Commentary on the Sutra of the Father and Son Assembly (106)

Grasping the Realms of the Six Dusts Only Exhausts the Mind

In a dream, there is no actual sound of music. Not only does one fail to realize it is a dream, but the mind also gives rise to joy, comfort, greed, and attachment—this is even more perverse. There is no actual event, and the state of mind does not truly exist; it is all illusory. Taking the dream as real and constantly recalling and fantasizing about it only exhausts oneself to no avail. There is no real substance to it; pointlessly driving one's mind to indulge in fantasy is simply exhausting the mind with no actual benefit to be gained. Similarly, within the six realms, our mind is also constantly exhausted. Continuously grasping at the realms of the six dusts yields nothing in the end—coming and going empty-handed. Delusions, hopes, wishes, and cravings—all this merely exhausts the mind. In reality, it is useless. At the time of death, it is still like drawing water with a bamboo basket only to end up with nothing.