“一念清净心光即法身佛，一念无分别心光即报身佛，一念无差别心光即化身佛。法报化三身，本性全具，不用向外别求。”

“The pure light of mind in a   single thought is the Dharmakāya Buddha; the non-discriminating light of mind   in a single thought is the Sambhogakāya Buddha; the non-differentiating light   of mind in a single thought is the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha. These three bodies are   fully inherent in one's own nature—there is no need to seek them outside.”

所谓一念清净心光，就是当我们不生一念时什么念头都没有而了了分明非同木石的灵知。要有一个念头存在，就不清净。同样，有一个佛念，有一个念咒的心，都非清静。须当能念之心与所念之咒一时脱落，能所双亡时，方是一念清净心光，这就是法身。我们修法老是说明心见性，就是见这个本性。

The pure light of mind in a   single thought refers to the state in which not a single thought arises:   there are no thoughts whatsoever, yet clear, luminous knowing unlike   insentient wood or stone. If even one thought is present, the mind is not   pure. Likewise, the thought of a Buddha or a mind reciting a mantra is not   pure. Only when the reciting mind and the recited mantra fall away   together—when subject and object both fall away—is there the pure light of   mind in a single thought. This is Dharmakāya. What our practice calls   “awakening to the mind and seeing one's true nature” is precisely seeing this   true nature.

一念无分别心光，就是报身佛。一念无差别心光，那就是化身佛。这分别心光和差别心光，分别在哪里呢？分别、差别不是同样的意义吗？怎么无分别心光就是报身佛，无差别心光就是化身佛呢？

“The non-discriminating   light of mind in a single thought” is the Sambhogakāya Buddha. “The   non-differentiating light of mind in a single thought” is the Nirmāṇakāya   Buddha. But what is the distinction between “discrimination” and   “differentiation”? Do they not mean the same thing? Why, then, is the   non-discriminating light of mind the Sambhogakāya Buddha, while the   non-differentiating light of mind is the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha?

因为报身佛是光明身，一片光明，没有其他色相，更何有差别的相？所以说一念无分别心光是报身佛。

The Sambhogakāya is a body   of light, a single expanse of luminosity with no other colors or forms. How,   then, could it have differentiated features? Therefore, the   non-discriminating light of mind in a single thought is the Sambhogakāya   Buddha.

要证果地报身佛，须悲智双运、广度众生、积累功德才行。我们证到本性以后，大悲之心就油然而生了。我们觉悟了，晓得世界上的种种现象都是虚假不实的、幻化的，如水中月影一样不可得，而不去造业，超脱了苦轮。可众生不知道，业识茫茫地不断造业受报，出苦无由。大悲心不禁油然而生，发起大愿，广度众生。

To realize the Sambhogakāya   at the fruition stage, one must unite compassion and wisdom, liberate   sentient beings extensively, and accumulate merit and virtue. Once we realize   our true nature, great compassion arises spontaneously. Having awakened, we   understand that all the phenomena of the world are false, unreal, and   illusory—unattainable, like the moon's reflection in water. We therefore   cease creating karma and transcend the cycle of suffering. Sentient beings,   however, do not understand this. Adrift in karmic consciousness, they   continually create karma and undergo its consequences, with no way out of   suffering. Great compassion cannot help but arise, inspiring vast vows to   liberate sentient beings everywhere.

这个大悲是从大智生出来的，没有智慧生不出大悲心；没有大智也不能度众生。因为要度众生，须识众生的根基，方能对机说法，所以度生要智悲双运，不是懂得些理论即可成事的。功德圆满了，感得的报身是果德大光明的报身。

This great compassion arises   from great wisdom: without wisdom, great compassion cannot arise, and without   great wisdom one cannot liberate sentient beings. To guide beings, one must   discern their capacities and teach the Dharma accordingly. Liberating beings   therefore requires compassion and wisdom in joint operation; mere theoretical   knowledge is not enough. When merit and virtue are perfected, the resulting   body is the Sambhogakāya of great luminosity, the fruition of perfected merit   and virtue.

