The Dharma Transmission Verse of Buddha Viśvabhū

Original text:假借四大以为身，心本无生因境有；

前境若无心也无，罪福如幻起也灭。

Explanation: The physical body of sentient beings is composed of the four great seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind. The eighth consciousness, in accordance with the karmic conditions of sentient beings, outputs the four great seeds, and according to the different proportions of the four great elements, manifests the physical bodies of sentient beings; sentient beings then take the body composed of the four great elements as the self. The eighth consciousness that manifests sentient beings originally exists and is not born later; it is an unborn dharma. He is formless and without characteristics, and cannot manifest by Himself alone; He is always together with the various states of the five aggregates that He Himself manifests. Wherever a state of experience appears, there He exists. Therefore, if sentient beings wish to recognize Him and find Him, they must seek Him amid the various states and delusive conditions.

If the various states of the five aggregates disappear—when sentient beings' eyes do not see forms, ears do not hear sounds, noses do not smell scents, and the mind does not think of dharmas, and all consciousnesses have ceased—then the eighth consciousness has no way to manifest upon form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharma, and there is no consciousness to recognize the eighth consciousness; the eighth consciousness then temporarily remains in seclusion. Since the physical body is created by the four great elements, and the conscious mind is illusory, the karmic deeds of sin and merit created by the five aggregates are also illusory. Phenomenally they seem to exist, but in reality they are unborn; there are no real deeds of sin and merit existing. Therefore, sin and merit are all empty, without self and without what belongs to self.