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Way of Bodhi
Wishing Prayer for the Attainment of the Ultimate Mahamudra
Madhyamaka, Cittamātra, and the true intent of Maitreya and Asaṅga
Translator (Soh)'s Commentary: The Treatise on No-Mind (Wúxīn Lùn)
Textual Note
The Treatise on No-Mind (Wúxīn Lùn; 無心論) is preserved among the Dunhuang manuscripts (e.g., Stein no. 5619) and is included in the Taishō Canon (Vol. 85, No. 2831). While traditionally attributed to Bodhidharma, modern scholarship treats the authorship as uncertain, suggesting it may be a product of the early Chan period (approx. 8th century). It represents a critical synthesis of Madhyamaka dialectics and early Chan "True Mind" terminology.
The Trap of the Knower (Negating the Subject)
The central theme of this text is the radical negation of the reified subject. A common trap for practitioners—and a frequent point of confusion in Western interpretations of Chan—is to mistake the negation of thoughts for the affirmation of a "Universal Knower" or "Witness Consciousness" (similar to the Atman of Advaita).
In that view, one peels away thoughts to arrive at a "True Self" that stands apart as the silent witness. However, this text explicitly rejects that duality. When the disciple asks, "Who knows there is no mind?" the text does not reply, "The True Self knows." It replies, "It is still No-mind that is able to know."
This implies the total collapse of the "Knower" as an entity. The text states:
"To enable your awakening to the Truth: Even if there is seeing, seeing all day long is essentially non-seeing; seeing is also No-mind. Hearing all day long is essentially non-hearing; hearing is also No-mind. Sensing all day long is essentially non-sensing; sensing is also No-mind. Cognizing all day long is essentially non-cognizing; cognizing is also No-mind. Functioning all day long, functioning is essentially non-functioning; functioning is also No-mind. Thus it is said: seeing, hearing, sensing, and cognizing are entirely No-mind."
This passage points to the realization that there is no "See-er" standing behind the seeing, nor even a reified field of "seeing" established apart from the seen. This insight corresponds directly to the Two Stanzas of Anatta often discussed in Awakening to Reality:
Stanza 2: In thinking, just thoughts. In hearing, just sounds. In seeing, just forms, shapes and colors.
Bodhidharma's assertion that "seeing is essentially non-seeing" (見由為無見) parallels the insight that we should not conceptualize or reify "seeing" as a substance or field for the display of experience. Instead, there is only the spontaneous presence of the display itself. This is perfectly illustrated in the following exchange between Geovani Geo and John Tan:
Geovani Geo: "We hear a sound. The immediate deeply inbuilt conditioning says, 'hearing'. But there is a fallacy there. There is only sound. Ultimately, no hearer and no hearing. The same with all other senses. A centralized, or expanded, or zero-dimensional inherent perceiver or aware-er is an illusion."
John Tan: "Very good. Means both stanza is clear. In hearing, no hearer. In hearing, only sound. No hearing."
Thus, the "No-mind" of Bodhidharma is not a blank void, but the seamless function free of the duality of "knower" and "known", and when the fixation on an apprehender and apprehended collapses in light of Prajñā (wisdom), it leaves only the vivid, self-luminous and empty self-display or spontaneous and self-knowing manifestation of just the sound or just the sight—function itself, devoid of a subjective agent, seer, hearer, etc.
Interdependence and the Rejection of Nihilism
The realization of No-Mind is not a descent into nothingness. "No-Mind" (Wúxīn) and "Unobtainable" do not imply a void of non-existence, but rather the lack of inherent existence.
This is most clearly expressed in the Disciple's moment of Great Awakening:
"He began to know that outside of mind there are no things, and outside of things there is no mind; in all behavior and action, he attained mastery."
Therefore,
"No-Mind" is not a state to be created. No Mind is what is always
already true. It has no existence of its own. No mind apart from phenomena,
no phenomena apart from mind. Whether one is deluded or enlightened, the self
is unfindable. The difference lies only in the realization. As the text
states, "It is only because sentient beings delusively grasp at
having a mind... If one awakens to No-mind, then there are no afflictions,
birth-and-death, or Nirvana whatsoever."
