On the Extinction of Both Subject and Object

The dual extinction of subject and object\: the subject refers to the mind of the seventh consciousness, the object refers to the dharmas cognized by the seventh consciousness, and extinction means cessation. When the mind of the seventh consciousness no longer takes the seventh consciousness as a real, self-governing self, and no longer takes the dharmas cognized by the seventh consciousness as possessions of the seventh consciousness, and acknowledges the false and unreal nature of both subject and object, that is the dual extinction of subject and object.

Realizing the emptiness of mind does not mean that the body has become empty and the six sense-object realms have disappeared; rather, it means correctly recognizing that the body is empty, the five aggregates are empty, and the six sense-object realms are empty. It is the mind's views that have changed—no longer regarding the five aggregates and the physical body as a real self possessing self-nature. The body becoming empty is a state of meditative concentration, and the disappearance of the six sense-object realms is also a state of meditative concentration. Meditative concentration is subject to arising, ceasing, and change; after the concentration dissipates, the body and the realms will reappear.