The Dharma Transmission Gatha of the Seventh Patriarch Vasumitra

Original Text: The mind is as vast as the realm of space, revealing the Dharma equal to space; upon realizing the nature of space, there is neither "this" nor "not this."

Explanation: The eighth consciousness of sentient beings is like space—formless, markless, non-active, non-creating, without aspiration, without seeking, without declaration, without demonstration. For this great matter of cause and condition, all Buddhas arise in the world to reveal to sentient beings the mind-Dharma of the tathagatagarbha, which is akin to space. Sentient beings, upon hearing the Buddha's teaching and guidance, diligently cultivate and practice. When they realize the tathagatagarbha with a mind as vast as space, they gradually discover that all phenomena in the world lack independent, self-existing substance. All phenomena arise, manifest, and appear based on conditions dependent upon the tathagatagarbha; they are entirely the result of the function, nature, and activity of the tathagatagarbha. Thus, every phenomenon is itself empty; every phenomenon is itself the empty-natured mind, the tathagatagarbha. The relationship between any phenomenon and the tathagatagarbha is neither identical nor different—they share common aspects yet possess distinct natures and functions. There is no dichotomy of "is" or "is not."