Chapter XII — Showing the World (RiBa)

Chapter XII

~SHOWING THE WORLD~

Perfect Wisdom the Mother of All Buddhas

The Lord: It is as with a mother who has many children, - five, or ten, or twenty, or thirty, or forty, or fifty, or one hundred or one thousand. As she falls ill, we each do whatever is possible to prevent this mother from dying, to keep her alive as long as possible, to keep any unpleasantness away from her body. As we are aware of the fact to her we owe our existence, as in her own great pain she brings us into this world, as she instructs us in the way of this world.

We now look directly to her, give her anything to ease her discomfort and suffering, protect her well, make much of her, and we hope she is free from pain- derived from contact with eyes, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind, or coming from wind, bile, phlegm, or a disorder of the humours, or from stinging insects, mosquitoes, or crawling animals, from beings or from ghosts, from anything falling upon her, or tearing her asunder, or from a disastrous crash.

In this way we honor our mother by giving her all this which may ease her suffering, allow for her to know how dear she is, cherish and protect her, as we are aware she is our mother and begetter, who, in her own great pain, brings us into this world and instructs us always in the way of this world.

In just this same way Tathagatas bring this perfection of wisdom to mind, and it is through their might, sustaining power and grace we write, learn, study, spread and repeat this. And these Tathagatas, which also dwell in other world systems just now, -for the weal and happiness of all, with great compassion for all and for the weal and happiness of this great body of beings, with compassion as this absolute sameness of all beings- these bring this perfection of wisdom to mind, and are of great zeal, as this perfection of wisdom is lasting, as it is not destroyed, as what's seen as Mara and his host cannot prevent this perfection of wisdom from being taught, written, and practiced.

So fond are Tathagatas of this perfection of wisdom, as much do these cherish and protect its process of perfection. Wisdom is mother and begetter, her process of perfection indicates and reveals to us all-knowledge, her perfection instructs us as the way of the world. As her perfection do Tathagatas appear. As her perfection begets, indicates and realizes pure cognition as all-knowing, this perfection indicates to us and as us this world as it is. This all-knowledge of Tathagatas appears as her most profound perfection.

Tathagatas of three times as well as beyond are enlightened perfection of wisdom. It is as this perfection of wisdom these Tathagatas are instructed and generated...and instruct and generate us in this world, so we may be instructed and generated...and instruct and generate as well. Thus we come, thus we go. Flashes of enlightening and pure undifferentiated awareness, identical with absolute emptiness, this dark as pitch notion, infinite as space.

How Tathagatas Know the World

Subhuti: How does perfection of wisdom instruct Tathagatas in this world, and what is this the Tathagatas call 'world'?

The Lord: The five skandhas are by the Tathagatas declared as 'world' [loka]. Which five? Form, feeling, perception, impulse, and consciousness.

Subhuti: How do five skandhas come to be shown up by perfection of wisdom of Tathagatas, or what is shown up by her?

The Lord: Skandhas are shown and realized by this perfection of wisdom of Tathagatas as 'this world' [loka], as these do not crumble, nor crumble away [lujyante, pralujyante]. These five skandhas are emptiness as to any own-being and devoid of any own-being and sameness, inasmuch as can be said with any meaning whatsoever of emptiness, so, can neither crumble nor crumble away. As this sense, this perfect wisdom instructs these Tathagatas in this world. As emptiness can neither crumble nor crumble away, so the Signless, the Wishless, the Uneffected, the Unproduced, Non-existent, and all-completeness of any Realm of Dharma.

How Tathagatas Know Thoughts of All Beings

Moreover Subhuti, due to this perfection of wisdom, Tathagatas quite naturally know immeasurable and incalculable beings as these really are. This comes about through the inevitable dissolution of obscurations. For, herein is simultaneously revealed an increase toward, or away from pure cognition, depending on one's perspective and relationship to these six perfections and Noble Eightfold Path, primarily right intention and right action. Eventually this 'pinnacle' awareness comes about as all-knowledge. This is, however, completely different and other than bits and pieces of knowing formulated of some discursive thought process. This naked realization is of an objectless and purely undifferentiated experience of this uniform non-existence of any individualized or collective own-being within any sentience whatsoever.

Again, Tathagatas are naturally aware of thoughts and actions of immeasurable and incalculable beings, since 'here' or anywhere, in anytime, or in anyway for any beings is no real existence. This indication only of some thing called existence, exists neither as separate individualities as many 'ones', nor any totality of individualities, neither any singular one, nor any grouping of two or more, and not even simply as one divided into many...because ultimately and this means even now, any beings and things are incalculable and immeasurable. And even still, Tathagatas, again due to this perfection of wisdom, are naturally aware of the collected thoughts of countless beings as only 'collected thoughts'. And how do Tathagatas come to be cognizant of this?