如善财童子见到弥勒佛（就是在我们要去的兜率内院，弥勒菩萨在那里），弥勒佛对善财童子讲：你根本智得到了（根本智就是证到的本性），但是差别智没有得到。差别智是后得智，即在度生的过程中，将尘沙惑与微细无明消尽所得的大智慧。能随众生不同的根基、习气，教以相应的佛法，度他出苦海。这个差别智你没有，还要在世界上磨炼，广度众生，方能圆满差别智。度生功德圆满，你就感得和我一样的报身了。我弥勒佛得到这个紫金身，就是广度众生，突然之间就生出来的呀！

For example, when Sudhana   met Maitreya Buddha (Maitreya Bodhisattva resides in the Inner Court of Tuṣita,   where we aspire to go), Maitreya told him: “You have attained fundamental   wisdom—that is, you have realized your true nature—but you have not yet   attained differentiated wisdom. Differentiated wisdom is subsequently   attained wisdom, or post-attainment wisdom. It is the great wisdom developed   while liberating sentient beings, as delusions as numerous as motes of dust   and subtle ignorance are completely exhausted. With it, you can teach a   suitable Dharma according to the differing capacities and habitual tendencies   of sentient beings and guide them out of the sea of suffering. You do not yet   have this differentiated wisdom. You must continue to train in the world and   liberate sentient beings extensively before it can be perfected. When the   merit and virtue of liberating beings are complete, you will attain a   Sambhogakāya like mine. This purple-gold body of mine arose from extensively   liberating sentient beings—it appeared all at once!”

任何人证到的报身都是光明身，所以它是无分别的。化身则不然，化身是有相的，有相则有差别。如男女老少、草木鱼虫、日月天地，都有差别。既有差别，为什么说一念无差别心光即化身佛呢？

Anyone who realizes the   Sambhogakāya realizes a body of light; it is therefore non-discriminating.   The Nirmāṇakāya is different. It has form, and wherever there is form, there   is differentiation: male and female, young and old, plants and animals, sun   and moon, heaven and earth—all are different. Since there is differentiation,   why is it said that the non-differentiating light of mind in a single thought   is the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha?

因为相虽有差别，而生起诸相的本体——法身是无差别的。一切众生都是佛，因为都有佛性；一切世界景象都是我们的佛性所成所显现的。无论什么好的境界或坏的境界，既然都是佛性所成所显现，那就平等无二了。故无论是我们五浊恶世，还是西方净土，都是平等无别的。

Although appearances differ,   the underlying reality from which all appearances arise—the Dharmakāya—is   without differentiation. All sentient beings are Buddhas because they all   possess Buddha-nature; all the phenomena of the world are formed and manifested   by our Buddha-nature. Whether an experience is good or bad, since all are   formed and manifested by Buddha-nature, they are equal and nondual. Thus,   this evil world of the five turbidities and the Western Pure Land are equal   and without distinction.

世间诸有俱由我们一念无差别心光所化，所以一切事物就是化身佛。差别者在相上是有不同的，但生起诸相的性体是平等的，故一念无差别心光是化身佛。

All conditioned existences   in the world are transformations of our non-differentiating light of mind in   a single thought; thus, everything is the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha. Appearances   differ, but the nature that gives rise to them is equal. Therefore, the   non-differentiating light of mind in a single thought is the Nirmāṇakāya   Buddha.

把这道理搞通了，就不致怀疑同一意义的无分别心光和无差别心光怎么既是报身又是化身了。

Once this principle is   understood, there is no reason to doubt how the similarly worded   non-discriminating and non-differentiating lights of mind correspond   respectively to the Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya.

