Lectures on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (Pitāputrasamāgamanasūtra) (85)

All dharmas arise and cease, empty and illusory

Original text:大王。无有少法。从于此世。得至他世。所以者何。性生灭故。大王。身识生时。无所从来。灭无所去。彼业生时。无所从来。灭无所去。初识生时。无所从来。灭无所去。何以故。自性离故。

如是了知。身识身识空。自业自业空。初识初识空。若灭灭空。若生生空。了知业转。无有作者。亦无受者。但唯名相。分别显示。

Explanation: Great King, there is not even the slightest dharma that can be carried from this life to another life. Why is this so? Because all dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing. Great King, when the body consciousness arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. When the karmic actions created by the conscious mind arise, they come from nowhere; when they go, they go nowhere. When the first consciousness arises in the physical body, it likewise comes from nowhere, and when it ceases, it goes nowhere. Why do these dharmas have no place of coming and no place of going? Because the self-nature of these dharmas is apart from all dharmas; there are no real dharmas whatsoever.

In this way, one can know the body consciousness and know the emptiness of the body consciousness; know the karmic actions created by oneself and the emptiness of those karmic actions; know the first consciousness and the emptiness of the first consciousness. If these dharmas cease, their ceasing is also empty; if these dharmas arise, their arising is also empty. Knowing the flow of karmic force, there is no creator and no experiencer of retribution; it is all merely the discriminative display of various names and signs.