Illusory Marks and False Marks Both Have Their False Uses

True emptiness (samyag-śūnyatā) refers to the tathāgatagarbha, which is real yet empty in nature; within His mind-body not a single dharma exists, yet He can manifest all dharmas. Wondrous existence means that although the marks of the dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen realms do exist, in substance they are nonexistent—they are all illusory dharmas manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Although these illusory dharmas are illusory, one cannot say they do not exist at all, because sentient beings use them every moment and instant: they use the five aggregates to eat, dress, and walk, and use the five aggregates to live. Sentient beings live within the illusory eighteen realms—what they see is false form, what they hear is false sound, what they smell is false scent, what they taste is false flavor, what they feel is false touch, and what they cognize is false dharma. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and cognizing are all functions of the five aggregates, so the surface-level existence of the five aggregates cannot be denied.

Although the five aggregates are not a real existence, there is still this mode of illusory existence. Yet even though sentient beings clearly use the five aggregates every day, some still say the five aggregates do not exist. When one can genuinely accept in one's mind that the five aggregates are indeed illusory, that is the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa)—may all sentient beings be so. If one denies that even the illusory appearance of the five aggregates exists, one also cannot eradicate the view of self, because without contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the five aggregates and eighteen realms, one cannot clearly see the illusory and unreal nature of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and thus cannot eradicate the view of self; none of the afflictive obstructions of ignorance can then be eliminated.