我们认识了一念清净心光，毫不猜疑，就当下见性了。用不着到什么地方去找，它就在你自己面门上放光芒嘛！一念清净心光，就是根尘脱落，就是当我们修法时忽然能念之心与所持之咒一齐脱落，身心世界统统消融，但歇灭当中，不是断灭，而是了了分明的灵知显现。这灵知就是我们的本性，也就是法身、报身、化身。

Once we recognize the pure   light of mind in a single thought without the slightest doubt, we see our   true nature then and there. There is no need to look for it anywhere else—it   is shining right through your own face! The pure light of mind in a single thought   is precisely the falling away of the sense faculties and their objects: in   practice, the reciting mind and the mantra being recited suddenly fall away   together, and body, mind, and world all dissolve. Yet in the midst of this   complete cessation, there is no annihilation; clear, luminous knowing   manifests unmistakably. This clear, luminous knowing is our true nature—the   Dharmakāya, Sambhogakāya, and Nirmāṇakāya.

至于要真正证到千百亿化身，能分身十方世界，广度千百亿众生，像封神榜那样的变现，那就非证成圆觉大智不可。就是说最最微细的妄念，也除罄尽了才行。我们的妄心、妄念分粗的妄、细的妄、微细的妄、极微细的妄。极微细的叫微细流注，就像微细的水流，你看它不动，实际在运动！它下面动得太快太厉害，看起来反而不动了。把这个都截断了，不动了，那就能证到百千万亿个化身，度千百亿众生，起大妙用了。

To truly realize countless   Nirmāṇakāya manifestations, emanate bodies throughout the worlds of the ten   directions, and liberate innumerable sentient beings—with transformative   manifestations like those described in the Investiture of the Gods—one must realize the great wisdom of   Perfect Enlightenment. That means exhausting even the very subtlest delusive   thoughts. Our deluded mind and thoughts have coarse, subtle, very subtle, and   extremely subtle levels. The extremely subtle level is called the “Subtle   continuous stream.” Like an exceedingly fine current of water, it appears   still, but is actually moving! Its movement beneath the surface is so rapid   and intense that it seems motionless. Only when even this flow is severed and   brought to stillness can one realize countless Nirmāṇakāya manifestations,   liberate innumerable sentient beings, and bring forth great wondrous   functioning.

我们做功夫，就是要先断人我见，次断法我见。人我见，就是有人和我的区别。法我见，还有个法在。法我是什么呢？像罗汉，他们知道肉身、色身是不可得的，世界是虚幻的，要离苦得乐应离开这个世界。但他们于中又生了一个法我。他们以为有法可修，有生死可了，有涅槃可证。同时又以佛性的四大种性——地、水、火、风为我。

In our practice, we must   first eliminate the personal-self view and then the dharma-self view. The   personal-self view is the belief in a personal “I” set apart from other   persons. The dharma-self view is the belief that some dharma still exists.   What is this dharma-self? Arhats, for example, know that the physical and   material body cannot be grasped and that the world is illusory. They believe   that to leave suffering and find happiness they must leave this world. Yet   within this understanding they give rise to a dharma-self view. They believe   there is a Dharma to cultivate, birth and death to end, and nirvāṇa to   attain. At the same time, they take the four great elemental natures within   Buddha-nature—earth, water, fire, and wind—to be the self.

我们的佛性本有七大种性，就是地、水、火、风、空、根、识，七大种性中以地、水、火、风最为主要。世界是地、水、火、风组成的，我们的身体也是地、水、火、风组成的。

Our Buddha-nature inherently   contains seven great “elemental natures”, understood here as generative   seed-potentials: earth, water, fire, wind, space, the sense faculties, and   consciousness. Of these seven, earth, water, fire, and wind are primary. The   world is composed of earth, water, fire, and wind, and our bodies are   likewise composed of them.

他们修道发悟不执著肉身，改执佛性中元素——地、水、火、风为我，以为这是真的，而肉身子是假的。殊不知佛性中的地、水、火、风四大种性只是佛性的部分元素而非全体，如我人之有眼、耳、鼻、舌，非整个人体。今误认为我有个物在，故为法执，而不得究竟。

Having awakened through   cultivation, they no longer cling to the physical body but instead cling to   the elements within Buddha-nature—earth, water, fire, and wind—as the self,   believing these to be real while the physical body is false. They do not   realize that these four great elemental natures are only some of   Buddha-nature's elements, not its entirety, just as a person's eyes, ears,   nose, and tongue are not the whole body. Taking there to be some real entity   that constitutes the self is Dharma attachment and prevents ultimate   realization.

