Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (111)

Why do all dharmas have neither a place of coming nor a place of going

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: The Buddha said: Great King, there is not a single dharma that can transmigrate from this life to the next life. Why is this said? Because the self-nature of all dharmas is ceaselessly arising and ceasing; they do not exist permanently and constantly. When the five aggregates perish at the time of death, all dharmas will cease. Great King, when the body consciousness arises, it has no place of coming; when it ceases, it has no place of going. When karmic actions are created, the karmic formations have no place of coming; when the karmic formations cease, they likewise have no place of going. When the initial mind-consciousness of the next life arises, it has no place of coming; when it ceases, it has no place of going.

Why do all dharmas have neither a place of coming nor a place of going? Because all dharmas are apart from all natures; the self-nature of all dharmas has no characteristics whatsoever; their intrinsic nature is empty and utterly unattainable. Dharmas that are empty and unattainable cannot possibly come or go. One should understand the body consciousness in this way, understanding the emptiness of the self-nature of the body consciousness; understand in this way the karmic actions created by one's own mind-consciousness, understanding that the self-nature of karmic actions is empty; understand in this way the initial consciousness, understanding that the self-nature of the initial consciousness is empty; understand in this way that if all dharmas arise, their arising is empty, and if all dharmas cease, their ceasing is also empty; at the same time, one should also understand that in the creation and transmigration of karmic actions, there is neither a creator nor a receiver of retribution—all dharmas are merely false appearances and names, displayed through discrimination and differentiation.