Explanation of Selected Passages from the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: The Ultimate Truth

楞伽经原文：尔时大慧菩萨摩诃萨。复白佛言。世尊。惟愿为说。离一异俱不俱。有无非有非无。常无常。一切外道所不行。自觉圣智所行。离妄想自相共相。入于第一真实之义。诸地相续渐次。上上增进清净之相。随入如来地相。无开发本愿。譬如众色摩尼境界。无边相行。自心现趣部分之相。一切诸法。我及余菩萨摩诃萨。离如是等妄想自性。自共相见。疾得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。

Explanation: The Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Mahāmati requests the World-Honored One to expound the ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya). After the bodhisattvas understand the ultimate truth, they can advance from bhūmi to bhūmi, enter the Tathāgata ground, and become the perfectly accomplished Buddha, the World-Honored One. This ultimate truth is apart from oneness and difference, apart from both-together and not-both-together, apart from existence and non-existence as well as neither existence nor non-existence, and apart from permanence and impermanence. The wisdom realm of this ultimate truth is not known by any of the non-Buddhist practitioners (tīrthikas); none of them can realize it. Only the noble ones who have already awakened and attained the bhūmis can realize it. The noble ones can be apart from the self-nature marks and common marks possessed by the deluded mind of the seven consciousnesses, and realize entry into the true and profound principle, that is, the ultimate truth. Then, beginning from the first bhūmi, they can advance progressively from bhūmi to bhūmi, their mind-ground becoming ever purer; when ignorance is completely severed and the mind of the seven consciousnesses is thoroughly purified, they enter the Tathāgata ground and become the perfectly accomplished Buddha.

This ultimate truth is like a maṇi jewel that can manifest boundless, immeasurable radiance and can manifest the marks of immeasurable, boundless conditioned dharmas. Mahāmati Bodhisattva says: as for a portion of the marks of the phenomenal realm manifested by one's own mind, and the marks of all dharmas, I and the other bodhisattva mahāsattvas can all be apart from these illusory marks manifested by the ultimate truth through the deluded thinking of the mind of the seven consciousnesses, be apart from the self-nature marks and common marks of these illusory marks, and see only the mark of the ultimate truth itself; in this way one can swiftly attain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. The self-nature marks and common marks of deluded thinking include both the material form (rūpa) portion and the mental dharma (citta) portion produced by the ultimate truth.

Among these, "oneness and difference" refers to the relationship between the ultimate truth and all dharmas, which is neither one nor different: "oneness" means in common, "difference" means not the same; the ultimate truth and all dharmas have both a portion in common and a portion that differs. "Both-together and not-both-together" refers to the relationship between the ultimate truth and all dharmas, which is neither together nor not together: the ultimate truth and all dharmas are both together and not together. "Existence, non-existence, neither existence nor non-existence" refers to the nature of existence and non-existence of the ultimate truth, its nature of being neither existent nor non-existent: the essential nature of the ultimate truth exists, yet its worldly appearance does not; therefore it both exists and does not exist, being neither existent nor non-existent. "Permanence and impermanence" refers to the permanent and impermanent nature of the ultimate truth: the ultimate truth abides permanently without perishing, and the seeds of the seven great elements also abide permanently without perishing; however, the karmic seeds of the seven consciousnesses that it contains arise, cease, and change, and are not of a permanent nature, which causes even its name to be impermanent—as the stages of cultivation differ and the contained karmic seeds change, its name changes accordingly.