Crucially, simply negating the self-construct without a direct taste of consciousness as appearance remains a merely conceptual understanding of Anatta. There is no genuine realization of No-Mind ("outside of things there is no mind") or Anatman (No-Self) without realizing that the radiance of Mind is all appearances ("outside of mind there are no things"). Although 'Mind' or 'Awareness' is negated, it is not to say there is nothing. Negating the Mind/Awareness/Presence (Absolute) is not to let Mind/Awareness remain at the abstract level.
When such transpersonal Mind/Awareness that exists only in la la land (as some formless transpersonal or universal background, source or substratum) is negated, the vivid radiance of presence are fully tasted in the transient appearances; zero gap and zero distance between presence and moment to moment of ordinary experiences and we realize separation has always only been conventional. Then mundane activities -- hearing, sitting, standing, seeing and sensing, become pristine and vibrant, natural and free.
Genuine realization is simultaneous: it penetrates the reification of the subject while authenticating Presence as the display itself, without a background. In other words, it realizes the total absence of an agent, while actualizing the Mind of Clear Light as the mountains, rivers, and the myriad things.
Both John Tan and I like this text by Bodhidharma. John Tan, who mentioned this text on numerous occasions, said in 2022, 'The emptiness is not easy to point out, only the clarity aspect. And I told you the anatta in ATR [Awakening to Reality] is unique in the sense that it points to presence... ...It is like 无心论 [the Doctrine of No-Mind by Bodhidharma].
The
Inseparability of Awareness and Conditions
This
highlights the insight of dependent origination: Mind has no independent
existence separate from phenomena. It is not a "container" or a
"mirror" that passively holds or reflects the world. Mind is
the phenomena—seeing, hearing, sensing—yet it is empty of any fixed nature. Not
only is it empty of an independent existence, one starts to see and feel this
moment of arising as the exertion of all conditions.
As
Bodhidharma states in the Bloodstream Sermon:
"With
the condition of eyes, forms are seen; with the condition of ears, sounds are
heard... every movement or state is all one's Mind."
We
must be very precise here. Bodhidharma is not saying that there is a
"Self" using the eyes to see. He is saying that "Seeing"
arises through the convergence of conditions.
1.
The Bell (Auditory Manifestation)
Consider
the experience of hearing a bell.
- The Dualistic View: You feel that there is
an "I" or an observer located inside the head, and a
"Bell" (Object) located outside. The "I" acts as a
mirror reflecting the sound.
- The View of Dependent
Origination: There is no "I" listening. There is only the convergence
of conditions—the bronze of the bell, the hardness of the striker, the
vibration of the air, and the sensitivity of the ear drum.
- The Realization:
2.
The Rainbow (Visual Manifestation)
To
understand how this display is both "vividly apparent" yet
"totally empty," my teacher John Tan offers the analogy of the
Rainbow:
"Listening
to someone tutoring about 'rainbow',
The
teaching of science came to my mind.
The
raindrops, the sunshine;
The
light that enters and exits the droplets;
The
reflection, refraction and light dispersion;
All
these formed the rainbow.
But
they missed the most important factor,
The
radiance of our own mind."
Science
can explain the physical conditions (raindrops, light, refraction), but it
often misses the primary condition: The Mind itself.
However,
do not mistake this "Radiance" for a spotlight coming from the
subject. The "Radiance" is not separate from the colors. The Red,
Orange, and Green are the Radiance.
As Juliette Paul elucidates:
"Rainbows
need to have eyes in correct position, water droplets, light, radiant mind...
Move slightly and rainbow is gone. Never came from anywhere, stayed anywhere,
or went anywhere. The rainbow was insubstantial, but vividly displayed. All
phenomena are like this."
This
is the essence of Bodhidharma’s teaching. The world you see is like that
rainbow. It is insubstantial (empty of inherent existence) because if
you remove one condition (the light, the rain, or the mind), it vanishes. Yet,
right now, it is vividly displayed. Mind is not a blank screen behind
the rainbow; Mind is the vivid, ungraspable display of the rainbow
itself.
3.
Thoughts (Mental Manifestation)
This
applies equally to thoughts. We often view thoughts as "my" creation,
but Zen Master Hong Wen Liang points out that thoughts are merely
"natural physiological phenomena" arising through conditions, just
like the weather.
"Even
if you don't want it to come, it comes... Who knows how it is dependently
arisen? ... Only after it has arrived do you know. Therefore, this is dependent
origination; dependent origination fundamentally means there is no 'you'." — Hong Wen Liang
When
we realize this, we stop trying to control the mind from the standpoint of an
"I." We realize that every thought, every sound, and every visual
color is the Dharma-nature manifesting perfectly and spontaneously according
to conditions. It is as if the entire universe is giving its very best for this
single moment of "Hearing" or "Seeing" to arise. This is
the dynamic, living Mind of Bodhidharma—not a static void, but the total
exertion of the cosmos.