This is naturally cognized, for as pure awareness, this "collectedness of thought" is realized as equivalent to extinct [for, any thing called singular, lone or individual thought, etc., speaking also in terms which are 'thought of' as having an existential basis and from some 'point of view' in existence, does not exist, and is purely cognized as not-other than already as infinitely absolute by Tathagatas. But, this doesn't materialize or manifest as having been thought of. - What does matter in truth is...what is such as eventually becomes thought as any relative result of it's 'original' pristine continuum of absolution? or even, What is any thought at any 'time' or 'place' a result of, in spite or regardless of what we may think?]

This extinction is just non-extinction, as this which is realized as extinct, 'is' no-thing to be extinct and as such is merely non-extinct. Furthermore, Tathagatas are naturally cognizant of distracted thoughts of beings as such, as these Tathagatas realize 're'-occupation with any thought as mere distraction, for just as objects of this world, even thought is known as external, and a grave distraction from this sourceless-source of which these are spontaneously manifest with neither time nor limitation. Not even mindfulness can be effortlessly directed as such toward this realm of Dharma. For even as in this consideration of 'the one divided into many', ...in truth, what is this dreamed of 'one anything' other than, as a basis (?), from which to determine its singularity? As here is no-thing other than this 'one', this 'one' has no-thing or support upon which to lean to determine either itself, or any phenomena whatsoever as this or these dharmas. So as even one cannot be determined as such, how much more so hundreds of ones? How much more so hundreds of thousands of ones? How much more so hundreds of thousands of niyutas of kotis of ones? Such is what is meant as immeasurable and incalculable. Such, in this true aspect is infinite. This 'one', all 'ones', are exactly identical as being only an instantaneous reflection of an inexplicable and spontaneous interdependence merely seeming to be individuated by habits coming to be established from beyond any thought or knowledge of this process of reification, hereby 'creating', first of all, this duality called thought itself, (ignorance) so as to attempt to determine some separateness of an illusion of even this non-existent oneness...an appearing of some thing, from the essentially pure infinite space/awareness as ground of any and all being. Suchness is a wholeness at once of space and primordial awareness. Here is neither one nor parts of one, neither many individual ones nor none. As Suchness is beyond thought and measurement, Such is as Suchness is.

On another hand, Tathagatas realize these thoughts as ultimate reality, and as such are without marks, cannot extinguish, just as any true continuity is not interrupted, not distracted. These cannot, as emptiness, be directed on external objects. Tathagatas are cognizant of and realize the infinite and inexhaustible mind of being, of be-ness. Tathagatas are aware, as compassion.

All beings are understood, for as cognizant mind these buddhas naturally realize immeasurable non-extinction of space as immeasurable non-extinction of mind. Buddha-Mind as this infinite continuum is neither produced nor sustained in any time, cognizes neither production nor cessation, neither gives nor requires any support. As infinity cannot be measured, as inexhaustible is Dharma. Tathagatas realize obscurred minds and the cause of obscuration. Such as Tathagatas realize these minds of people are not actually obscurred by perverted views, which, as nothing other than wrong ideas, are also not sustained. Tathagatas realize unobscure thoughts. Tathagatas see these minds being transparently luminous as essential original nature. Tathagatas realize slack thoughts as well as the reasoning by which they occur. Tathagatas realize these thoughts are unable to slouch on any resting place. Tathagatas cognize tensely active thoughts as these are. A Tathagata realizes these thoughts are exerted so as to win dispassion, and these can no longer be exerted when nothing is left which can be seized upon.

Tathagatas realize thoughts as outflows. As such one realizes even these thoughts as without own- being, as false representations of no-thing. Tathagatas realize thought as this is merely as this might seem. Anyone merely aware comes to realize, as an outflow any thought is non-existent. As continuity is pure, no-thing neither is nor is not directed, or not. Tathagatas realize any thoughts such as these merely seem to be, yet are not as these are.

Tathagatas realize a greedy mind is not mind as empty awareness, as mind is not a greedy mind. Tathagatas realize 'any' mind as free from greed. Such as these realize any mind as with thoughts of greed is not a greedy mind, as thought of greed and even mind non-exist as 'true reality', as mind which forsakes greed is not greed, nor even mind as detached from greed. Tathagatas naturally realize minds as greedy and as free from greed. These realize in the same manner, minds as hateful and as free of hate, as deluded, as well as without delusion. Tathagatas as awareness realize any thoughts of beings. Tathagatas realize thoughts as not joined to this world of appearance, as these do not appear as the world of appearance. Tathagatas realize extensive or abundant thoughts. Tathagatas realize thoughts neither diminish nor increase; as thoughts can not depart. For thought cannot do so as thoughts cannot be other than this realm of Dharma, thus is here no-where here and nothing outside this to even consider, inasmuch as thought merely could. Tathagatas realize thoughts as neither great, as this which these may be, nor lacking as this which these may not. These Tathagatas realize these thoughts neither come hither nor go away, as any reality such as thought, is not included in the present as such.

