Volume III of the Shurangama Sutra: The Tongue Faculty's Entry into the Primordial Tathāgatagarbha's Wondrous True Suchness Nature

Original text: Ānanda, it is like a person who licks his own lips with his tongue. After prolonged licking, fatigue arises. If this person is ill, he experiences a bitter taste; if healthy, he experiences a slight sweetness. Through sweetness and bitterness, the function of the tongue faculty is revealed. When the tongue is still, a bland taste constantly pervades. Both the tongue and the fatigue are manifestations of Bodhi’s weary aspect arising from the two illusory dust-objects of sweetness-bitterness and blandness. Within this, the faculty of knowing emerges, perceiving these dust-phenomena such as sweetness, bitterness, and blandness. This is called the knowing nature of taste. This knowing nature of taste, apart from the two dust-objects of sweetness-bitterness and blandness, ultimately lacks inherent substance.

Explanation: Ānanda, it is like a person who licks his own mouth with his tongue. After a long time, fatigue is felt. If this person is ill, the tongue perceives bitterness; if healthy, it perceives a slight sweetness. Through the two characteristics of sweetness and bitterness, the function of the tongue faculty is revealed. When the tongue is motionless, the mouth remains bland. Both the tongue faculty and the sensation of fatigue are the weary contact phenomena manifested from the Bodhi-mind. Due to the two taste-dusts of sweetness-bitterness and blandness, the tongue faculty generates the faculty of knowing within, perceiving these dust-phenomena like sweetness, bitterness, and blandness. This is called the knowing nature of taste. This knowing nature of taste, separated from the two dust-objects of sweetness-bitterness and blandness, ultimately possesses no inherent nature of its own.

Original text: Thus, Ānanda, you should understand this: the knowing that experiences bitterness and perceives blandness does not come from sweetness-bitterness, does not arise from blandness, does not emerge from the faculty, nor does it arise from emptiness. Why? If it came from sweetness-bitterness, when blandness arises, this knowing would cease—how then could it perceive blandness? If it arose from blandness, when sweetness-bitterness arises, this knowing would vanish—how then could it perceive sweetness-bitterness? If this knowing faculty were produced from the tongue, it would inherently lack the dust-objects of sweetness-bitterness and blandness—thus this knowing faculty of taste would fundamentally lack inherent nature. If it arose from emptiness, emptiness itself would possess the nature of taste—it would not be known by your mouth. Moreover, if emptiness knew by itself, what connection would it have with your sense faculty? Therefore, you should know that the tongue sense-entrance is empty and illusory. It is fundamentally neither conditioned nor spontaneous in nature.

Explanation: Thus, Ānanda, you should know that the knowing which experiences bitterness and perceives blandness does not come from the characteristics of sweetness-bitterness, does not arise from blandness, does not emerge from the tongue faculty, nor does it arise from emptiness. Why is this so? If this knowing came from sweetness-bitterness, when blandness appears, the knowing would cease—how then could it perceive blandness? If this knowing arose from blandness, when sweetness-bitterness appears, the knowing would vanish—how then could it perceive sweetness-bitterness? If this knowing faculty were produced from the tongue faculty, following the tongue’s attributes, it would inherently lack the two dust-objects of sweetness-bitterness and blandness—it would not perceive the characteristics of sweetness-bitterness and blandness. Therefore, it is said that such knowing fundamentally lacks inherent nature. If the knowing arose from emptiness, emptiness itself would possess the knowing nature of taste—the tongue in your mouth would not perceive it. Moreover, emptiness would know the taste-dust by itself—what relation would it have to your tongue faculty? Therefore, it is said that the tongue sense-entrance is empty and illusory. It is fundamentally neither conditioned nor spontaneous in nature, but is the nature of the Tathāgata-garbha.