Function
without Agency (The Heavenly Drum)
The
text uses the metaphors of the Heavenly Drum and the Wish-fulfilling Gem to
explain how action occurs without an actor. These objects perform functions
(emitting sound, manifesting treasures) without agency, dictation or control by
an internal agent. This is the ideal of anābhoga (effortless
action): functioning perfectly without a "ghost in the machine."
Translation: The Treatise on No-Mind
Now, the Supreme Principle is wordless; it is necessary to borrow words to reveal the Principle. The Great Way is signless; to guide the unrefined, form is displayed. Now, let us tentatively establish two persons to discuss the treatise on No-mind together.
Disciple: "Is there a mind or is there no mind?"
Teacher: "No-mind."
Disciple: "Since you say there is no mind, who can perform seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing? Who knows there is no mind?"
Teacher: "It is still No-mind that performs seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing. It is still No-mind that is able to know No-mind."
Disciple: "Since it is No-mind, it should define the absence of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing. How can there be seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing?"
Teacher: "Though I am without mind, I am able to see, able to hear, able to sense, and able to know."
Disciple: "Since you are able to see, hear, sense, and know, that is precisely having a mind. How can you call it 'No-mind'?"
Teacher: "Simply that seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing is precisely No-mind. Where else, apart from seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing, is there a separate No-mind? I now fear you do not understand, so I will explain it for you, to enable your awakening to the Truth:
Seeing all day long is essentially non-seeing; seeing is also No-mind.
Hearing all day long is essentially non-hearing; hearing is also No-mind.
Sensing all day long is essentially non-sensing; sensing is also No-mind.
Cognizing all day long is essentially non-cognizing; cognizing is also No-mind.
Functioning all day long, functioning is essentially non-functioning; functioning is also No-mind.
Thus it is said: seeing, hearing, sensing, and cognizing are entirely No-mind."
Disciple: "How can one know that it is No-mind?"
Teacher: "You need only investigate carefully: what appearance does the mind make? Is that mind obtainable? Is it mind or is it not mind? Is it located inside, located outside, or located in between? If one investigates in these three locations, searching for the mind, it is completely unobtainable; even searching in all places, it is unobtainable. You should know this is precisely No-mind."
Disciple: "Since the teacher says that in all places there is always No-mind, it should define the absence of transgression and merit. Why do sentient beings undergo samsara in the six realms continuously without interruption?"
Teacher: "Sentient beings are confused and deluded; right within No-mind, they delusively give rise to a mind. They create various kinds of karma and delusively grasp at it as existing; this is sufficient to cause them to cycle through the six realms, with birth and death uninterrupted.
It is like a person in the dark seeing a tree stump as a ghost, or seeing a rope as a snake, and then giving rise to terror. The delusive grasping of sentient beings is also just like this. In no-mind, they falsely grasp at ‘having mind,’ produce manifold karmic actions, and truly there is none who does not transmigrate through the six paths. Such sentient beings, if they meet a great spiritual friend who teaches them to sit in meditation and awaken to No-mind, then all karmic obscurations are entirely extinguished, and birth and death are immediately severed. It is like in the darkness: as soon as the sunlight shines, the darkness is entirely gone. If one awakens to No-mind, the extinguishment of all transgressions is also just like this."
Disciple: "This disciple is dull-witted and my mind is still not clear. Examining all places, should the function of the six sense faculties be responsive?"
Teacher: "[Regarding] speech and various activities, afflictions and Bodhi, birth-and-death and Nirvana—is it definitely No-mind or not?[2] It is definitely No-mind. It is only because sentient beings delusively grasp at having a mind that there are all afflictions, birth-and-death, Bodhi, and Nirvana. If one awakens to No-mind, then there are no afflictions, birth-and-death, or Nirvana whatsoever.
Therefore, for those with a mind, the Tathāgata speaks of having birth and death; Bodhi is named in opposition to afflictions, and Nirvana is named in opposition to birth and death. These are all methods of counteraction. If there is no mind to be obtained, then afflictions and Bodhi are also unobtainable, and even birth-and-death and Nirvana are also unobtainable."
