The Transmission Gatha of the Sixth Patriarch Mātaṅga

The Original Text: With no mind, nothing can be attained; to speak of attainment is not the true Dharma. If one realizes the mind is not the mind, only then does one begin to understand the mind and the Dharma of the mind.

Explanation: After awakening to the fundamental mind, one gradually discovers that this fundamental mind differs in nature from the deluded minds of the previous seven consciousnesses; it is not the mental activity within the Three Realms. This mind cannot be attained—it is not acquired externally but is the inherent treasure of the Five Aggregates themselves. It is merely discovered through the guidance of others. If one claims that enlightenment means attaining a particular mind—something that did not exist before but now exists, born after the fact—then it must be a mistaken enlightenment, an enlightenment that has realized the realm of the consciousness mind, which arises and ceases. When the consciousness mind, through meditative cultivation, occasionally perceives emptiness and mistakes that state of emptiness for the fundamental mind, this "fundamental mind" is acquired externally, obtained through meditative practice. When concentration fades, emptiness vanishes, and the fundamental mind disappears, one then practices concentration again to maintain it, striving to keep emptiness constantly present. This method of seeking enlightenment is non-Dharma, a misguided practice. If one understands that the fundamental mind is not the mental activity of the worldly seven consciousnesses but is distinct from the previous seven consciousnesses, and if one fully comprehends all eight consciousnesses, then sentient beings begin to understand the various Dharma characteristics and functions of the fundamental mind, gradually attaining the wisdom of differentiation and the wisdom of the path.