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As with before any help with improving this translation is very appreciated.
Fourth Translation:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5b4d23f60102e7t9.html
了了灵知亦不是
"The Clear Knowing of Spirit/Intelligent Awareness is Also Not It"
(2013-06-23 13:44:43)
一
关注自身，体会自身，持续直视生命本体的修行人，常常会相遇一种广大、清净、好像不动的“了了灵知”的状态。有人以为，这就是“佛性”，是“佛”，是“本来面目”。此亦不是，莫错认了定盘星。
1. Practitioners that are paying close attention to oneself, experiencing oneself, continuously and directly looking into life's fundamental substance, will often encounter a kind of vast, pure/undefiled, seemingly unmoving state of "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness". And there are those who think that just this is "Buddha-Nature", "Buddha", "The Original Face". This is actually not so, do not have a mistaken idea.
二
此广大、清净、好像不动的“了了灵知”状态，是一种无垢的意识状态。它亦有生灭，是生灭法。君不见，当人死亡，当人昏迷，当人夜晚深度睡眠无梦时，此“了了灵知”的状态，居于何处？没有了耶！是故而知，了了灵知亦是生灭法，不是非常非无常的佛性、本来面目。
2. This vast, peaceful, seemingly unmoving state of "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness", is a kind of undefiled state of mental consciousness. It still has arising and cessation, it is still a dharma of arising and cessation. If you do not see this, when a person dies, or faints, or undergoes the deep dreamless sleep during the night, where is this "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness" residing at? No more (?)! From this we know, the "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness" is also arising and ceasing dharmas, it is not the not permanent and not impermanent Buddha-Nature/original face.
三
此广大、清净、似乎不动的“了了灵知”的状态，又称光相身，又称身外身。它亦是一种“相”，与我们的色身相一样，同等是相。一个不比另一个更高明，也不更高级。若攀缘它为我身，腊月三十到来时（指临终），看你依附于谁？
3. This vast, peaceful, seemingly unmoving state of "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness", is also called "the luminous-form body", and also called "the body apart from the body". It is still a form of "appearance", similar to the appearance of our form/physical body, it is similarly an appearance. One isn't superior to the other, nor is one of a higher class. If we "seize upon conditions" and treat it is as my Self, when the thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month comes (meaning the time of death), we'll see who will you adhere to?
四
若认“了了灵知”的清净状态为我、为我本来面目，是另一种我执，是我相的另一变相。如舍色身，又认光身为我、我的，此如捉舍，则如黑瞎子掰棒子，舍一又取一；又如大黄狗叼骨头，舍驴骨取鹿骨。总不能闲却手，总不能空却口。总不是干净无事人也，不能真解脱。
4. If we think that the pure state of "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness" is the Self, is the Original Face, that would be another kind of self-grasping, it is an image of self in another form. It is like dropping the physical body yet treating the luminous body as Self, Mine, in such a case of dropping and grasping, it is like a blind man picking maize, dropping one yet picking another; it is also like a big yellow dog biting on a bone, dropping the jawbone of a donkey and picking up a bone of a deer. Always unable to rest and withdraw the hands, always unable to empty one's mouth. One is always not a man that is clean and free of things (to do), unable to be truly liberated.
五
此“了了灵知”的状态，只可应用，不可攀缘，更不可立为我或我所。住此境界，可享此一份清凉，但不可死守它，固守它。若死守固守，又找了一个拴马桩、系驴橛，又进了一种黑山窟、黑漆桶。提着个什么，守着个什么，总不得自由，属造作，是有为法。
5. This state of "clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness", can only be made use of, but should not be "seized upon" (grasped at), and even more one should never establish it as Self or Mine. Abiding in such a state could allow us to enjoy a sense of refreshment but we should never stubbornly guard it. If we stubbornly guard it, we are finding another post for tying horses, or a donkey peg (is this right?), again entering into a kind of cave of a black mountain, a bucket of black lacquer. No matter what we are carrying, no matter what we are guarding after, one will always never obtain freedom, it belongs to contrived actions, it is all action/conditioned dharmas.
六
悟后保任，不是保它；悟，也不是悟它。它只是悟的“副产品”，自然而然的遇见。保任，只是保个不起能所，起也不执著。保任是保持一种生命流畅无阻的状态，不是守个什么。若是守个什么东西，那不是保任，是找拴马桩，找一个金笼子银笼子水晶笼子等别样的笼子。
6. Protecting/keeping after realization, is not protecting/keeping it: it is also not to realize it. It is only a "by-product" of realization, it is naturally encountered. Protecting/keeping, is simply keeping the non-arising of subject and object, even if it has arisen one also does not grasp at it. Protecting/keeping is to sustain a kind of state in which life flows smoothly without obstructions, it is not about protecting/keeping a something. If we protect/keep a something, that is not protecting/keeping, that is finding a post for tying horse, finding a golden cage or silver cage or crystal cage or other similar kinds of cages.
七
了了灵知只是生命的一种用，就像你行、住、坐、卧一样的用。不要贵此贱彼，不要重此轻彼，不要神话它、圣化它，那样是向妄想的深山行，不是向真理的国度来。了了灵知现前，只是如实而知，不捉不守，不制不止，如实知用；对待它就像对待自己的色身一样。
7. "The Clear Knowing of Spirit/Intelligent Awareness" is only a kind of use/function of life, just like the uses/functions of walking, standing, sitting and lying down. We should not overvalue that which is inexpensive, we should not over-weigh that which is light, we should not mythologize it, nor sanctify it, that would be walking into the deep mountains of fantasies/deluded thoughts, and not coming to the country of truth. When the clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness manifests, we simply know it as it is, but do not hold nor protect/keep, nor do we restrict nor prevent, simply know and use it as it is; treating it should be similar to treating our own physical body.
八
朗月当空照，犹是阶下汉。了了灵知时，莫强生知见。见中立能所，生死又一翻。根尘相对时，明相亦是幻。是幻皆应离，不应生贪念。昭昭灵光相，不是佛本面。佛有千张脸，张张活又鲜。举语问君子，哪张是佛面？佛面在何处？谁知谁曾见？能见法身时，了了在目前。
8. The bright moon shines in the sky, that is still the man below rank (not yet entering the gate). The clear knowing of spirit/intelligent awareness, should never lead to the stubborn arising of views. Establishing subject and object in the midst of seeing, birth and death comes yet another round. When the root (sense faculty) and dust (sense object) meet, clear appearances are also illusions. All that are illusions should be left, we should not give rise to thoughts of craving. The appearance of bright and clear spirit/intelligence is not the Buddha's original face. Buddha has ten thousand faces, each face is fresh and alive. Speaking up to ask the noble man, which face is the Buddha's face? Where is the Buddha's face? Who knows and who has seen it before? When you are able to see the Dharmakaya, it is clearly right in front.