Disciple: "Since Bodhi and Nirvana are unobtainable, the past Buddhas all attained Bodhi; is this saying acceptable?"
Teacher: "It is merely attained through the words of worldly truth; in ultimate truth, there is really nothing obtainable. Therefore, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: 'Bodhi cannot be attained by the body, nor can it be attained by the mind.' Furthermore, the Diamond Sūtra says: 'There is not the slightest dharma obtainable.' The Buddhas and Tathāgatas simply attained through the unobtainable. You should know: if there is mind, then everything exists; if there is No-mind, everything is absent [of self-nature]."
Disciple: "Since the teacher says that in all places, it is entirely No-mind, wood and stone also have no mind; surely this is not the same as wood and stone?"
Teacher: "Though I abide in No-mind, this mind is not like wood or stone. Why is this? It is like the Heavenly Drum; although it is without a mind, it naturally produces various marvelous Dharmas to teach and transform sentient beings. Also, like the Wish-fulfilling Gem (Cintāmaṇi); although it is without a mind, it is naturally able to produce various transformational displays.
My No-mind is also just like this. Although completely without mind, it is perfectly able to awaken to and understand the true characteristics of all dharmas, is endowed with true prajñā [wisdom], possesses the mastery of the Three Bodies, and its responsive application is unhindered. Therefore, the Ratnakūṭa Sūtra says: 'To manifest activity with no mind and no intention.' How could this be the same as wood and stone? Now, 'No-mind' is precisely the True Mind, and the True Mind is precisely No-mind."
Disciple: "Now, within this mind, how does one engage in practice?"
Teacher: "Simply awaken to and understand in all matters that No-mind is precisely practice; there is no other separate practice. Therefore, know that No-mind is everything. Quiescent extinction is precisely No-mind."
The disciple thereupon suddenly experienced a Great Awakening. He began to know that outside of mind there are no things, and outside of things there is no mind; in all behavior and action, he attained mastery. He cut through the nets of doubt, and there were no further hindrances. He immediately rose to pay homage and inscribed [the meaning of] No-mind. Thus he made a verse, saying:
Without color, without form.
Looking at it, one does not see;
Listening to it, there is no sound.
Seemingly dark, yet not dark;
Like brightness, yet not bright.
Discarding it, it is not extinguished;
Taking it up, it is unborn.
In its greatness, it encompasses the Dharma-realm;
In its smallness, it enters a hair-tip without stopping.
Afflictions mix with it but do not muddy it;
Nirvana clarifies it but it does not become clear.
True Thusness fundamentally has no discrimination,
Yet is able to distinguish between the sentient and insentient.
Withdrawing it, nothing is established;
Dispersing it, it pervades all possessing spirit.
The Marvelous Spirit is not fathomed by knowledge;
Looking directly, it is cut off from practice.
When extinguished, one does not see its destruction;
When arising, one does not see its formation.
The Great Way, quiescent, is named 'Signless';
The ten thousand images, profound and obscure, are named 'Nameless'.
To operate with mastery like this
Is always the essence of No-mind.
The teacher further announced: "Among all prajñās, the prajñā of No-mind is the highest. Therefore, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: 'With no mind, no intention, and no sensation or mental fabrication, one completely subdues the external paths.' Also, the Dharma Drum Sūtra says: 'If one knows that no mind is obtainable, then dharmas are unobtainable, transgression and merit are also unobtainable, birth-and-death and Nirvana are also unobtainable, and even everything is entirely unobtainable. Unobtainable is also unobtainable.'"
Thus he made a verse, saying:
At that time, after awakening, entirely 'No-mind'.
Though No-mind, able to illuminate and function;
Illumination and function are constantly quiescent, precisely Thusness.
Further saying:
No illumination and no function is precisely the Unconditioned.
This is the True Dharma-realm of the Tathāgata,
Not the same as Bodhisattvas or Pratyekabuddhas.
The statement 'No-mind' implies the absence of a mind with delusory appearances.
Disciple: "What is named 'Supreme' (Taishang)?"
Teacher: "'Tai' means great; 'Shang' means high. Because it exhausts the marvelous Principle of the highest height, it is called 'Supreme' (Taishang). Furthermore, 'Tai' signifies a position of pervasive peace.
Although the heavens of the Three Realms possess the longevity of the Yan-kang aeon[3], their fortune ends, and thus they eventually cycle through the Six Realms; this is not sufficient to be considered 'Tai'.
