The Lankavatara Sutra
Page 22
4. Not due to a buddha or some other teacher / not me or anyone else / things arise when causes combine / how could they be due to nothing
5. Who says things exist due to causes / then speaks of their nonexistence / speaks of arising based on wrong views / falsely imagines things existing then not
6. Who knows that nothing arises / also that nothing ceases / who sees everything as empty and still / transcends nonexistence and existence.”
LXII48
Mahamati once again asked the Buddha, “Bhagavan, please tell me and the other bodhisattvas what characterizes the way of attainment,49 so that once I and the other bodhisattvas become skilled in understanding what characterizes the way of attainment, we will know its characteristics, and by knowing its characteristics, we will quickly attain unexcelled, perfect enlightenment and not be misled by speculations or the maras50 of other paths.”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “Listen carefully and ponder it well, and I will tell you.”
Mahamati replied, “May we be so instructed.”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “Among shravakas, pratyeka-buddhas, and bodhisattvas there are two ways: the way of attainment and the way of instruction.51
“Mahamati, the way of attainment refers to the distinctive characteristics of personal realization that transcend the projections of speech and words, that lead to the passionless realm and the stages marked by self-awareness, that are free from erroneous speculations, that overcome the maras of other paths, and that shine forth from inner awareness. These are the characteristics of the way of attainment.
“And what are the characteristics of the way of instruction? This refers to instruction in the nine types of teachings52 that is free from such characteristics as sameness and difference or existence and nonexistence and that uses means appropriate to the person in teaching the Dharma to help others attain liberation. These are the characteristics of the way of instruction, Mahamati, and these are what you and the other bodhisattvas should cultivate.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “The ways of attainment and instruction / are based on realization and teaching / those who see and distinguish these clearly / don’t pursue speculation
2. Nonexistence as reality / this is what fools imagine / but why do they imagine / nonexistence as liberation
3. Contemplate conditioned things / the cycle of arising and cessation / the nourishing of dualities / mistaken views and ignorance
4. This one thing is true / freedom from blame is nirvana53 / view projections of the world / as illusions, as dreams, as banana tree trunks
5. Though desire, anger, and delusion exist54 / there is no person present / the skandhas arise from thirst / their existence is a dream or illusion.”
LXIV55
Mahamati once again asked the Buddha, “Bhagavan, please explain what characterizes false projections.56 How do false projections arise? What constitutes a false projection? And where are false projections found?”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “Excellent! It is excellent that you are able to ask the Tathagata about this for the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of pity for all the gods and people in this world. Listen carefully and ponder this well, and I will tell you.”
Mahamati replied, “Wonderful, Bhagavan. May we be so instructed.”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “Projections arise when there is attachment to the misperception of different objects. Mahamati, because people are unaware that their attachments to projections of what they grasp and of the one who grasps are nothing but perceptions of their own minds, they fall prey to views of existence and nonexistence in which they are abetted by the views of followers of other paths and the habit-energy of their projections. And as they become attached to different external objects, the mind, and what belongs to the mind give rise to the projection of a self and what belongs to a self.”57
Mahamati said, “Bhagavan, since projections arise when there is attachment to the misperception of different objects, and people are unaware that the projections of what they grasp and of the one who grasps are nothing but perceptions of their own minds, and they fall prey to views of existence and nonexistence in which they are abetted by the views of followers of other paths and the habit-energy of their projections, and as they become attached to various external objects, the mind, and what belongs to the mind give rise to the projection of a self and what belongs to a self,58 since this is so, Bhagavan, when they fall prey to the existence or nonexistence of different external objects that neither exist nor do not exist and that transcend the characteristics of views, Bhagavan, this is also true of ultimate truth, which transcends the characteristics of measurement, sensation, inference, analogy, and causation. Why on the one hand, Bhagavan, does attachment to the discrimination of the existence of an unreal object give rise to projections and on the other hand attachment to ultimate truth not give rise to projections? Are you not teaching a false doctrine of causation, Bhagavan, when you say the one gives rise to them and the other does not?”59
The Buddha said, “Mahamati, it is not true that one projection arises and the other does not. And why not? Because projections of existence or nonexistence do not arise. Projections do not arise when the external objects that appear as existing or not existing are seen to be nothing but perceptions of one’s own mind.
