All Dharmas Arise from the Mind's Thinking

All dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing, impermanent, suffering, and empty; all dharmas are like illusions and conjurations; all dharmas are like dreams and dew; all dharmas are like wind and shadows; all dharmas are like bubbles and foam. No matter how you grasp and cling, in the end it is still emptiness, emptiness, emptiness—apart from emptiness there is only emptiness. Would it not be better to sit quietly in a tranquil courtyard, watching the winds and clouds arise, watching all dharmas come, watching all dharmas go; watching all dharmas arise, watching all dharmas fall; watching all dharmas arise, watching all dharmas cease. But your mind must not arise and cease along with all dharmas, must not come and go along with all dharmas, must not cling to or grasp any dharma. All dharmas are all dharmas, and you are you; all dharmas were never truly all dharmas, and so you must empty your mind.

In the Saha world, wherever there are people, there are matters; where there are matters, there are disputes and gossip. Matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts—for ordinary beings, these are perfectly normal. If you feel they are not normal, that there should be no matters and disputes, no gossip and conflicts, then you are no longer an ordinary being. To an ordinary being, matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are just that—matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts. But for one whose mind is empty, seeing matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts, they are not matters and disputes, not gossip and conflicts; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts arise and cease, change and are impermanent, suffering, and empty; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are like illusions and conjurations; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are like shadows and echoes; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are like dreams and dew; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are themselves bodhi; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are themselves the Path; or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are themselves suchness (tathatā); or one sees that matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts are themselves the Buddha-nature. In that case, where would there still be matters and disputes, gossip and conflicts? Where would there still be turmoil?

The world is originally at peace; it is your mind that is not at peace, and so all dharmas become unpeaceful. Great turmoil in the world arises from your mind, and so you must bear responsibility for the great turmoil in the world. Yet having stirred up great turmoil in the world, you fundamentally cannot bear that responsibility—what then? Cultivate! Extinguish the mind! Extinguish the mind's greed, anger, and delusion; extinguish the mind's meddling; extinguish the mind's disputes and conflicts; extinguish the marks on the mind; extinguish the mind's grasping and clinging. In that way, what matters and disputes would remain? Would the world not be quiet? At peace? Empty? Purify your mind, and you purify all dharmas, purify the world, purify sentient beings—is this not then delivering sentient beings? Is this not then accomplishing a pure land? This is cultivation; this is the result of cultivation; this is the merit of cultivation. What more is there to seek? What is there to cling to? What is there to grasp?