Although the Bodhisattvas of the Ten Abodes have exited birth and death, the marvelous Principle is not yet ultimate; this is also not considered 'Tai'.
In the mind-practice of the Ten Abodes, regarding existence as delusory, one enters non-existence; further, one negates that non-existence, so that [the duality of] existence [and non-existence] is explicitly dispatched. However, if one does not forget the Middle Way, this is also not considered 'Tai'.
If one further forgets the Middle Way, and the three locations [inside, outside, and in between] are all exhausted, the position is entirely Marvelous Awakening. Although the Bodhisattva dispatches the three locations, if he cannot be without that 'Marvelousness', it is also not considered 'Tai'.
If one further forgets that 'Marvelousness', then the Buddha Way reaches the ultimate, and there is nothing remaining. With no remaining thought, there is no thinking or anxiety; both the delusory mind and wisdom eternally rest; awakening and illumination are both exhausted; it is quiescent and Unconditioned. This is named 'Tai'.
'Tai' has the meaning of the ultimate Principle; 'Shang' means unequalled. Therefore, it is called 'Supreme'. It is precisely another name for the Buddha Tathāgata."
End of the Treatise on No-Mind by the Great Master Bodhidharma.
[2] A gap exists in the Chinese text here in some recensions; translated from context.
[3] Yan-kang (延康): A term from Daoist cosmology indicating the final kalpa/aeon.
Comparative Notes: High-Fidelity vs. Earlier Translations (Urs App, 1995)
While Urs App’s 1995 translation is a pioneering scholarly work that made this text accessible, this High-Fidelity translation diverges in key areas to correct subtle reifications of the self and to restore precise Madhyamaka terminology over Taoist-flavored renderings.
The Subjectless Function vs. The Inserted "I"
Source: 见终日见 (Jiàn zhōngrì jiàn - literally: "See all day see")
Urs App: "[I] see throughout the day... [I] hear all day long..."
This Translation: "Even if there is seeing, seeing all day long is essentially non-seeing; seeing is also No-mind."
Rationale: The original Chinese in this passage is grammatically subjectless, emphasizing the function rather than the agent. Inserting "[I]" (even in brackets) subtly reinforces the "Trap of the Knower"—the idea that there is a static "Self" performing the seeing. The High-Fidelity translation preserves the self-less, spontaneous nature of the function: seeing happens, but no "seer" is found.
Unobtainable vs. Grasped
Source: 不可得 (Bù kě dé)
Urs App: "Grasped" or "Attained" (e.g., "nothing at all can be grasped")
This Translation: "Unobtainable."
Rationale: Bù kě dé is the standard Chinese translation for the Sanskrit Anupalabdha (unfindability/unobtainability). This is a precise ontological statement: phenomena do not have an inherent essence that can be located. Translating it as "Grasped" shifts the meaning to a psychological act (the subject failing to hold something), whereas "Unobtainable" correctly points to the emptiness of the object itself.
The Unconditioned vs. Wuwei
Source: 无为 (Wúwéi)
Urs App: "Wuwei" (left untranslated/pinyin).
This Translation: "The Unconditioned."
Rationale: While Wuwei is a Taoist term for "non-action," in this specific Buddhist context (describing the "True Dharma-realm of the Tathāgata"), it corresponds to the Sanskrit Asaṃskṛta—the Unconditioned (that which is not created, compounded, or subject to birth and death). Leaving it as "Wuwei" keeps the reader in a Taoist framework; translating it as "Unconditioned" correctly places the text within the Buddhist soteriological framework of Nirvana.
Spirit of Mind vs. Mind
Source: 心神 (Xīn Shén)
Urs App: "Mind."
This Translation: "Spirit of Mind."
Rationale: The text explicitly uses Shén (Spirit/Divinity/Marvelous) in the verse ("The Spirit of Mind tends toward quiescence"). Urs App collapses this into simply "Mind." The High-Fidelity translation retains "Spirit" to capture the text's nuance regarding the luminous, marvelous, and unfathomable nature of this awareness, distinguishing it from the deluded conceptual mind.
Recursive Negation vs. Negation of Practice
Source: 不可得亦不可得 (Bù kě dé yì bù kě dé)
Urs App: "Not-grasping included!"
This Translation: "Unobtainable is also unobtainable."
