Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (85)

All dharmas arise and cease, false and illusory

Original text: 大王。无有少法。从于此世。得至他世。所以者何。性生灭故。大王。身识生时。无所从来。灭无所去。彼业生时。无所从来。灭无所去。初识生时。无所从来。灭无所去。何以故。自性离故。

如是了知。身识身识空。自业自业空。初识初识空。若灭灭空。若生生空。了知业转。无有作者。亦无受者。但唯名相。分别显示。

Explanation: Great King, there is not a single thing that can be carried from this life to another life. Why is this so? Because all dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing. Great King, when the body consciousness arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. The karmic actions created by the mind consciousness, when they arise, come from nowhere, and when they go, they go nowhere. When the first consciousness of the physical body arises, it likewise comes from nowhere, and when it ceases, it goes nowhere. Why do these dharmas have no place of coming and no place of going? Because the self-nature of these dharmas is apart from all dharmas; there are no real dharmas at all.

In this way, one can know the body consciousness and know the emptiness of the body consciousness; know the karmic actions one has created oneself and the emptiness of those karmic actions; know the first consciousness and the emptiness of the first consciousness. If these dharmas cease, their ceasing is also empty; if these dharmas arise, their arising is also empty. Knowing the flow of karmic force, there is no creator, and there is no one who receives the retribution; it is all merely the discriminative manifestation of various names and marks.