Wiping Out âlaya’s (storage or relative mind) Self-Evidencing to
Reveal One Reality ânanda’s Discrimination
Ananda said: World Honoured One, the King of the Law has
preached the nature of causal enlightenment (Bodhi) which is always
present in the ten directions and which is beyond birth and death;
does this differ from the concept of primordial profundity,
according to the doctrine of Kapila and that of a true Ego
pervading everywhere according to heterodox ascetics who cover
their heads with ashes and dust? The Buddha, while on Lanka
mountain, once said to Mahamati: ìHeretics always speak of natural
existence but I preach causes and conditions which are beyond the
stage they have reached.Now as I look into this nature of
Enlightenment, it is self existent, above birth and death and
beyond all falsehood and inversion. There seem to be neither (your)
causes and conditions nor their natural existence. Will you please
teach us so that we shall not fall into heresies but win the bright
nature of wonderful enlightened True Mind.
Wiping Out ânanda’s Discrimination
Rooting out the self as such
The Buddha said: I have expediently revealed the truth to you,
yet you do not awaken to it but mistake it for being the self as
such. Ananda, if it is the self as such, it should show clearly
that its substance is the self. Now look into this wondrous seeing
and see what is its self; do you mean that light, darkness, clarity
or obstruction is its self? Ananda, if light is its self you should
not see darkness and if the void you should not see obstruction. If
darkness is its self, the nature of your seeing should cease to
exist when there is light; if so, why do you still see light?
Ananda said: If so, the nature of this wondrous seeing is not the
self as such. I now guess that it is created by cause and condition
but I am still not clear about it. I pray the Tathagata to teach me
how this accords with the nature of cause and condition.
Eliminating cause and condition
The Buddha said: You now speak of cause and condition Let me ask
you this: When you see things, the nature of seeing manifests; does
this seeing exist because of light, darkness, clarity or
obstruction? ‚nanda, if it exists because of light, you should not
see darkness and if because of darkness, you should not see light;
it is the same with clarity and obstruction. Again, is this seeing
in a bright, dark, clear or ob- structed condition? Ananda, if it
is clear, you should not see any obstruction and if it is
obstructed you should not see that it is clear; it is the same with
light and darkness.
Revealing the essential Bodhi
ëTherefore, you should know that the essential Bodhi is wondrous
and bright, being neither cause nor condition, neither self as such
nor not self as such, neither unreality nor not unreality, and
neither reality nor not reality, for it is beyond all forms and is
identical with all things (dharma). How can you now think of it and
use the frivolous terminology of the world to express it?
This is like trying to catch or touch the void with your hand;
you will only tire yourself, for how can you catch the void?
Brushing away wrong assumptions
Ananda asked: ëWorld Honoured One, if the nature of Wonderful
Enlightenment has neither cause nor condition, why has the Buddha
always told the bhikhus about the nature of seeing which exists
because of the four conditions of voidness, light, mind and eye;
what does all this mean?
The Buddha replied: I spoke of worldly cause and condition which
have nothing to do with Supreme Reality.