Rationale: App’s translation ("Not-grasping included") sounds like an instruction on how to practice (i.e., "don't even grasp at not-grasping"). The High-Fidelity translation captures the Madhyamaka logical collapse: even the concept of "emptiness" or "unobtainability" is itself empty and cannot be established as a foothold.
Chinese Original
While Urs App’s 1995 translation is a pioneering scholarly work that made this text accessible, this High-Fidelity translation diverges in key areas to correct subtle reifications of the self and to restore precise Madhyamaka terminology over Taoist-flavored renderings.
The Subjectless Function vs. The Inserted "I"
Source: 见终日见 (Jiàn zhōngrì jiàn - literally: "See all day see")
Urs App: "[I] see throughout the day... [I] hear all day long..."
This Translation: "Even if there is seeing, seeing all day long is essentially non-seeing; seeing is also No-mind."
Rationale: The original Chinese in this passage is grammatically subjectless, emphasizing the function rather than the agent. Inserting "[I]" (even in brackets) subtly reinforces the "Trap of the Knower"—the idea that there is a static "Self" performing the seeing. The High-Fidelity translation preserves the self-less, spontaneous nature of the function: seeing happens, but no "seer" is found.
Unobtainable vs. Grasped
Source: 不可得 (Bù kě dé)
Urs App: "Grasped" or "Attained" (e.g., "nothing at all can be grasped")
This Translation: "Unobtainable."
Rationale: Bù kě dé is the standard Chinese translation for the Sanskrit Anupalabdha (unfindability/unobtainability). This is a precise ontological statement: phenomena do not have an inherent essence that can be located. Translating it as "Grasped" shifts the meaning to a psychological act (the subject failing to hold something), whereas "Unobtainable" correctly points to the emptiness of the object itself.
The Unconditioned vs. Wuwei
Source: 无为 (Wúwéi)
Urs App: "Wuwei" (left untranslated/pinyin).
This Translation: "The Unconditioned."
Rationale: While Wuwei is a Taoist term for "non-action," in this specific Buddhist context (describing the "True Dharma-realm of the Tathāgata"), it corresponds to the Sanskrit Asaṃskṛta—the Unconditioned (that which is not created, compounded, or subject to birth and death). Leaving it as "Wuwei" keeps the reader in a Taoist framework; translating it as "Unconditioned" correctly places the text within the Buddhist soteriological framework of Nirvana.
Spirit of Mind vs. Mind
Source: 心神 (Xīn Shén)
Urs App: "Mind."
This Translation: "Spirit of Mind."
Rationale: The text explicitly uses Shén (Spirit/Divinity/Marvelous) in the verse ("The Spirit of Mind tends toward quiescence"). Urs App collapses this into simply "Mind." The High-Fidelity translation retains "Spirit" to capture the text's nuance regarding the luminous, marvelous, and unfathomable nature of this awareness, distinguishing it from the deluded conceptual mind.
Recursive Negation vs. Negation of Practice
Source: 不可得亦不可得 (Bù kě dé yì bù kě dé)
Urs App: "Not-grasping included!"
This Translation: "Unobtainable is also unobtainable."
Rationale: App’s translation ("Not-grasping included") sounds like an instruction on how to practice (i.e., "don't even grasp at not-grasping"). The High-Fidelity translation captures the Madhyamaka logical collapse: even the concept of "emptiness" or "unobtainability" is itself empty and cannot be established as a foothold.
