Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (Thirty-Two)

The water element and the nature of the water element are both unattainable

Original text: 大王。此水界相。生无所来。灭无所去。生时本空。灭时亦空。自性空故。无有男相。亦无女相。但唯言说。之所显示。如是水界与水界性。皆不可得。唯佛正智。而能了知。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, the mark of this water element is itself empty, and its self-nature is also empty. If its self-nature were not empty, then when water arises there would be a place it comes from, and when water dries up there would certainly be a place it goes to. Yet when the water element arises, there is no place it comes from, and when it ceases, there is no place it goes; when it arises, the water element is empty, and when it ceases, the water element is also empty.

Because the intrinsic nature of the water element is empty, the nature of the water element itself has no male mark and no female mark; however, when the water element forms our material body, male and female marks appear—thus our male and female marks are also false and empty. They are merely displayed through language, and there are no actual male or female marks. Therefore, it is said that the water element and the nature of the water element are both utterly unattainable; only the Buddha's profound and great wisdom can fully understand these principles.