Life Is Indeed Precious

Life is truly precious,

Yet nirvāṇa is worth even more;

If it be for attaining buddhahood,

Both can be cast away.

Nirvāṇa is a state — a state of tranquility without clamor, a state neither arising nor ceasing, a state neither increasing nor decreasing, a state neither defiled nor pure (na saṃkleśo na vyavadānam), a state neither coming nor going. Since it is a state, it must exist in dependence on some real dharma; it must be illusory and false; it must be capable of arising and ceasing; and it must be something that can be abandoned.

Therefore it is said that nirvāṇa is not ultimate and cannot be dwelt in; those of great wisdom will not grasp at it or cling to it. Only the tathāgatagarbha is a real dharma, is ultimate reality, is a real entity — it does not need to depend on other dharmas or other conditions to exist; it need not be born and cannot cease; it is tranquil and without clamor; it never changes or varies; and it can never be relinquished, never be cast away.

Therefore the tathāgatagarbha is the most reliable and the most worth pursuing, yet it also need not be sought; it cannot be dwelt in or attached to, nor can one ever dwell in it.