🍃

CH 9 - SINGLE CHARACTERISTIC DHARMA DOOR 一相法門

文殊師利白佛言:「世尊!一切諸法皆悉如幻。何以故?譬如幻師幻為隱現,諸法生滅亦復如是。而此生滅即無生滅,以無生滅是則平等。菩薩修此平等,便能證得無上菩提。」

Mañjuśrī addressed the Buddha saying, “World-Honored One! Each and all dharmas are completely, totally illusory. How so? Just like an illusionist makes illusions appear, the arising and ceasing of all dharmas is also like this. Their arising and ceasing, then, is without arising or ceasing, and since there is no arising or ceasing, there is equanimity. Bodhisattvas cultivating this equanimity are then able to realize attainment of unsurpassable bodhi.”

智上菩薩白文殊師利言:「於此菩提云何證得?」

Superior Wisdom Bodhisattva addressed Mañjuśrī saying, “How does one realize attainment of this bodhi?

文殊師利言:「此菩提者非是可得,亦非可壞、非可住著。」

Mañjuśrī said, “This bodhi is not some thing that can be attained, and is also not something that can be destroyed, nor can it be abided [in] or grasped.”

智上白言:「而此菩提非以住得、非不住得。何以故?以彼法性本來無生,非曾有、非當有、亦非可壞,是故無得。」

Superior Wisdom Bodhisattva said, “Then this bodhi is neither existent nor is it not non-existent. How so? Due to thats Dharma nature, there is originally no arising of it, nor a not yet of it, nor was it, and neither is it able to be destroyed, for this reason it is unattainable.”

文殊師利謂智上等諸菩薩曰:「云何名為說一相法門?」

Mañjuśrī inquired of Superior Wisdom and the other bodhisattvas saying, “What is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door (Ekalakṣaṇa Dharma-paryāya)?

彌勒菩薩曰:「若有不見蘊界處,亦非不見,無所分別,亦不見集散,是名說一相法門。」

Maitreya Bodhisattva said, “If there is no seeing a location of the aggregates, and also no not seeing; without any differentiating, and also not seeing accumulation or dispersal, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

師子勇猛雷音菩薩曰:「若不作種種分別,此是凡夫法、此是二乘法,此則不違法性,入於一相所謂無相,是名說一相法門。」

Lion Courage Thunderous Voice Bodhisattva said, “If there is no making any kind of differentiation, then it is ordinary dharma, it is dharma of the two vehicles; it does not go against that nature of dharma and enters the single characteristic, which is being without any characteristics, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

樂見菩薩曰:「若有修真如行,而亦不作真如之想,於此甚深無所分別,是名說一相法門。」

Priyadarśana (Joyful Sight) Bodhisattva said, “If there is cultivating the practice of True Suchness, yet also without creating the perception of True Suchness and, within that profundity, there is nothing to be differentiated, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

無礙辯菩薩曰:「若能究竟盡於諸法,亦以此法為他演說,是名說一相法門。」

Unhindered Erudition (Pratisaṃvin?) Bodhisattva said, “If one is able to be completely extinguished of all dharmas, and also explains this Dharma to others, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

善思菩薩曰:「若以思議入不思議,此不思議亦不可得,是名說一相法門。」

Excellent Contemplation Bodhisattva said, “If one enters the Inconceivable by way of the conceivable, this Inconceivable also unattainable, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

妙離塵菩薩曰:「若有不染一切相,亦非染非不染,無違無順亦無迷惑,非一非二亦非種種,不取不捨,是名說一相法門。」

Wonderfully Free of Dust (Viraja) Bodhisattva said, “If all untainted characteristics are also neither tainted nor untainted, without attraction or aversion, and also without confusion, neither singular nor dual, and also not varietal, without grasping and without without releasing, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

娑竭羅菩薩曰:「若有能入如海難入甚深之法,而於此法亦不分別,雖為他說而無說想,是名說一相法門。」

Sāgara Bodhisattva said, “If one is able to enter the extremely profound Dharma, difficult to enter, like the ocean, and not differentiate this Dharma, explaining it to others yet without speech or concepts, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

月上菩薩曰:「若於一切眾生心行平等,猶如滿月,無眾生想,是名說一相法門。」

Candrottarā (Atop the Moon) Bodhisattva said, “If one practices equanimity toward the minds of all sentient beings, like a full moon, without perceiving sentient beings, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

離憂闇菩薩曰:「云何拔眾生憂箭?謂我我所是彼憂根。若能住我我所平等,是名說一相法門。」

Free of the Darkness of Sorrow Bodhisattva said, “How are the arrows of sorrow of sentient beings pulled out? I and mine are the root of sorrow. If one is able to abide in the equanimity of I and mine, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

無所緣菩薩曰:「若不攀緣欲界色界無色界、聲聞法緣覺法及諸佛法,是名說一相法門。」

Unconditional Bodhisattva said, “If there is no ‘climbing the conditions’ of the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm, the Dharma of voice hearers, the Dharma of the solitary enlightened, even all Buddha Dharma, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

普見菩薩曰:「若說法時應說平等法,謂空法平等,亦無空想及平等想,是名說一相法門。」

Universal Sight (Avalokanam) Bodhisattva said, “If, when explaining the Dharma, the Dharma of equanimity is explained as the equanimity of the Dharma of Emptiness, without the perception of emptiness and without the perception of equanimity, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

淨三輪菩薩曰:「若說法時應淨三輪,謂所為眾生我不可得,亦不分別自為法師,於所說法而無住著,如是說法是名說一相法門。」

Pure Triple Mandala (Trimaṇḍalaviśuddhi) Bodhisattva, “If, when explaining the Dharma, the three wheels are pure, which is that a self cannot be attained in sentient beings, and that there is no differentiation between self and teacher in regard to the Dharma being explained, and therefore there is no dharma to grasp on to, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

成就行菩薩曰:「若有能說於一切法修平等行,所知如實非文字說,以一切法離言說故,是名說一相法門。」

Developing Practice Bodhisattva said, “If one is able to explain the knowledge of True Suchness that is without writing or explanation through the practice of the cultivation of equanimity toward all phenomena (dharma) since all phenomena are beyond words and speech, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

深行菩薩曰:「若有能說了達一切甚深之法,亦不見彼能說所說及與所為,是名說一相法門。」

Profound Practice Bodhisattva said, “If one is able to explain the comprehension of the extreme profundity of the Dharma, and also not see the explainer, the explanation or anyone being explained to, this is called explaining the Single Characteristic Dharma Door.”

如是無量諸菩薩等,各以辯才演說一相法門。說此法門時,三十七億菩薩得無生法忍,八萬四千那由他百千眾生發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心,七千比丘不受諸法盡諸有漏心得解脫,九十六那由他諸天及人於諸法中得法眼淨。

Like this, immeasurable numbers of bodhisattvas each gave their explanation of the Single Characteristic Dharma Door. When this Dharma Door was explained, thirty-seven million bodhisattvas attained the patient tolerance of the birthlessness of all dharmas, eighty-four thousand nayutas of hundreds of thousands of sentient beings generated anuttarā-saṃyak-saṃbodhi-citta, seven thousand bhikṣus attained liberation from outflows of the mind that had not been extinguished, and ninety-six nayutas of gods and humans attainted purified Dharma Eyes regarding all dharmas.”