菩提达摩大师无心论
夫至理无言，要假言而显理。大道无相，为接粗而见形。今且假立二人，共谈无心之论矣。
弟子问和尚曰：“有心无心？”
答曰：“无心。”
问曰：“既云无心，谁能见闻觉知，谁知无心？”
答曰：“还是无心既见闻觉知，还是无心能知无心。”
问曰：“既若无心，即合无有见闻觉知，云何得有见闻觉知？”
答曰：“我虽无心，能见能闻能觉能知。”
问曰：“既能见闻觉知，即是有心，那得称无？”
答曰：“只是见闻觉知，即是无心。何处更离见闻觉知别有无心。我今恐汝不解，一一为汝解说。令汝得悟真理，假如见终日见由为无见，见亦无心；闻终日闻由为无闻，闻亦无心；觉终日觉由为无觉，觉亦无心；知终日知由为无知，知亦无心；终日造作，作亦无作，作亦无心。故云见闻觉知总是无心。”
问曰：“若为能得知是无心？”
答曰：“汝但仔细推求看，心作何相貌？其心复可得，是心不是心。为复在内、为复在外、为复在中间？如是三处推求，觅心了不可得，乃至于一切处求觅亦不可得。当知即是无心。”
问曰：“和尚既云，一切处总是无心，即合无有罪福，何故众生轮回六趣生死不断？”
答曰：“众生迷妄，于无心中而妄生心，造种种业，妄执为有，足可致使轮回六趣，生死不断。譬有人，于暗中见杌为鬼，见绳为蛇，便生恐怖。众生妄执，亦复如是。于无心中，妄执有心，造种种业，而实无不轮回六趣。如是众生，若遇大善知识，教令坐禅，觉悟无心，一切业障，尽皆销灭，生死即断。譬如暗中，日光一照，而暗皆尽。若悟无心，一切罪灭亦复如是。”
问曰：“弟子愚昧，心犹未了，审一切处，六根所用者应？”
答曰：“语种种施为烦恼菩提，生死涅槃，定无心否？答曰：定是无心。只为众生妄执有心，即有一切烦恼生死、菩提涅槃。若觉无心，即无一切烦恼生死涅槃。是故，如来为有心者说有生死，菩提对烦恼得名，涅槃者对生死得名，此皆对治之法。若无心可得，即烦恼菩提亦不可得，乃至生死涅槃亦不可得。”
问曰：“菩提涅槃既不可得，过去诸佛皆得菩提，此谓可乎？”
答曰：“但以世谛文字之言得，于真谛实无可得。故《维摩经》云：‘菩提者，不可以身得，不可以心得。’此外《金刚经》云：‘无有少法可得。’诸佛如来，但以不可得而得。当知有心即一切有，无心一切无。”
问曰：“和尚既云，于一切处尽皆无心，木石亦无心，岂不同于木石乎？”
答曰：“而我无心，心不同木石。何以故？譬如天鼓，虽复无心，自然出种种妙法教化众生。又如如意珠，虽复无心，自然能作种种变现。而我无心，亦复如是。虽复无心，善能觉了诸法实相，具真般若，三身自在，应用无妨。故《宝积经》云：‘以无心意而现行’，岂同木石乎？夫无心者，即真心也；真心者，即无心也。”
问曰：“今于心中，作若为修行？”
答曰：“但于一切事上觉了，无心即是修行，更不别有修行。故知无心即一切，寂灭即无心也。”
弟子于是忽然大悟，始知心外无物，物外无心，举止动用，皆得自在，断诸疑网，更无挂碍。即起作礼，而铭无心，乃为颂曰：
“心神向寂，无色无形。睹之不见，听之无声。似暗非暗，如明不明。舍之不灭，取之无生。大即廓周法界，小即毛竭不停。烦恼混之不浊，涅槃澄之不清。真如本无分别，能辩有情无情。收之一切不立，散之普遍含灵。妙神非知所测，正觅绝于修行。灭则不见其坏，生则不见其成。大道寂号无相，万像窈号无名。如斯运用自在，总是无心之精。”
和尚又告曰：“诸般若中，以无心般若而为最上，故《维摩经》云：‘以无心意无受行，而悉拙伏外道。’又《法鼓经》：‘若知无心可得，法即不可得，罪福亦不可得，生死涅槃亦不可得，乃至一切尽不可得，不可得亦不可得。’”
乃为颂曰：“昔日迷时为有心，尔时悟罢了无心。虽复无心能照用，照用常寂即如如。”
重曰：“无心无照亦无用，无照无用即无为。此是如来真法界，不同菩萨为辟支。言无心者，即无妄相心也。”
又问：“何名为太上？”
答曰：“太者大也，上者高也。穷高之妙理，故云太上也。又太者，通泰位也。三界之天虽有延康之寿，福尽是故终轮回六趣，未足为太。十住菩萨虽出离生死，而妙理未极，亦未为太。十住修心，妄有入无，又无其无有双遣，不忘中道，亦未为太。又忘中道，三处都尽，位皆妙觉。菩萨虽遣三处，不能无其所妙，亦未为太。又忘其妙，则佛道至极，则无所存。无存思则无思虑，兼妄心智永息，觉照俱尽，寂然无为，此名为太也。太是理极之义，上是无等色，故云太上，即之佛如来之别名也。”
《菩提达摩大师无心论》卷终
