BEING INTRINSICALLY BRIGHT AND CLEAR, the citta is always ready to make contact with everything of every nature. Although all conditioned phenomena without exception are governed by the three universal laws of anicca, dukkha, and anattã, the citta’s true nature is not subject to these laws. The citta is conditioned by anicca, dukkha, and anattã only because things that are subject to these laws come spinning in to become involved with the citta and so cause it to spin along with them. However, though it spins in unison with conditioned phenomena, the citta never disintegrates or falls apart. It spins following the influence of those forces which have the power to make it spin, but the true power of the citta’s own nature is that it knows and does not die. This deathlessness is a quality that lies beyond disintegration. Being beyond disintegration, it also lies beyond the range of anicca, dukkha, and anattã and the universal laws of nature. But we remain unaware of this truth because the conventional realities that involve themselves with the citta have completely surrounded it, making the citta’s nature thoroughly conform to theirs.
心的内在是光明与清净的，它一直保持与任何东西接触。虽然一切有为法无一例外地都受无常、苦、无我的法则所限制，唯心的本性不受此限制。心之会受无常、苦、无我所限制是因为受这法则限制的法染污了心，使得心也一起流转。无论如何，虽然心与有为法一致，可是它不会分解或崩溃。它随着那些影响它的力量流转而流转，可是心的本性真正的力量，也就是知道，是不会死亡的。这不死的本性超越分解败坏。由于超越分解败坏，所以它也超越无常、苦和无我这自然的法则。但我们对这点茫然无知，因为染污心的有为法完全缠住了心，使心的本性被它们所主导。
Birth and death have always been conditions of the citta that is infected by kilesas. But, since kilesas themselves are the cause of our ignorance, we are unaware of this truth. Birth and death are problems arising from the kilesas. Our real problem, our one fundamental problem—which is also the citta’s fundamental problem—is that we lack the power needed to be our own true self. Instead, we have always taken counterfeit things to be the essence of who we really are, so that the citta’s behavior is never in harmony with its true nature. Rather, it expresses itself through the kilesas’ cunning deceits, which cause it to feel anxious and frightened of virtually everything. It dreads living, and dreads dying. Whatever happens—slight pain, severe pain—it becomes afraid. It’s perturbed by even the smallest disturbances. As a result, the citta is forever full of worries and fears. And although fear and worry are not intrinsic to the citta, they still manage to produce apprehension there.
生与死一直是心被烦恼染污的状态。可是，由于烦恼本身是我们无知的原因，这使得我们无法觉察这事实。生与死是烦恼带来的问题。然而我们真正的问题，唯一最根本的问题——也是心最根本的问题——是我们缺乏成为真正自己的力量。相反的，我们一直把假的当成我们真正自己的本性，这使得心从来没有真正与它的本性一致。更甚的是，心一直受烦恼的欺骗摆布，使它担忧和恐惧几乎一切事物。它害怕生存、害怕死亡，不管什么事——小痛、剧痛——它都恐惧，即使是最微不足道的干扰都令它不安。结果心长期充满忧虑和恐惧。虽然恐惧和忧虑不属于心的一部分，可是它们仍然有能力干扰心。
When the citta has been cleansed so that it is absolutely pure and free of all involvement, only then will we see a citta devoid of all fear. Then, neither fear nor courage appear, only the citta’s true nature, existing naturally alone on its own, forever independent of time and space. Only that appears—nothing else. This is the genuine citta. The term “genuine citta” refers solely to the absolute purity, or the sa-upãdisesa-nibbãna, of the Arahant. Nothing else can wholeheartedly and without reservations be called the “genuine citta”. I myself would be embarrassed to use the term in any other way.
只有在心已经被净化，彻底清净自由于一切干涉了，我们才能见到一颗免于所有恐惧的心。然后，没有恐惧与勇气，只是心真正的本性，自然独自存在，永远独立于时间与空间。只是这个存在，没有其他的，这是真正的心。“真正的心”仅仅是指阿罗汉的绝对清净、有余涅槃，没有其他的可以由衷、毫无保留地称之为“真正的心”，把这个词用在其他方面我自己会感到惭愧。
The term “original citta” means the original nature of the citta that spins endlessly through the cycle of rebirth. The Buddha indicated this when he said: “Monks, the original citta is intrinsically bright and clear, but it becomes defiled by the commingling of the kilesas that come passing through.”
“本来的心”是指无尽流转生死的心的本性。佛陀说“比丘们！本来的心内在是光明和清澈的，可是它和穿过的烦恼混合在一起而受染污”时，就指出这点。
In this sense, “original citta” refers to the origin of conventional reality (sammuti), not the origin of Absolute Purity (parisuddhi). When referring to the original citta, the Buddha stated: “Pabhassaramidam cittam bhikkhave.” Pabhassara means radiant, it does not mean pure. His reasoning is absolutely correct; it is impossible to argue against it. Had the Buddha equated the original citta with the pure citta, one could immediately object: “If the citta was originally pure, why then should it be born at all?” The Arahant, who has purified his citta, is one who never comes to birth again. If his citta were originally pure, why then would he need to purify it? This would be the obvious objection: What reason would there be to purify it? The radiant citta, on the other hand, can be purified because its radiance is nothing other than the essential, true nature of avijjã. Meditators will realize this truth clearly for themselves at the moment when the citta transcends this radiance to reach Absolute Freedom (vimutti). Then, the radiance will no longer appear in the citta. At this very point, one realizes the supreme truth about the citta.
从这点而言，“本来的心”是指世俗谛的本来，不是绝对清净的本来。提到本来的心，佛陀说：“比丘们！本来的心明亮(Pabhassaramidaṁcittaṁbhikkhave)”。Pabhassara意思是明亮，不是清净。他的理由绝对正确，无法辩驳。如果佛陀把本来的心等同清净心，人们可以立刻反对：“如果心本来清净，那它为什么还会再生？”阿罗汉已经清净了心，不会再生了。如果他的心本来清净，那他还何必去净化它？这是明显的异议——有什么理由要净化它？相反的，光明的心，可以被净化，因为它的光明不过是无明的核心本质。当心超越这光明达到绝对的解脱时，禅者自己会真正明白真相。然后，那光明不再呈现于心。在这一点上，他就真正觉悟心的最终实相。
