Discourse on the Pitāputra-samāgama Sūtra (165)

The Three Dharma Gates of Emptiness, Signlessness, and Wishlessness Progress Step by Step, Leading to Ultimate Liberation

The emptiness without any sign of emptiness is called the gate of liberation of signlessness. The Dharma of emptiness has no visible, describable, or definable sign. Even emptiness itself is empty—this is the gate of liberation of signlessness. Knowing that emptiness has no sign whatsoever, not even emptiness itself, the mind becomes even more liberated. If even the sign of emptiness is absent, and even emptiness itself does not exist, then what emptiness is there to cling to? If there is no sign, there is no wish or seeking. If even signs are absent, what wishes or desires could we have? There is nothing further to seek—this is the gate of liberation of wishlessness. Without wishes or seeking, the mind becomes even more liberated. When we accomplish the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—we become Sages.

The three Dharmas of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness progress alongside emptiness. They neither depart from emptiness nor possess the sign of emptiness. The three are inseparable, advancing step by step, leading to ultimate liberation. If we wish to enter Nirvana and attain the state of non-arising and non-ceasing, we should practice accordingly—continuously generating the mental formation of emptiness, becoming increasingly empty until even emptiness itself is empty, thereby achieving complete and thorough emptiness. If the mind still holds onto even a notion of emptiness, then true emptiness has not been attained, and the mental conception of emptiness should still be eliminated. On the path to Nirvana, one should practice and study in this way to realize Nirvana. Nirvana is liberation; Nirvana is non-arising and non-ceasing; Nirvana is quiescence and non-action; Nirvana is great freedom.