Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (96)

All dharmas arise and cease, false 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 the slightest thing that can be carried from this world to another world. 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 arise, they come from nowhere; when they cease, they go nowhere. When the first consciousness arises, it also 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, and they lack the reality of any dharma.

In this way, one can know the body consciousness and know the emptiness of the body consciousness; know the karmic actions one has created 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 transmigration of karma, there is no creator and no receiver of retribution; it is all merely the discriminated display of various names and marks.

There is not the slightest thing that can be carried from this world to another world—nothing is taken away. Why? Because the nature of these dharmas is subject to arising and ceasing, empty, and illusory, so nothing can be taken away. When the body consciousness arises, it comes from nowhere; when it ceases, it goes nowhere. Wholesome and unwholesome karmic actions, and actions that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome—before they arise they have no place of coming, and after they cease they have no place of going. Because all dharmas lack self-nature, they inherently do not possess the nature of all dharmas; they are apart from all dharmas and lack the reality of any dharma.