The Meaning of the Extinction of the Illuminating Nature in the Perfect Clarity's Radiance-Generated Realm as Expounded in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra

The perfectly luminous light of Bodhi shines upon the Dharmadhātu from which it arises. If one clings to this Dharmadhātu as truly existent, as a real and indestructible dharma, as the self or as belonging to the self, then it is like a single leaf obscuring the vision—one perceives illusion but fails to see truth, failing to witness the radiance of the inherently wondrous luminous true mind. Thus, the cycle of birth and death continues unceasingly.

When writing on a blackboard with chalk, what are those written characters? They are all composed of chalk dust. If you recognize only the characters but not the dust, the chalk dust itself becomes obscured. The chalk represents the inherently pure mind, the perfectly wondrous luminous true mind. The chalk dust represents the innate radiance. The characters written on the blackboard represent conventional dharmas. The blackboard represents the world of conventional reality.