http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/bud-canon/sutra_of_perfect_enlightenment.html
"Good sons, this 'ignorance' actually lacks substance. It is like a
man who is dreaming. At the time of the dream, there is no
non-existence. But when he awakens he finds that there is nothing
for him to hold on to. Similarly, when the sky-flowers disappear
from the sky, you cannot say that there is a definite point of
their disappearance. Why? Because there is no point from which they
arose. All sentient beings falsely perceive arising and ceasing
within the unarisen. Therefore they say that there is
'transmigration through life-and-death.' "
"Good sons, in the practice of Perfect Enlightenment of the causal
stage of the Tathāgata one understands these 'sky-flowers,' thus
there is no transmigration, nor body/mind to undergo
life-and-death. But they are not caused to be non-existent. It is
because they lack original nature. Now, this [prior] awareness is
in itself void, like empty space. Yet since this awareness that
perceives it to be like empty space is none other than the
appearance of sky-flowers, you also cannot say that there is no
nature of awareness. Existence and non- existence both being
dispelled is called 'according with pure enlightenment.' "
"Why? Because its nature is completely empty; because it is
eternally changeless; because there is neither arising nor ceasing
within the matrix of the Tathāgata, and because there are no fixed
points of view. Like the nature of the reality-realm it is totally
complete and perfect, pervading the ten directions. Therefore it is
called the 'reality-practice of the causal stage.' Bodhisattvas,
relying upon it arouse their pure mind within the Mahayana.
Sentient beings of the degenerate age who practice relying on this
will not fall into erroneous views."
Then, the World Honored One, wanting to restate the gist of this,
spoke a verse. He said:
Mañjuśrī, you should know
All Tathāgatas
From their originally arisen causal stage
Penetrate ignorance
With enlightened wisdom.
Knowing it to be like sky-flowers
They are able to escape transmigration.
It is like the man in the dream
Who has nothing to grasp upon awakening.
Awareness is like space
Equal, changeless.
Enlightenment pervading the worlds of the ten directions
Is none other than the attainment of the Buddha-way.
All illusions cease at no-place
And in accomplishing the Way there is nothing attained.
That's because the original nature is complete, perfect.
In it, bodhisattvas
Are able to produce bodhicitta
All sentient beings of the degenerate age
Practicing this, will avoid erroneous views.
