Lectures on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (Pitāputrasamāgamanasūtra) (96)

All dharmas arise and cease, being 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 even the slightest dharma that can be carried from this world to another world. Why is this so? Because all dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing. Great King, when the body consciousness arises, there is no place it comes from; when it ceases, there is no place it goes. The karmic actions created by the conscious mind, when they arise, have no place they come from, and when they cease, no place they go. When the first consciousness arises in the physical body, it too has no place it comes from, and when it ceases, no place it goes. Why do these dharmas have no place of coming or going? Because the self-nature of these dharmas is apart from all dharmas; they lack the reality of any dharma whatsoever.

In this way, one can know the body consciousness and know the emptiness of the body consciousness; know the karmic actions created by 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 karma, there is no creator, and no experiencer of retribution; there are only the separate manifestations of various names and signs.

There is not even the slightest dharma that passes from this world to another world—nothing is carried away. Why? Because the nature of these dharmas is subject to arising and ceasing, empty and illusory, so nothing can be taken along. When the body consciousness arises, there is no place it comes from; when it ceases, there is no place it goes. Wholesome and unwholesome karmic actions, and actions that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome—before they arise, there is no place they come from, and when they cease, there is no place they go. Because all dharmas lack self-nature, they inherently do not possess the nature of all dharmas; they are apart from all dharmas, without the reality of any dharma whatsoever.