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佛陀作了結論：「皺者和凋萎者，受生滅。不皺者和不衰老者，元無生滅。色身會衰老，最後終歸死亡，但是見性是不會衰老的。所以，當色身死了以後，我們本具的自性還是完好無損的。」
波斯匿王聽了這些話後，產生了信心，知道這個色身的生命，終了的時候，還會有重生。
見無倒
敘前
本文現已進入了楞嚴法會，而且目睹了許多事件。如來敕文殊師利菩薩將〈楞嚴咒〉往護阿難尊者，把阿難從極危急的境遇中救護出來。阿難帶著慚愧之心回來見佛，向佛求懺悔，並且請佛開示。在佛陀與阿難繁長的對話中，佛闡明了識心是假，吾人卻認以為真，其實識心並無定所，亦無實體。最後，佛對阿難大吼：「那並不是你的真心！」接著，佛陀慈悲地從面門放光，希望阿難能頓悟真心。
阿難見光起了敬畏之心，可並沒有悟人。接著阿難懇求佛陀哀愍窮露，發妙明心，開其道眼。如來應阿難之請，即時從胸涌出寶光，阿難仍然沒有醒悟過來，於是佛陀應允作進一步的說明。
佛陀首先示阿難以光明拳，為阿難顯示見即是妙明真心，以及六根門頭靈敏的見聞覺知即是妙明真心。接者佛陀與阿若憍如的對話，闡明了動與止的道理，喻為旅舍的行客與主人，及在虛空中飛揚的塵埃。於是佛陀飛光至阿難左右，審驗阿難的眼睛見光，以及佛陀的輪掌放光，這兩者都是動的；我們靈敏的見覺知──妙明真心，是超越動與止兩邊的。
阿難當前的疑惑
最後，我們還親睹佛陀及波斯匿王對於斷見的教義作了很長的討論。佛陀駁斥了斷見，並為我們說明了人死後真心並未消滅。這最後的討論，令阿難存疑。於是阿難即從座起，禮佛胡跪，合掌而白佛言：「世尊。若此見聞必不生滅。云何世尊名我等輩。遺失真性。顛倒行事。」還記得佛陀曾利用眼根及見性來教導我們，真如本性─真心─可以在六根門頭上顯現出來。
阿難的疑情是：假如真心不受生滅所限制，正如同佛剛剛為波斯匿王解釋的，云何世尊言我等輩遺失真性？假如真心從來不滅的話，那怎麼說遺失呢？如果我們不曾遺失真心的話，為何佛又說吾等顛倒行事？
佛陀垂手驗倒
佛陀以示範何者為正，何者為倒，來回答阿難問題中的第一部分。示範如下：
「即時如來。垂金色臂。輪手下指。示阿難言。言汝今見我母陀羅手。為正為倒。」
「阿難言。若世間人。以此為倒。而我不知。誰正誰倒。」
「佛告阿難。若世間人。以此為倒。即世間人。將何為正。」
「阿難言。如來豎臂。兜羅綿手。上指於空。則名為正。」
→待續
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From last Issue: An explanation of eternalism and annihilationism.
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The Buddha concludes, “What wrinkles and withers is subject
to birth and death. What does not age is not subject to birth and death." The
physical body will age and eventually die, but your seeing doesn't "get old."
So, too, when the physical body dies, our inherent nature is still intact. The
King heard these words, believed them, and realized that when the life of the
body is finished, there will be rebirth.
THE TRUE MIND IS NOT LOST
What's Already Happened
In this series of articles, we have already stepped inside the Shurangama Assembly and witnessed many events: Shakyamuni Buddha's rescue of the Venerable Ananda from a dangerous situation by sending Manjushri Bodhisattva to recite the Shurangama Mantra; Ananda's shame and remorse when he comes before the Buddha and his subsequent repentance and request for instruction; the long dialogue between the Buddha and Ananda about how the mind-consciousness is false. The Buddha showed Ananda that the false consciousness—what we mistakenly recognize to be our true mind—lacks any location, lacks any substance, and is emphatically not the true mind. After finally having to shout at Ananda, "Hey! That's not your mind!" the Budha then compassionately emitted light from his face, hoping to bring Ananda to an immediate awakening and recognition of his true mind. Ananda was awed by the light, but failed to awaken. After being given further instruction, Ananda then pleaded with the Buddha to "reveal the wonderfully bright mind and open my Way-eye." Again, the Buddha responded by emitting a brilliant light from his chest, and again Ananda didn't wake up. So the Buddha promised to explain further.
Then the Buddha showed light from his fist in order to help Ananda understand that the seeing—and the efficacious perception at each of the sense organs—is itself the true mind. Next the Buddha carried on a conversation with the Venerable Ajnatakaundinya about the principle of movement and stillness exemplified in a guest and the host of an inn and in dust dancing in space. Then the Buddha darted rays of light to Ananda's left and right to verify that although Ananda's eyes, which saw the light, and the Buddha's palm, which emitted the light, both moved, the efficacious perception—the true mind—is beyond such duality as movement and stillness.
Ananda's Current Doubt
Finally, we have just witnessed a long dialogue between the Buddha and King Prasenajit in which the doctrine of annihilationism was refuted and we were shown that the true mind does not cease to exist at death. This last discussion left Ananda with a doubt and so he now stands, bows, kneels, places his palms together, and expresses his doubt to the Buddha: "World Honored One, if the seeing, hearing, and so forth definitely are not produced and extinguished, then why does the World Honored One say of us that we have lost our true nature and conduct ourselves in upside-down ways?" Remember that the Buddha has been teaching us through the example of the eyes and seeing that the true nature—the true mind—is evident at the gates of the six sense organs.
Ananda's doubt is this: if the true mind isn't subject to birth and cessation, as the Buddha has just explained to the King, then why does the Buddha tell us our true mind is lost? How can it be lost if it never ceases to be? And if we are in possession of it, why does the Buddha say we are upside-down?
To Talk About 'Upside-down the Buddha Gives a Demonstration
The Buddha answers Ananda's two-part question by first giving a demonstration to clarify what is meant by upright and what is meant by upside-down. Let's witness the demonstration firsthand.
• The Thus Come One lowered his golden arm with the fingers of his wheel-mark hand pointing down and said to Ananda, "When you now look at my mudra hand, it is upright or upside-down?"
• Ananda said, "Beings in the world would say it's upside-down, but I'm not sure which is upright and which is upside-down."
• The Buddha said to Ananda, "If worldly people take this to be upside-down, what do worldly people take to be upright?"
• Ananda replied, "When the Thus Come One extends his arm upward so that the fingers of his tula-cotton-like
hand point toward the sky, that is called 'upright.’”
→To be continued
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