Selected Discourses from the Father and Son Compendium Sutra (92)

Original text: Great King, you should know that all sense faculties are as illusory as phantoms, and all perceived realms are like dreams. All phenomena are entirely empty and quiescent. This is called the gate of liberation of emptiness. Emptiness itself has no characteristic of emptiness, which is called the gate of liberation of signlessness. If there are no characteristics, then there are no aspirations or desires, which is called the gate of liberation of wishlessness. These three dharmas progress together with emptiness as the path leading to Nirvana. They are as certain as the Dharma Realm, pervading the bounds of empty space. These analogies should be understood thus.

Explanation: Great King, you should know that the six sense faculties are illusory like transformations, and all perceived realms are like dream states. All phenomena are entirely empty and quiescent; this is the gate of liberation of emptiness. When phenomena are empty yet without any characteristic of emptiness, it is called the gate of liberation of signlessness. If phenomena have no characteristics whatsoever, one should give rise to no aspirations or desires; this is called the gate of liberation of wishlessness. Thus, the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—exist together with emptiness, progressing along the path to Nirvana. One should cultivate accordingly. To seek Nirvana, one must first understand that all phenomena are the true reality of the Dharma Realm, the one true Dharma Realm of the alaya-vijnana, pervading the ten directions throughout the bounds of empty space. Only then can one realize Nirvana. These analogies should be understood thus: The six sense faculties—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are all illusory transformations. The various realms perceived by the eyes, the realms heard by the ears, and the realms perceived by all six sense faculties are like events in a dream, unreal. What more should we pursue? All phenomena are entirely empty and quiescent; there is nothing that is not empty, nothing that is not quiescent—utterly nothing. This is the gate of liberation of emptiness. Realizing that all phenomena are empty and knowing this emptiness is liberation. "Emptiness itself has no characteristic of emptiness" is called the gate of liberation of signlessness. The dharma of emptiness has no discernible characteristic that can be seen, described, or indicated; even emptiness itself is empty. This is the gate of liberation of signlessness. Knowing that emptiness has no characteristics whatsoever—not even emptiness—liberates the mind further. If even the characteristic of emptiness does not exist, if even emptiness itself is absent, what emptiness is there to cling to? "If there are no characteristics, then there are no aspirations or desires": If there are no characteristics at all, what aspirations or desires could we possibly have? There is nothing left to seek. This is the gate of liberation of wishlessness. Without aspirations or desires, the mind is even more liberated. When we accomplish the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—we become sages. The three dharmas of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness progress together with emptiness: they neither depart from emptiness nor possess characteristics of emptiness; the three are inseparable, advancing progressively toward ultimate liberation. To enter Nirvana and attain the unborn and unceasing, we should cultivate accordingly. Continuously generate mental activities of emptiness, becoming ever more empty until even emptiness itself is emptied, achieving thorough and complete emptiness. If the mind still harbors any notion of emptiness, true emptiness has not been realized; one must still relinquish even the mind of emptiness. Progressing along the path to Nirvana, one should cultivate in this way to realize Nirvana. Nirvana is liberation; Nirvana is the unborn and unceasing; Nirvana is quiescent and unconditioned; Nirvana is great freedom.