所谓种性者，乃“种子”能生义。譬如稻种种下去能生出稻子来，麦种能生出麦子一样。我们这个肉体既是四大种性生起的，世间的一切一切都离不开四大种性。罗汉和辟支佛经过佛法的洗炼，知道了由四大生起的色相都是假的，不可执取，但又误认四大种性为实我，殊不知一有住执，即非真实，何况四大种性乃佛性部分元素，并非全体。所以他们未真见性，被佛呵为焦芽败种。

The term “elemental nature”   (zhǒngxìng) is used here in the sense of a generative seed-potential. Just as   a rice seed can produce rice and a wheat seed can produce wheat, our physical   body arises from the four great elemental natures, and nothing in the world   is apart from them. Tempered by the Buddhadharma, Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas   understand that forms produced by the four great elements are false and   should not be grasped. Yet they mistakenly take the four great elemental   natures to be a real self. They do not realize that the moment one abides or   grasps, one has already departed from truth—not to mention that the four   great elemental natures are only some of Buddha-nature's elements, not its   entirety. Because they have not truly seen their nature, the Buddha rebuked   them as “scorched sprouts and rotten seeds.”

我们用功既不能假执四大为我，也不能住在佛性上。一有所住，便落窠臼，所以真成佛者，连个佛影也无。假如你说“我成佛了”，那你未成佛，是成魔了。因为你还有个立脚点，胸中还有一个物，未曾空尽。

In our practice, we must   neither mistakenly take the four great elements to be the self nor abide in   Buddha-nature. The moment there is abiding, one falls into a fixed rut. Thus,   one who truly becomes a Buddha leaves not even a trace of “Buddha.” If you say,   “I have become a Buddha,” then you have not become a Buddha—you have fallen   into the demonic instead. You still have a foothold and still hold something   in your breast that has not been completely emptied.

我们的法身和虚空一样，一丝不挂，一尘不染，既无时间相，亦无空间相。所以我们做功夫，须剿绝一切，绝对不能有丝毫住着。但要真做到人我消灭，须证到七地菩萨才行。

Our Dharmakāya is like empty   space: utterly bare, unstained by even a speck of dust, with neither the mark   of time nor the mark of space. Therefore, in practice, we must cut off every   form of grasping and not abide in anything at all. Yet to truly eliminate the   personal-self view, one must attain the seventh bodhisattva ground.

“不动地前才舍藏”（不动地就是第八地菩萨），“金刚道后异熟空”（金刚道是第十地菩萨），到十地菩萨之后，法我才能取消。不然，还住在法我上。所以，常说“百尺竿头住的人，虽然得入未为真。”就是坐在竿头上还有个立脚点在。所以要“百尺竿头更进步，十方世界现全身”。十方世界都是你的身，立脚点也拿掉，法我就取消了。到这地步后，你就是圆觉大智了，可化百千万亿化身。我们做功夫，就是这么做的。

As it is said, “Only upon   reaching the Immovable Ground (the eighth bhūmi) is the storehouse   consciousness relinquished; only after the Vajra Path (the tenth bhūmi) is   karmic ripening emptied.” Only after the tenth bodhisattva ground can the   dharma-self view be eliminated; otherwise, one still abides in a dharma-self.   Hence the saying, “One who rests atop a hundred-foot pole has gained entry,   but has not yet realized the truth.” Even at the top of the pole there is   still a foothold. Therefore, “Take one further step from the top of the   hundred-foot pole, and your whole body appears throughout the worlds of the   ten directions.” The worlds of the ten directions are all your body; when   even the foothold is removed, the dharma-self view is eliminated. At that point   you have the great wisdom of Perfect Enlightenment and can manifest countless   Nirmāṇakāya forms. This is how we practice.

