Sutra on the Divination of the Karmic Retributions of Good and Evil Actions (Volume II)

Original text:学唯心识观者，所谓于一切时一切处，随身口意有所作业，悉当观察，知唯是心。乃至一切境界，若心住念，皆当察知，勿令使心无记攀缘，不自觉知。于念念间，悉应观察，随心有所缘念，还当使心随逐彼念，令心自知。

Explanation: Those who cultivate the contemplation that all dharmas are mind-only should practice in this way: at all times and in all places, all the mental actions created by one's body, speech, and mind must all be observed clearly, knowing that bodily, verbal, and mental actions are only a mind, with nothing else besides. Even when encountering all kinds of sense objects, if the mind consciousness grasps at them, dwells on them, attaches to objects, or takes objects as real, one should detect and know this; do not let the mind consciousness grasp at objects and fall into the indeterminate (avyākṛta) state, unaware that it has already dwelt on objects and lost its mind. Between thought after thought, one should observe: if there arise thoughts in the mind consciousness that grasp at objects, one should observe where the thought arises, letting oneself know what one's own thoughts are, and then gather and guard the mind, not letting it race off and scatter. This requires employing the mind consciousness's power of introspection, power of awareness, and power of detection, frequently contemplating and holding watch over one's own mind.

Original text:知己内心自生想念，非一切境界有念有分别也。所谓内心自生长短好恶、是非得失、衰利有无等见，无量诸想。而一切境界，未曾有想，起于分别。当知一切境界自无分别想故，即自非长非短、非好非恶，乃至非有非无，离一切相，如是观察，一切法唯心想生。若使离心，则无一法一相而能自见有差别也。当应如是守记内心，知唯妄念，无实境界，勿令休废，是名修学唯心识观。若心无记，不知自心念者，即谓有前境界，不名唯心识观。

Explanation: At this time one should know that one's own mind has automatically given rise to thoughts and conceptions; it is not that all sense objects themselves have thoughts and discriminations. Within the mind, upon encountering conditions, views such as long and short, good and bad, right and wrong, gain and loss, decline and benefit, existence and non-existence automatically arise—there are countless thoughts and opinions. Yet all sense objects themselves have no conceptions with which to discriminate. Therefore one should know that because all sense objects themselves have no discriminating thoughts, the objects themselves are neither long nor short, neither good nor bad, and even neither existent nor non-existent; they are free of all marks. After observing in this way, one knows that all dharmas arise from mental thinking. If one departs from mental thinking, then there is not a single dharma or single mark that can by itself be seen to have any differences. One should guard and remember the mind in this way, knowing that there are only deluded thoughts and no real sense objects, and not let the practice fall by the wayside. This is called cultivating the contemplation of mind-only consciousness. If the mind is in an indeterminate, unawakened state, lacking the power of awareness and illumination, not knowing what one's own thoughts are, then there are objects of past sense-fields present in the mind, and this is not called the contemplation of mind-only consciousness.

Original text:又守记内心者，则知贪想、嗔想及愚痴邪见想；知善，知不善，知无记，知心劳虑种种诸苦。若于坐时，随心所缘，念念观知唯心生灭。譬如水流灯焰，无暂时住。从是当得色寂三昧。

Explanation: Furthermore, one who guards and observes the mind should be aware of the greedy thoughts, hateful thoughts, and deluded wrong-view thoughts within one's own mind; should be able to perceive whether one is wholesome, unwholesome, or in the indeterminate state that is neither; and should be able to perceive the various afflictions of mental toil and worry. If, while sitting in meditation, one follows the mind's grasping and observes thought after thought, one will see that each thought is only the mark of the mind's arising and ceasing. It is like the flowing of water or the flame of a lamp, which never abide even for a moment. From this, one will attain the samādhi of the quiescence of material form.

Original text:得此三昧已，次应学习信奢摩他观心，及信毗婆舍那观心。习信奢摩他观心者，思惟内心不可见相，圆满不动，无来无去，本性不生，离分别故。习信毗婆舍那观心者，想见内外色，随心生，随心灭；乃至习想见佛色身，亦复如是，随心生，随心灭，如幻如化，如水中月，如镜中像。非心，不离心；非来，非不来；非去，非不去；非生，非不生；非作，非不作。善男子！若能习信此二观心者，速得趣会一乘之道。当知如是唯心识观，名为最上智慧之门，所谓能令其心猛利，长信解力，疾入空义，得发无上大菩提心故。

Explanation: After attaining this samādhi, one should next cultivate faith in the contemplation of the mind through śamatha, as well as faith in the contemplation of the mind through vipaśyanā. Those cultivating faith in the contemplation of the mind through śamatha should contemplate the unseeable aspect within the mind—perfect and unmoving, neither coming nor going, its nature unborn, because it is free of all discrimination.

Those cultivating faith in the contemplation of the mind through vipaśyanā: if they wish to see all material form, internal and external, all material form will arise following their thoughts and cease following their thoughts. Even wishing to see the Buddha's golden body can be accomplished; the Buddha's golden body arises following thought and ceases following thought, like an illusion or a conjuration, like the moon in water, like an image in a mirror. It is not the mind, yet it does not depart from the mind; it does not come, yet it does not fail to come; it does not go, yet it does not fail to go; it is not born, yet it is not unborn; it is not made, yet it is not unmade. Good son! If one can cultivate faith in these two contemplations of the mind, one will quickly draw near to the path of the One Vehicle. One should know that this contemplation of mind-only consciousness is called the gate of supreme wisdom, because it can make one's mind vigorous and keen, grow the power of faith and understanding, swiftly enter the meaning that all dharmas are emptiness (śūnyatā), and enable one to bring forth the unsurpassed great bodhi mind.