“Mahamati, I tell foolish people that because the different projections of their minds appear before them as objects; they become attached to the existence of their projections. So how do they get free of views of attachment to a self or what belongs to a self and get free of the misconception of causation as cause and effect? By becoming aware that their projections are nothing but mind. Thus, do they transform their body and mind and finally see clearly all the stages and realms of self-awareness of tathagatas and transcend views and projections regarding the five dharmas and modes of reality. This is why I say that projections arise from the attachment to things that are unreal and that once someone knows what is real they free themselves from the various projections of their own mind.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “Who says the world arises / from causes and conditions / imagines the four possibilities60 / but doesn’t understand my teaching
2. It neither arises nor doesn’t arise / nor both of these nor neither / so why do fools imagine / the world’s causes and conditions61
3. Who sees the world like this / neither existing nor not existing / nor both of these nor neither / transforms their mind and finds no self
4. Whatever exists does not arise / because it arises from conditions / whatever results from conditions / is a result and not self-existent
5. Nor does a result produce a result / twin results are a fallacy62 / since twin results cannot occur / their existence cannot be found
6. Viewing conditioned things / without support and supporting nothing / as nothing but the no-mind mind63 / thus I teach nothing but mind
7. Where only essential nature dwells / free from existence and conditions / where existence is finally purified / this I say is nothing but mind
8. The conventional self is a fabrication / containing nothing real / the skandhas, too, are fabrications / containing nothing real as well
9. Equalities are fourfold64 / characteristics, causes, and results / no self is the third / practice and practitioner are the fourth
10. As the habit-energy of projections change / the mind gives rise to a myriad things / an objective realm appears outside / a world that is nothing but mind65
11. What appears outside does not exist / all the things seen by the mind / your abode, body, and possessions / these I teach are nothing but mind66
12. Transcending every view / free from conceiving and conception / where nothing arises and nothing is found / this I teach is nothing but mind67
13. Neither existing nor not existing / free from existence and nonexistence / the liberation of this
mind68 / this I teach is nothing but mind
14. Emptiness, suchness and reality / nirvana and the Dharma Realm / the different projection bodies / these, too, I teach are nothing but mind.“69
LXV70
Mahamati once again asked the Buddha, “The Bhagavan has said that bodhisattvas should become versed in speech and meaning.71 Bhagavan, how should bodhisattvas become versed in speech and meaning? What is speech? And what is meaning?”
The Buddha said, “Listen carefully, Mahamati, and ponder it well, and I will tell you.”
Mahamati replied, “Wonderful, Bhagavan. May we be so instructed.”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “What is speech? It is the combination of projections and of words that rely on the throat and larynx, the tongue and lips, the teeth and gums, and the sides of the mouth. And it arises due to attachment to the habit-energy of the discriminations of one’s own and others’ words. This is what is meant by speech.
“And what is meaning? It is what transcends all the characteristics of projections and the characteristics of speech. This is what is meant by meaning.72 It is thus in regard to meaning, Mahamati, that bodhisattvas dwell in solitude and proceed toward the city of nirvana as a result of their own understanding of wisdom from learning, reflection, and meditation.73 And once they have transformed their habit-energy, they contemplate the distinctive characteristics of the meaning of the various stages leading to the realm of personal realization. This is what is meant by how bodhisattvas become versed in meaning.
“Moreover, Mahamati, bodhisattvas versed in speech and meaning regard speech as neither separate nor not separate from meaning, and they also regard meaning and speech in the same manner. If speech were separate from meaning, meaning would not be expressed by speech. But it is by means of speech that we understand meaning, just as a lamp illuminates forms.74
“Moreover, Mahamati, if someone becomes attached to the meaning of such expressions as ‘neither arising nor ceasing,’ ‘self-existence,’ ‘nirvana,’ ‘three paths,’ ‘one path,’ ‘mind,’ or ‘modes of reality,’ they fall prey to views of assertion and denial—assertions of difference and projections of difference, whereby projections appear like so many illusions. As with illusions, fools imagine differences, not the wise.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “Those who give rise to projections of speech / assert all kinds of things / because of their assertions / they spend their next life in hell
2. ‘The self isn’t in the skandhas’ / ‘the skandhas aren’t the self’ / such conceptions are mistaken / ‘nor is there no self’ as well75
3. As for ‘everything exists’ / which is what fools imagine / if things were as they see them / they would see the truth
4. And as for ‘nothing at all exists’ / pure and impure both would vanish76 / things are not as they are seen / nor are there no things.”
