爾時世尊 舒兜羅綿網相光手 開五輪指 誨勅阿難及諸大衆 我初成道 於鹿園中 爲阿若憍陳如等五人 轉四諦輪 乃至今日 說此楞嚴 大方廣義 亦復如是 此見及緣 并所想相 如虛空華 本無所有 此見妄想 無可指陳 如何汝等 遺失本妙 圓妙明心 寶明妙性 認悟中迷
ěr shí shì zūn shū dōu luó mián wǎng xiàng guāng shǒu kāi wǔ lún zhǐ huì chì ā nán jí zhū dà zhòng wǒ chū chéng dào yú lù yuán zhōng wèi ā ruò jiāo chén rú děng wǔ rén zhuǎn sì dì lún nǎi zhì jīn rì shuō cǐ léng yán dà fāng guǎng yì yì fù rú shì cǐ jiàn jí yuán bìng suǒ xiǎng xiàng rú xū kōng huā běn wú suǒ yǒu cǐ jiàn wàng xiǎng wú kě zhǐ chén rú hé rǔ děng yí shī běn miào yuán miào míng xīn bǎo míng miào xìng rèn wù zhōng mí
Key Message
It is not the eye that sees but the mind, and the nature of that mind is originally wondrous and luminous, beyond arising and ceasing.
▸Volume Three develops a deep inquiry into 'the nature of seeing' (見性).
Volume Three develops a deep inquiry into 'the nature of seeing' (見性). The Buddha explores what 'seeing' is and where it resides, revealing that the act of seeing itself is something originally wondrous (本妙) — fundamentally marvelous, distinct from discriminative thought and its objects. The central point of contention is: 'Does the eye see, or does the mind see?' The Buddha teaches that the eye itself is merely a sense organ, and what truly sees is the 'essence of seeing' (見精) — the substance of cognition. Furthermore, he demonstrates that this essence of seeing does not arise and cease, neither increases nor diminishes, and neither is born nor dies. Like a 'flower in empty space' (虛空華) — a flower seen in empty air — the 'seeing' we seek outside the mind has been non-existent from the very beginning, a mere illusion.