Empty Mind, No Sickness, Triumphant Return

The seventh and sixth consciousnesses are formless and without marks, and the dreams they dream are also formless and without marks. How, then, could the people, things, and events within the dream have form and marks? Why is it possible to see people, things, and events that have form and marks? How can a formless, markless dream carry and support people, things, and events that have form and marks? The formless-markless and the formed-marked should be incompatible with each other; since they are incompatible, how could there be people, things, and events within the dream?

By the same reasoning, the tathāgatagarbha is formless and without marks, the seeds of the seven great elements are formless and without marks, and karmic seeds are formless and without marks—how could all the dharmas they give birth to have form and marks? All dharmas do not fall outside the tathāgatagarbha; how could the formless, markless tathāgatagarbha carry and support all dharmas that have form and marks? How could the formless, markless tathāgatagarbha be compatible with all dharmas that have form and marks? Therefore it is said: regarding all dharma-marks, when they fall into the eyes they become an eye-film (cataract), when they fall into the ears they become an ailment, when they fall into the nose they become film and ailment, when they fall into the tongue they become an ailment, when they fall into the body they become film and ailment, when they fall into the mind they become an ailment, and the seven consciousnesses become the ailment. Only when the seven consciousnesses are afflicted does one see dharmas; if the seven consciousnesses were unafflicted, where would all dharmas be? Therefore, cultivation is precisely the removal of this film and ailment—the removal of marks and attachments. Only when the mind is empty can the ailment be cured; when the mind is empty, one returns having attained the prize. 

Whenever you see a dharma-mark, you must awaken yourself: this is what the afflicted eye sees—what the afflicted eye sees. I have the ailment, I am in the midst of the ailment, I must treat the ailment, I must remove the film. Going on like this, sooner or later one day the film and ailment will be removed, marks will no longer be seen, and one will return to normal. It turns out that none of us are normal people; what was taken to be normal is in fact not normal—thus it is called normal. The normality after returning to normal is also not normal—thus it is called normal. The liberation after normality is not liberation—thus it is called liberation. The path of cultivation is just like this; what is not like this is not cultivation—thus it is called cultivation, a false cultivation.

Do not think that studying Buddhism and cultivating the path means gaining something; rather, it means removing something—the exact opposite of your former understanding. Whether you wish to gain the Dharma, gain fruits, gain honor, gain the great thousand worlds, gain a wonderful life, gain a sublime retributive body and circumstantial rewards—no matter what you wish to gain, it is all deluded fantasy. You should extinguish all notions of existence and empty out every notion.