It is like a lump of clay compared to particles of clay; they are neither different nor not different. So is gold compared to ornaments. If the lump of clay were different from particles of clay, it would not be composed by them. But it is composed by those particles of clay, so it is not other. Yet if it were not different, there would be no distinguishing the lump and the particles of clay. In the same way, Mahamati, if the consciousnesses of perception were other than the natural state of the receptacle consciousness, they would not be grounded in the receptacle consciousness. Then the extinction of consciousnesses of perception which are no different would be the extinction of the receptacle consciousness, but the extinction of its natural state does not happen. So, Mahamati, there is no extinction of the natural state of the consciousnesses; but rather extinction of compulsive activity.
With the extinguishing of the natural state, moreover, the receptacle consciousness would be extinct. And with the extinction of the receptacle consciousness, this doctrine would be no different from dogmatic nihilism.
Excerpt from “The Lankavatara Sutra", translated by T. Cleary.
Submitted October 08, 2019 at 12:12PM by mojo-power https://ift.tt/2p4v3kE
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