Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas Do Not Perceive Paramārtha-śūnyatā

Original text from the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra: The Middle Way is called Buddha-nature. Because of this meaning, Buddha-nature is eternal and unchanging, without variation. Due to the covering of ignorance, sentient beings are unable to perceive it. Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas perceive the emptiness of all phenomena but do not perceive the non-emptiness. Furthermore, they perceive the selflessness of all phenomena but do not perceive the Self. Because of this meaning, they do not attain the ultimate truth of emptiness. Because they do not attain the ultimate truth of emptiness, they do not practice the Middle Way. Without the Middle Way, they do not perceive Buddha-nature.

Explanation: The Middle Way is called Buddha-nature; therefore, it is said that Buddha-nature is eternal and unchanging, without variation. Due to the covering of ignorance over the mind's eye, sentient beings are unable to perceive Buddha-nature. The practice of Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas remains solely within the realm of phenomena; they cannot transcend beyond the phenomenal realm. Therefore, they only perceive the emptiness of all phenomena within the phenomenal realm and do not perceive the non-empty Buddha-nature beyond the phenomenal realm. Furthermore, Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas only perceive the selflessness of all phenomena within the phenomenal realm but do not perceive the Buddha-nature Self beyond the phenomenal realm. Consequently, Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas cannot realize the ultimate truth of emptiness. Because they cannot realize the ultimate truth of emptiness, they are not practicing the Middle Way. Without the Middle Way, they do not perceive the Buddha-nature of the Middle Way.

For reference to the Middle Way nature of Buddha-nature, see the Middle Way nature of the Tathāgatagarbha as explained by the Buddha in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. Both Tathāgatagarbha and Buddha-nature are existent dharmas, truly existing; their essence is non-empty, while their nature is empty. Sentient beings, due to ignorance, cling to the phenomenal dharmas of the conventional world and lack the wisdom to investigate the true dharmas, the real dharmas, behind the phenomenal realm; thus, they cannot realize Tathāgatagarbha and Buddha-nature.

Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas also possess the ignorance regarding the Mahāyāna Dharma. They likewise do not investigate the true dharmas, the real dharmas, behind the phenomenal realm and cannot empirically realize Tathāgatagarbha and Buddha-nature. They only perceive the emptiness of the phenomenal realm and do not perceive the non-emptiness of the true dharma behind it. They do not know that precisely because of the non-emptiness of the ultimate truth of the true dharma, the emptiness of the phenomenal realm can exist. Therefore, their practice leans towards emptiness and lacks the Middle Way. That true dharma is precisely the fundamental essence of sentient beings, their original face, which is the Self of sentient beings, the true Self. From this true Self, the illusory self of the five-aggregate world arises, yet this illusory self is not the true Self. Consequently, the emptiness realized by Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas is not ultimate; thus, it is not the Middle Way but a deviation, leaning towards pure emptiness, where emptiness and existence are not perfectly harmonized.