*) in giving the Dharma.
When a bodhisattva sleeps, the realms of desire and goodness are unobtainable. Using this teaching to benefit beings is the perfection of moral discipline (*śīla pāramitā*).
When a bodhisattva sleeps, all aggregates and sense-bases do not move or shake. Benefiting both self and others is the perfection of patience (*kṣānti pāramitā*).
When a bodhisattva sleeps, all aggregates and sense-bases have no arising, abiding, or ceasing. Benefiting self and others is the perfection of effort (*vīrya pāramitā*).
When a bodhisattva sleeps, all aggregates and sense-bases have no stillness or distraction. Able to benefit beings, this is the perfection of meditative concentration (*dhyāna pāramitā*).
When a bodhisattva sleeps, all aggregates, sense-bases, and realms are like flowers in the sky, with no fixed nature. Able to benefit all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, ultimately liberating them and leading them to enlightenment, fully embodying the meaning of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Though the bodhisattva sleeps, their responsive manifestations appear throughout countless Dharma-realms, in all postures. Sentient beings respond according to their needs, all attaining peaceful sleep and realizing nirvāṇa, with all practices resting, like a person sleeping. This is the meaning of the bodhisattva's sleep, the perfection of wisdom (*prajñā pāramitā*).
The same applies to the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. As with the three other postures described above, I will not elaborate further.