Discourse on the Sutra of the Father and Son Compendium (Ninety-Six)

All dharmas arise and cease, being illusory.

Original Text: Great King, there is not the slightest dharma that can be taken from this world to another world. Why is this so? Because their nature is to arise and cease. Great King, when body consciousness arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. When that karma arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. When the primary consciousness arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. Why? Because its inherent nature is free from [all attributes].

Knowing thus: body consciousness, body consciousness is empty; one’s own karma, one’s own karma is empty; primary consciousness, primary consciousness is empty. If cessation occurs, cessation is empty; if arising occurs, arising is empty. One understands the revolving of karmic activities: there is no doer, nor is there any experiencer. There is only the differentiating display of names and appearances.

Explanation: Great King, there is absolutely nothing that can be taken from this world to another world. Why is this so? Because all dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing. Great King, when body consciousness arises, it has no source; when it ceases, it has no destination. The karmic actions created by the conscious mind arise without a source and cease without a destination. When the primary consciousness first arises in the physical body, it too has no source; when it ceases, it has no destination. Why do these dharmas have no source or destination? Because the inherent nature of these dharmas is free from all dharmas; they lack the true reality of any dharma.

In this way, one can truly understand body consciousness and the emptiness of body consciousness; understand one’s own created karmic actions and the emptiness of those karmic actions; understand the primary consciousness and the emptiness of the primary consciousness. If these dharmas cease, their cessation is also empty; if these dharmas arise, their arising is also empty. One understands the revolving of karmic forces: there is no creator of karma, nor is there any experiencer of its results. It is merely the differentiating display of various names and appearances.

“There is not the slightest dharma that can be taken from this world to another world” — nothing is taken along. Why? Because the inherent nature of these dharmas is arising, ceasing, empty, and illusory; thus, nothing can be taken. “When body consciousness arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere.” Wholesome karmic actions, unwholesome karmic actions, and neutral karmic actions — before they arise, they have no source; after they cease, they have no destination. Because all dharmas lack inherent self-nature, they are inherently devoid of any dharmic nature, free from all dharmas, lacking the true reality of any dharma.