On the Dual Cessation of Subject and Object

When both subject and object perish: "subject" refers to the mind of the seventh consciousness, "object" refers to the dharmas cognized by the seventh consciousness, and "perish" means cessation. When the seventh consciousness no longer takes the seventh consciousness itself as a real, sovereign self, and no longer takes the dharmas cognized by the seventh consciousness as possessions of the seventh consciousness—acknowledging the false and unreal nature of both subject and object—that is the perishing of both subject and object.

Realizing the emptiness of mind does not mean that the body has become empty or that the six sense objects have disappeared; rather, it means correctly recognizing that the body is empty, the five aggregates are empty, and the six sense objects are empty. It is the mind's conception that has changed: one no longer regards the five aggregates and the physical body as a real self possessing self-nature. The body becoming empty is a state of meditative concentration (samādhi), and the disappearance of the six sense objects is also a state of meditative concentration. Meditative states are subject to arising, ceasing, and change; after the concentration fades away, the body and the sense objects will reappear.