Essential Dharma of Mind Transmission (EDoMT) 1xix

(my translation):

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EDoMT 1xix

真實不虛是第一義諦。學道人莫疑四大為身。四大無我。我亦無主。故知此身無我亦無主。五陰為心。五陰無我亦無主。故知此心無我亦無主。六根六塵六識和合生滅亦復如是。十八界既空。一切皆空。唯有本心蕩然清淨。

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The truth of ultimate meaning¹ is really without falsehood. Students-of-the-way [should] not doubt that the body is of the four great-elements² , that the four great-elements are devoid of a self, that the self is also devoid of a master. Therefore know that this body is devoid of self and also devoid of master.

[Do not doubt that] the mind is of the five skandhas³ , that the five skandhas are devoid of a self and also devoid of a master. Therefore know that this mind is devoid of self and also devoid of master.

The bounded combinations of the six [sense] roots, six [sense] dusts and six vijnanas⁴ , in their arising and passing-away, are also as such - [devoid of self and devoid of master]. Since the eighteen realms⁵ are empty, everything is entirely empty. There is only the original mind, absolutely clear and pure.

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1. There are two types of truth mentioned in Buddhism - that of conventional truth and that of ultimate truth. Conventional truth describes reality through the dualistic experience of a seemingly substantial world. Ultimate truth describes everything as empty (refer to section 1xxiv on such an emptiness). This ultimate truth is also known as the truth of ultimate meaning.

2. In Buddhism, the four great-elements are earth (representing the quality of solidity or attractive force), water (representing the quality of liquidity or relative motion), fire (representing the quality of heat or energy) and air/wind (representing the quality of expansion or repulsive force). Maha-Rahulovada Sutta gives a detailed teaching by Buddha on the contemplation of no-self with regards to the body of four great-elements.

3. Skandhas mean aggregates or heaps. There are five types of skandhas: rupa (material-form/four-great-elements), vedana (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral feelings), sanna (perception), sankhara (mental construction) and vijnana (consciousness). Anatta-lakkhana Sutta gives a detailed teaching by Buddha on the contemplation of no-self with regards to the five skandhas.

4. Vijnana can mean 'divided or discriminated knowing/knowledge'. It is usually translated as 'consciousness' in English. The six vijnanas are eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness and mental-consciousness, which arise when the sense roots (faculties) are in contact with their respective sense dusts (objects).

5. The eighteen realms are simply the respective realm of each of the six sense roots (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and intellect/manas), the respective realm of each of the six sense dusts (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharma) and the respective realm of each of the six vijnanas (refer to point 3). These eighteen realms cover all phenomena, and hence is synonymous to everything.

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Submitted May 27, 2020 at 12:01PM by chintokkong https://ift.tt/2M7oFB3