第151集 — 常寂光就是實相

六祖惠能大師：「何期自性，能生萬法」，也不能執著為有。這是「離四句，絕百非」，四句就是有、無、非有、非無，這根本四句，延伸出百非。

The Sixth Patriarch, Great Master Hui Neng proclaimed, “Who would have thought that the true nature can produce myriads of phenomena!” -- we cannot be attached to the existence of the true nature (i.e., the reality) too. This is called “renouncing the four lemmas (i.e., tetralemma) and cutting off the hundred negations.” The tetralemma are existence, non-existence, neither existence nor non-existence, which are extended to the hundred negations.

「非思量分別之所能解」，思量是第七識，分別是第六識，六識、七識緣不到，不能說它有，也不能說它沒有。它是什麼樣子？「靈明洞徹，湛寂常恆」。

“The true nature is beyond one’s comprehension by means of consideration and discrimination” -- ‘consideration’ is the seventh consciousness (Manas), while ‘discrimination’ is the sixth consciousness. The true nature cannot be apprehended by these two consciousnesses; we can neither say that the true nature exists, nor can we say that it does not exist. How does it look like? It is “sharp, bright, all-knowing, and ever clear and tranquil.”

靈是說這個人頭腦清楚、敏捷，反應非常快；明是智慧，充滿了智慧，對一切事物洞徹，看得清楚、聽得清楚，六根在六塵境界上清楚明瞭。雖然清楚明瞭，它湛寂，像水一樣乾乾淨淨，一塵不染，就是六祖所說的本自清淨、本不生滅。

‘Sharp’ means this person is clear-sighted and agile. ‘Bright’ denotes full of wisdom, which means that he can see and listen to everything very clearly when his six-sense organs are in contact with the external six objects of the senses. Despite seeing and hearing everything clearly, it is clear and tranquil. It is as clean and pure as water without the slightest pollution (i.e., defilement). As the Sixth Patriarch, Great Master Hui Neng said, “Who would have thought that the true nature is originally pure and neither arises nor ceases!”

常恆是不生不滅，湛寂是本自清淨，靈明洞徹是自性裡面本具的般若智慧。「孤明歷歷」，孤是只有自性，自性覺，萬法都是迷而不覺，唯有自性覺而不迷，歷歷是形容明的樣子。「炳赫虛空」，炳是火燃燒得猛烈，跟虛空同體，範圍多大？虛空有多大它就有多大。

‘Ever’ is neither arising nor ceasing, while ‘clear and tranquil’ means it is originally pure. ‘Sharp, bright and all-knowing’ are the prajñā wisdom innate to the true nature. “The one and only one which is bright” -- ‘one and only one’ means only the true nature is enlightened and undeluded, while everything else is deluded and unenlightened. “The empty space is luminous” -- ‘luminous’ implies the fire burning so fiercely that it becomes one with the empty space. How vast is its scope? It is as vast as the empty space.

遍法界虛空界都在佛光之中，這是講光明，在淨宗叫常寂光，孤明歷歷、炳赫虛空就是常寂光。底下都是形容，「靈光獨耀，迥脫根塵」，迥是遠，遠遠的擺脫掉根塵（六根六塵），一片光明，就是淨土講的常寂光淨土。常寂光就是自性，常寂光就是實相。

As far as the light is concerned, everywhere throughout the empty space of the Dharma realms is in the buddhas’ light. In Pure Land Buddhism, it is called ‘eternally tranquil light.’ ‘The one and only one which is bright’ as well as ‘the empty space is luminous’ refer to the eternally tranquil light. Below is a description of the light: with lights of inconceivable brightness, one has far rid oneself of the six senses and the external six objects. ‘Lights of inconceivable brightness’ is the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light in Pure Land Buddhism. Eternally tranquil light is the true nature (i.e., the reality).