LXVI77
“Mahamati, I will now explain the characteristics of knowledge and consciousness. For by becoming adept at distinguishing the characteristics of knowledge and consciousness, you and the other bodhisattvas will be able to understand the characteristics of knowledge and consciousness and quickly realize unexcelled, complete enlightenment.78
“Mahamati, there are three kinds of knowledge: mundane knowledge, metaphysical knowledge, and transcendent knowledge. What is mundane knowledge? This refers to that of all those ordinary people and followers of other paths who are attached to existence and nonexistence. And what is metaphysical knowledge? This refers to that of those shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas who fall prey to longing for and becoming attached to individual and shared characteristics.79 And what is transcendent knowledge? This refers to that of buddhas and bodhisattvas who contemplate what is free from projections and see that it neither arises nor ceases, that it transcends categories of existence and nonexistence, and that the tathagata stage and the absence of a self among persons and things depend on the occurrence of personal attainment.80
“Mahamati, what arises and ceases is consciousness. What neither arises nor ceases is knowledge.81 Furthermore, it is consciousness that falls prey to characteristics and the absence of characteristics and also falls prey to the causes of the different characteristics of existence and nonexistence, while it is knowledge that transcends the characteristics of existence and nonexistence. Furthermore, consciousness is characterized by increase, while knowledge is not characterized by increase. Also, there are three objects of knowledge: the knowledge of arising and cessation, the knowledge of individual and shared characteristics, and the knowledge of non-arising and non-cessation.
“Moreover, knowledge82 is also characterized by the absence of obstructions, while consciousness is characterized by the obstruction of countless external realms. Furthermore, consciousness is characterized by what arises from threefold combinations,83 while knowledge is characterized by the absence of anything self-existent. Furthermore, consciousness is characterized by attainment, while knowledge is characterized by non-attainment, for the realm of buddha knowledge that one attains is neither present nor absent, like the moon in the water.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “Consciousness accumulates karma84 / knowledge examines dharmas / wisdom penetrates projectionless realms / thereby attaining powers85
2. Consciousness is tied to objects / knowledge sees how thoughts are born / from projectionless realms and higher stages86 / this is where wisdom rises
3. Whose mind, will, and consciousness / get free of all projections / who grasp the teaching of non-projection / are bodhisattvas, not shravakas
4. Tranquil and supreme forbearance87 / the pure knowledge of a buddha / these rise from the best of truths / which transcends every practice
5. I have three kinds of knowledge / whereby the wise reveal the truth / all concern projections / the things that people cling to
6. Unconcerned with lesser paths / such knowledge is free from objective realms / while from shravakas rises / attachment to self-existence / transcendent and nothing but mind / a buddha’s knowledge is pure.”88
LXVII89
“Furthermore, Mahamati, the views of change held by followers of other paths come from their nine doctrines about change. These include change of shape, change of characteristic, change of cause, change of connection, change of view, change of existence, change of perceptible condition, change of perceptible function, and change of origin.90 Mahamati, these are their nine views of change. It is on the basis of these that followers of other paths produce their doctrines of change concerning existence and nonexistence.
“What is a change of shape? This refers to the view that there is a difference in shape. For example, when gold is turned into utensils or ornaments, it takes on the appearance of different shapes, although the nature of gold doesn’t change. This is how anything that exists changes. And this is how followers of other paths imagine change, up to and including their projection of a change of origin. Something is not as it was. But neither is it different. This is the result of projection. This is how anything that exists changes.
“It is like the aging of milk and curds or of fruit and wine. Followers of other paths imagine change where there is no change. Something seems to be there and seems not to be there. But it is merely the perception of their own minds of an external entity that does not exist, which foolish people give rise to, Mahamati, due to the habit-energy of their own projections. Mahamati, though something seems to arise and seems to cease, there is nothing there. It is like seeing an image appear in a magic trick or a dream.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “A shape that changes over time / four elements and five senses / slowly rising in the skandhas / a fantasy not knowledge
2. Sages regard what comes from causes / unlike others imagine / the world that comes from causes / is a city of gandharvas.”91
LXVIII92
Mahamati
once more asked the Buddha, “Bhagavan, would you please explain the meaning of the continuity and non-continuity of things?93 For once I and the other bodhisattvas become adept at distinguishing the characteristics of the continuity and non-continuity of things, we will better understand how all continuities work and will not become attached to a continuity because of how its meaning is expressed in words. For once we are versed in the characteristics of the continuity and non-continuity of things, and we transcend the erroneous projections94 of language, we will know how to travel to all buddhalands and to their countless assemblies, where our myriad transformations will be marked by spiritual powers, masteries, faculties, and spells and will shine like so many suns or moons or magic gems upon the four elements with the refulgent light of wisdom gained from the effortless exercise of the ten inexhaustible vows.95 And wherever we dwell, we will look upon everything as an illusion or a dream and will avoid views characterized by the projection of a self. And upon reaching the stage of buddhas, in every realm where there are beings, we will teach whatever teaching they respond to and lead them to transform themselves96 by accepting that everything is like a dream or illusion and by avoiding categories of existence and nonexistence and projections of arising and cessation or the teachings of other paths.”