Mind Empty and Free of Illness, Returning Home in Triumph

The sixth and seventh consciousnesses are formless and without mark, and the dreams they dream are also formless and without mark—so how could the people, things, and events within a dream have form and mark? Why is it that one can see people, things, and events that have form and mark? How can a formless, markless dream carry people, things, and events that have form and mark? The formless-markless and the formed-marked should be incompatible with each other; since they are incompatible, how can there be people, things, and events within a dream?

By the same reasoning, the tathāgatagarbha is formless and without mark, the seven intrinsically existing great seeds are formless and without mark, and karmic seeds are formless and without mark—so how could all the dharmas that are born have form and mark? All dharmas do not fall outside the tathāgatagarbha; how can the formless, markless tathāgatagarbha carry all dharmas that have form and mark? How can the formless, markless tathāgatagarbha be compatible with all dharmas that have form and mark? Therefore it is said: regarding all dharma-marks, when they fall upon the eye they become a film over the eye; when they fall upon the ear they become a disease; when they fall upon the nose they become film and disease; when they fall upon the tongue they become disease; when they fall upon the body they become film and disease; when they fall upon the mind they become disease; the seventh consciousness becomes disease. Only when the dharmas are seen is there disease in the seventh consciousness; if the seventh consciousness had no disease, where would all dharmas be? Therefore it is said that cultivation is precisely the removal of this film and disease—removing marks and removing grasping. Only when the mind is empty can the disease be cured; when the mind is empty, one returns home having passed the examination. 

Whenever you see a dharma-mark, you must awaken yourself: this is what is seen by a diseased eye; what is seen by a diseased eye means I have a disease, I am ill, I must treat the disease, I must remove the film. If you proceed in this way, sooner or later one day the film and disease will be removed, you will no longer see marks, and you will return to normal. It turns out that none of us were normal people; it turns out that what we took to be normal is in fact not normal—thus it is called normal. The normality after returning to normal is also not normal—thus it is called normal. The liberation after normality is not liberation—thus it is called liberation. Such is the path of cultivation; whatever does not follow this is not cultivation—thus it is called cultivation, false cultivation.

Do not think that studying Buddhism and cultivating the path is about gaining something; rather, it is about removing something—the exact opposite of your former understanding. Whether you wish to gain the Dharma, gain fruition, gain honor, gain the great thousand worlds, gain a wonderful life, or gain splendid direct and circumstantial retribution—no matter what you wish to gain, it is all foolish delusion. You should extinguish the thought of existence and empty out all thoughts.