Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (48)

The wind element arises from nowhere and ceases without going anywhere

Original text:大王。此风界相。生无所来。灭无所去。生时本空。灭时亦空。自性空故。无有男相。亦无女相。但唯言说。之所显示。如是风界。与风界性。皆不可得。唯佛正智。而能了知。

Explanation: Great King, this mark of the wind element, when it arises, comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. This shows that when the wind arises it is empty, and when it ceases it is also empty; the self-nature of wind is empty. The wind element has no male mark, nor any female mark; without male or female marks, it is only revealed through verbal expression. However, when the wind element forms a material body, there arises the distinction of male and female marks, so male and female marks are also empty and illusory. The self-nature of the wind element is empty; it is merely displayed through words and speech—there is no substantial wind element. Therefore it is said that both the wind element and the nature of the wind element are utterly unattainable; this principle can only be known by the Buddha's wisdom, by the Buddha's correct wisdom.

Although the wind element itself has no male or female marks, if a person can create the karma of a man, he will be born with a male material body; if he creates the karma of a woman, he will be born with a female material body. If a woman can create the karma of a great man, a true man, in the next life she will transform into a male material body; if a man does the deeds of a woman and has the mental disposition of a woman, the karmic seeds are stored in the tathāgatagarbha, and in the next life he will transform into a female material body. The body of retribution transforms in accordance with karmic actions and karmic seeds; that which transforms is illusory, not real, and is without self. The true dharma never changes; only the tathāgatagarbha is forever unchanging—it is the mind of ultimate reality (dharmatā-citta).