Commentary on the Pitāputrasamāgama Sūtra (129)

The Three Liberation Gates

Original Text: Your Majesty should know that the sense faculties are like illusions, the realms of perception are like dreams, and all dharmas are empty and quiescent. This is called the Emptiness Liberation Gate. Emptiness itself is without the characteristic of emptiness; this is called the Signless Liberation Gate. If there are no characteristics, then there are no aspirations or pursuits; this is called the Wishless Liberation Gate. These three dharmas coexist with emptiness, proceeding toward Nirvana. The path to Nirvana must first be understood: all dharmas are the true Dharma Realm, the one true Dharma Realm of Alaya Consciousness, pervading the bounds of space throughout the ten directions. These analogies should be understood as such.

Explanation: Your Majesty, you should understand that the six sense faculties—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are like illusions. The various realms perceived by the eyes, the realms heard by the ears, and the realms encountered by all six sense faculties are like events in a dream, unreal. What more is there to pursue? All dharmas are empty and quiescent; there is nothing that is not empty, nothing that is not extinguished—utterly devoid of substance. This is the Emptiness Liberation Gate. Realizing that all dharmas are empty and understanding this emptiness liberates the mind.

The six sense faculties—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are all illusory manifestations. The realms seen by the eyes, the realms heard by the ears, and the realms perceived by the six sense faculties are like events in a dream, unreal. Why should we pursue anything further? All dharmas are entirely empty and quiescent; there is nothing that is not empty, nothing that is not extinguished. Nothing exists at all—this is the Emptiness Liberation Gate. By realizing the emptiness of all dharmas and understanding this emptiness, the mind attains liberation.