你们总问：“我们到家还差多远哪？”往前看，路途遥远得很。你就想：“哎哟，不得了，还相差很远很远哪！”就难免失去信心了。向后看，比比过去，看到自己进步了，心就安稳多了。所以，佛很慈悲，他说：“你们众生的气魄不够，胆量小，现一个化城让你们住住，休息休息，没到佛这个地步，先到西方极乐世界去安安身，歇歇脚，或到兜率天也好。”

You are always asking, “How   far are we from home?” Looking ahead, the road seems very long. You think,   “Good heavens, we are still so very far away!” and inevitably lose   confidence. But when you look back, compare yourself with the past, and see   your progress, your mind becomes much steadier. Out of compassion, the Buddha   said, “You sentient beings lack boldness and courage; your resolve is too   small. I therefore manifest a provisional city where you can stay and rest   awhile. Before reaching buddhahood, first settle down and rest in the Western   Land of Ultimate Bliss, or in Tuṣita Heaven.”

但大心菩萨说：“我都不去！地狱不空，我誓不取佛位，我要度尽地狱众生。”地狱并不可怕，你们证到时就不怕了。上面说一念无差别心光，地狱、天宫一般同，有什么美好、丑恶、享乐、受苦的差别呢！？

But bodhisattvas of great   resolve say, “I will go to neither! Until the hells are empty, I vow not to   take the seat of buddhahood. I will liberate every sentient being in hell.”   Hell is not frightening; once you realize, you will no longer fear it. As stated   above, in the non-differentiating light of mind in a single thought, hell and   heavenly palaces are just the same. What difference is there between beauty   and ugliness, pleasure and pain?

那时我们师父在北京说法。有两个不是人的徒弟，一个是狐狸，一个是蟒蛇。狐狸先来的，后又介绍蟒蛇来，来时是现人相的。

At that time, our Master was   teaching the Dharma in Beijing. He had two disciples who were not human—one   was a fox and the other was a python. The fox arrived first, and later   introduced the python; when they came, they manifested in human form.

他们说：“我们都做好事，给人采药、治病，从不作恶，想学佛法，修成正果。”他们对师兄弟们讲：“你们得了人身，不好好用功，太可惜了。我们为了得到人身，就要修很长时间，才能现人身，才能修佛法。”

They said, “We do only good   deeds, gathering medicinal herbs and treating people's illnesses. We never do   evil. We wish to study the Buddhadharma and bring our cultivation to true   fruition.” They told their fellow disciples, “You have obtained human bodies,   yet you do not practice diligently—what a pity! We must cultivate for a very   long time merely to obtain a human form and become able to practice the   Buddhadharma.”

一天师父讲法，让他们坐到前面来，前面还有两个位子。他们说：“不好来啊！前面有天狐啊！（天上的狐狸）”他是地狐。后来，我们师父回南方来，他们送行，送到黄河边说：“我们不能过黄河，只能送到这里为止，不能再送了，请师珍重！”

One day, while our Master   was teaching the Dharma, he asked them to sit at the front, where two seats   remained. They replied, “We cannot go up there! There is a celestial fox in   front!” The fox disciple was an earth fox. Later, when our Master returned south,   they escorted him as far as the bank of the Yellow River and said, “We cannot   cross the Yellow River. We can see you off only this far and no farther.   Please take good care of yourself, Master!”

这事你们听来似很玄虚，犹如听《天方夜谭》，但确系事实。因为一切众生都有佛性，他们也能成道。你们不能因未看见，就怀疑没有。

This may sound mysterious,   like a tale from The Arabian Nights, but it is indeed true. All sentient   beings have Buddha-nature, and they too can realize the Way. You should not   doubt that such things exist merely because you have not seen them.

比如我们的法身，一些不修法的人因未看见，总说没有，但它是实有，大家经过如法勤修，亲自证得，就深信不疑。法身——佛性——确是真空妙有，具足万能的大宝藏，而且一切众生都具有，真实存在，而非虚无缥缈的。

Take our Dharmakāya as an   example. People who do not practice always say it does not exist because they   have never seen it; yet it truly does exist. Through proper and diligent   practice, once one directly realizes it, all doubt naturally disappears. The Dharmakāya—Buddha-nature—is   indeed true emptiness and wondrous presence, a great treasury endowed with   every capacity. It is present in every sentient being, truly existent rather   than vague or illusory.

