Complete text |
Title |
Preface |
Chapter 1: Pramuditā |
Chapter 2: Vimalā |
Chapter 3: Prabhākarī |
Chapter 4: Arciṣmatī |
Chapter 5: Sudurjayā |
Chapter 6: Abhimukhī |
Chapter 7: Dūraṃgamā |
Chapter 8: Acalā |
Chapter 9: Sādhumatī |
Chapter 10: Dharmameghā |
Chapter 11: buddhabhūmi |
The three realms are declared to be
Compounded – from conditions born.
That they are empty of themselves
Is voidness of compounded things. (6.191)
As stated:
What is emptiness of the compounded? The compounded refers to the three realms. The desire realm is empty of the desire realm. …1
The uncompounded is that which
Does not abide, remain or cease.
That that is empty of itself:
The uncompounded’s emptiness. (6.192)
The words of itself, refer to the uncompounded. As stated:
What is the emptiness of the uncompounded? The uncompounded refers to that which does not arise, cease, disintegrate, or remain and then transform. That which is uncompounded is empty of the uncompounded. …2
When limits have no relevance,
We say that it transcends all bounds.
That that is empty of itself
Is emptiness of boundless things. (6.193)
As stated:
What is the emptiness of the boundless? Bounds refers to the extremes of eternalism and nihilism, and what has no such bounds is boundless. The boundless is empty of the boundless. …3
With no first start or final end
Samsara is beginningless
And endless; no migration there,
It’s like existence in a dream. (6.194)
That this is empty of itself
Is called the emptiness of no
Beginning and no end; and this
The Treatise clearly explicates. (6.195)
As stated:
What is the emptiness of no beginning or end? Where there is neither beginning nor end, there is no middle. And where there is no beginning, end or middle, there is no coming and going. As this neither constantly remains nor disappears, the beginning, end and middle is empty of a beginning, end and middle. …4
Beginning means a start. End means a conclusion.
To spurn denotes that one rejects
Or casts aside. And there’s one thing
That one must not let go of, that
Should not be spurned or left aside. (6.196)
The fact that what should not be spurned
Is likewise empty of itself,
Is what is called the emptiness
Of that which never should be spurned. (6.197)
As stated:
What is the emptiness of that not be spurned? To spurn means to reject, cast aside, or let go of. What should not be spurned is empty of what should not be spurned. …5
To spurn means to give something up, and not to spurn something means to never give it up.6
The essence of compounded things
And so forth aren’t created by
Disciples, solitary ones,
The victor’s heirs, tathāgatas. (6.198)
The essence of compounded things
Is therefore termed their true nature.
That that is empty of itself
Is emptiness of true nature. (6.199)
As stated:
What is the emptiness of the true nature. The true nature of all phenomena is not made, it is not created. It is not made up by the hearers. …7
The eighteen dhātus, senses six,
Sensations that arise from them,
All things material and not,
All things compounded and what’s not; (6.200)