Overall Teaching

In this chapter, the Buddha expounds a brief teaching of emptiness. He focuses on the inability to identify any being or individual in the body. He teaches that nothing truly arises, and that nothing can be known by ignorance, but due to the discriminations of ignorance, we imagine things arising. The Buddha, instead, opens the way to the immortal (the Dharmakāya), which is beyond measure.

Summary

1.     Then the Buddha declared that since emptiness has been declared in many other sūtras, he will only briefly discuss it here: this sūtra is for producing the power of compassion.

2.     This body is like an empty village:

a.     The senses are like six village thieves who dwell in one village without perceiving each other, each running after their own objects.

b.     The mind is like a man running around the village dependent on the six thieves.

c.     The mind gives knowledge from landing, like a bird, upon the senses.

d.     The body is inactive and unreal, arising through causes and out of false discrimination.

3.     The four elements remain in various places in the village, always opposed like snakes in a cage, all disappearing constantly:

a.     Earth and water proceed downwards to destruction.

b.     Fire and air proceed upwards.

4.     Thought and perception arise according to previous acts done.

5.     When the body is dead it is thrown in the cemetery like a piece of wood.

6.     Thus, we cannot find a being or individual: the elements are without origination (this is the meaning of the elements). Things are never found by ignorance, but arise only because of ignorance. This is the meaning of ignorance. And so on: the twelve links are non-originated, and arise due to ignorance (i.e. due to discrimination of mind, their arising is only an illusion, so speaking of their arising is just a convention).

7.     Cut out the view of the self and afflictions with the sword of knowledge.

8.     The Buddha declares that he has opened the door of the City of Nectar (Amṛta, literally means deathless/immortal (indicating also the “lifespan of the Buddha” again, the Dharmakāya), but is also the term for the drink of gods, i.e. ambrosia or nectar), with heroic imagery, he describes how he has conquered the afflictions and taught the Dharma after having, through his firm vow, given up his limbs and possessions.

9.     If one were to count all the particles of dust if one were to cut up all the trees in the entire triple world, it would not count up to the knowledge of the Buddha, even in a single moment (i.e. any thought of discrimination is incompatible with understanding that which is beyond any discrimination—unoriginated, eternal, indivisible, etc.).