讲到真空妙有，非但佛性如此，一切事物无不如此。例如一只杯子，它的体性是空的，因杯子无本体（不是本自有的），如玻璃杯，是用玻璃制成的，而玻璃也无本体，是矿藏开发出来的，矿藏是经过多少世纪地质变迁与气温压力等变化而成的，所以都无本体，犹如佛性无相可见，故名真空；

Speaking of true emptiness   and wondrous presence, this principle applies not only to Buddha-nature but   to all things without exception. Take a simple cup as an example: its true   nature is empty, for it has no inherent, independent existence. A glass cup is   made from glass, yet glass itself has no intrinsic essence—it comes from   minerals formed over countless centuries through geological shifts and   changes in temperature and pressure. Thus, nothing possesses a fixed   self-nature, just as Buddha-nature has no form that can be grasped—hence it   is called “true emptiness.”

但一切事物，本体虽无，而假相不无，能尽其用，如佛性妙用无边，故名妙有。上面说过，一切事物皆佛性所化所成，佛性是真空妙有，一切事物当然也是真空妙有了。

Yet although things lack   inherent substance, their provisional appearances are not nonexistent—they   function and serve their purposes fully. This is like the boundless   functioning of Buddha-nature, and is therefore called “wondrous presence.” As   explained earlier, all things arise from and are manifestations of   Buddha-nature. Since Buddha-nature is both true emptiness and wondrous   presence, all phenomena share this same nature.

或有人问：为什么地、水、火、风四大构成的人有情感，而四大合成的事物无有感情呢？答曰：如果一口气不来，这肉体还有情感吗？可见情感不在肉体上，而在灵性上。人们之所以有人体、物体之别者，因凡夫的心量不广，只抟取少分四大，钻在肉壳子里以为我，而不能广遍一切物，故造成有情无情之别。

Some may ask: if both living   beings and inanimate objects are composed of the four elements—earth, water,   fire, and wind—why do humans have feelings while objects do not? The answer   is this: if a single breath does not return, does the body still have feelings?   Clearly, feeling does not reside in the physical body but in the animating   awareness. The distinction between sentient beings and insentient objects   arises because ordinary people have limited mind-capacity. They identify with   only a small portion of the four elements, confine themselves within a   physical shell, and take this to be the self. Unable to pervade all things,   they create the distinction between sentient and insentient.

其实，当一个人断气时，这肉体岂不也和木头、石块一样，哪里有什么知觉、情感！岂不也是无情之物？我们做功夫，做到身心、世界化空，证到尽虚空、遍法界广大无边的真性时，即能遍一切物，而无有情、无情之别了。如“生公说法，顽石点首”，即是明证。

In truth, when a person   stops breathing, the body is no different from wood or stone—where then are   awareness and feeling? Is it not also an insentient thing? In practice, when   body, mind, and world dissolve into emptiness and one realizes the boundless true   nature that fills all space and pervades the Dharma realm, one can pervade   all things, and there is no longer any distinction between sentient and   insentient. The story of “Master Daosheng expounding the Dharma, whereupon   even the stones nodded” is clear proof.

所以说日月星辰、草木丛林、森罗万象无一不是我们的化身。劝大家赶快做功夫，勿要放逸贪玩，粘着声色货利，而置此大宝藏于不顾，辜负了自己，白白到世界上来走一遭，如入宝山空手而回，未免太可惜，太不值得，太冤枉了，望大家珍重！

Thus, the sun, moon, stars,   plants and forests, and all phenomena are none other than manifestations of   our own nature. I urge you all to practice diligently—do not become careless,   indulging in sensory pleasures and worldly gain while neglecting this great   treasure within. Otherwise, one passes through life in vain, like entering a   mountain of jewels and returning empty-handed. How regrettable, how unworthy,   how deeply lamentable! Please take this to heart.

1990年11月12日讲于杭州

Delivered in Hangzhou,   November 12, 1990

2026年8月翻译

August 2026 Translation