The True Meaning of All Phenomena Being Pure and Clean in the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment

The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment states that all dharmas are pure. Why? Evil dharmas, wholesome dharmas, hell realms, heavenly palaces, and all worldly dharmas are pure. Why? Slandering the Buddha and destroying the Dharma are also extremely pure; slandering the Sangha and destroying temples are also extremely pure. Naturally, practicing Buddhism, cultivating the Way, and the six perfections of a bodhisattva are even more pure. Why? Because all dharmas are the wondrous function of the Tathagatagarbha, inherently empty in their very essence. Even if not empty, they are still pure. For example, a machine designed by humans to slaughter sentient beings—its actions are without defilement because it has no mind, no intention to create the karma of killing, nor any autonomy. Thus, it does not create the karma of killing. Its actions belong to the program design, belonging to the designer’s intent.

When one attains the realization that all dharmas are empty, the karma of hell is also empty, and one need not fall into hell. For example, an illusionist conjures men and women; though these illusory beings create various wholesome and evil karmas, there are no karmic retributions. All karmas are illusory transformations, without substance. If there appears to be substance, it is all the work of the illusionist.

Suppose the illusionist manifests two people, and one kills the other. Yet, there is no killer, nor is there one killed. The act of killing is also an illusion. The master of the illusion is the illusionist, yet the illusionist does not receive retribution. Truly, there is no killing, no one creating karma, and no one receiving retribution. All dharmas are illusory transformations—where is there anything real? Those who speak of reality are deluded and inverted. Therefore, there is no need for us, upon awakening from a dream, to regard the dream as a dream, for the waking state is also a dream—just like observing a dream within a dream, all is dream. The observer is a dream. Observation is a dream! All dharmas are a dream.