Tathagatas realize thoughts which are thought of as great, merely appear different, as any and all are the same, for such neither appears as sameness, yet neither are these different, nor do these exist in any form of own-being whatsoever. For here, any thought which is thought of as 'here' is no thought nor other, nor even awareness as present. Tathagatas realize thought without limitation, as such lean on nothing. Tathagatas realize thought with perceiving attributes perceive thought as own-being, for as no thought exists without perceptible attributes, still any and all thought is without marks, these are neither isolated nor not isolated as any object, nor as imperceptible, neither within nor without any range of the three or five kinds of vision. As primordial emptiness/awareness, Tathagatas realize reacting thoughts as emptiness, and as devoid of objective support as these are of subjective sustanence. Tathagatas realize non-reacting thoughts without 're'-occupation as non-dual, as neither having any own-self nor other against which to react. Tathagatas realize lower [energy] thoughts as no self-conceited imagining. Tathagatas realize supreme [infinitely energetic] thoughts as unimpeded, just as the least thought is neither apprehended nor ignored.

Tathagatas realize unconcentrated thoughts as attached to differences; [directed as faulty representations of this world as separate things, such thoughts are distracted], for any such thoughts cannot achieve synthesis, due to these being unconcentrated. Tathagatas realize concentrated thoughts as neither same nor different from dharma, for distractions dissolve, revealing synthesis, and increasingly concentrated and rarified thoughts are like unto space. Tathagatas realize this which appears as unemancipated thought is already now emancipated, as these are non-existent as 'own-being'. Tathagatas realize emancipated thoughts, as these cannot grasp any thought of any past, nor of any future, or even any present, as thought is not even present. Tathagatas realize imperceptible thoughts as neither here nor perceived as reality, as such cannot be discerned; for even as such, thought being discerned falls short of perfect reality, and such cannot be grasped, - not by the eye of wisdom, not by the heavenly eye, how much less by the fleshly eye, since it does not come within the range of any of these eyes.

Furthermore, Tathagatas naturally realize tendencies of countless beings to make positive and negative statements about objects. [269] These ideas arise in dependence on form and other skandhas. How do any beings discern dependence on these skandhas of these positive and negative statements? If we take such statements as, "Tathagatas continue to exist after death", and "Tathagatas do not continue to exist after death", and "Tathagatas do and do not continue to exist after death", and "Tathagatas neither do nor do not continue to exist after death", these statements refer to these skandhas known as 'Tathagatas' only and these statements have no basis in the true reality of Tathagatas. This holds good of similar statements, i.e. when one says: "Eternal are self and the world, -just that is the truth, everything else is delusion." And so if one maintains either self and the world are non-eternal, are both eternal and non-eternal, neither eternal nor non-eternal, such statements still refer merely to these skandhas. [270] Or, similarly, if one maintains that self and the world are finite, or not finite, or both finite and not finite, or neither finite nor not finite. Or, finally, if one says "that which is the soul, that is the body," or "one thing is the soul, another the body," all these statements refer only to skandhas. It is a result of perfection of wisdom [in verse and application] these Tathagatas realize these positive and negative statements for what these are. [271] Tathagatas cognize even skandhas as identical with Suchness.

This is how and why as a result of perfection of wisdom [in verse and application], these positive and negative statements are realized as these are. It is thus Tathagatas reveal to realization Suchness of Tathagatas, as of skandhas, as Suchness of positive and negative statements. And just as this is Suchness of skandhas, as well is this Suchness of worlds. As this is said by Tathagatas..."these five skandhas are reckoned as world(s)." So here, Subhuti, as such is Suchness of skandhas, such is Suchness of these worlds; as such is Suchness of this world, such is Suchness of all dharmas; as such is Suchness of all dharmas, such is Suchness as fruit of a Streamwinner, so on up to: as such is Suchness of Pratyekabuddhahood, such is Suchness of Tathagatas. As a result, Suchness, -Suchness of Tathagatas, of skandhas, of dharmas, of holy Disciples and Pratyekabuddhas- is just Suchness without a trace of variety such as positivity and negativity, as nothing beyond even one, non-different, non-extinguishable, unaffected, non-dual, nor with even a question of duality. [272] In humbleness and compassion of perfection of wisdom, Suchness as Tathagatas is neither realized nor not realized, as Such is as Suchness. Thus Tathagatas reveals this world to this infatuated world [as such is also] preoccupied as unreasoned passion(s). Thusly this vision of worlds takes place. Thus...perfect wisdom is mother of Tathagatas, as such spontaneously appear, neither as her result nor not. Thus...Tathagatas, neither realizing nor not realizing Suchness, cognize Suchness of worlds, as Non-falseness, as unaltered Suchness. Thus, as these neither do nor do not 'realize' Suchness [tathata] Tathagatas are called, 'Tathagata'.

Subhuti: Suchness is beyond fathom and unfathomable, O Lord. Enlightenment of Buddhas and Lords is neither brought about nor revealed through nor by Suchness, yet merely as Suchness...neither within nor without any times, any place, neither as direction nor directionless. Whoever else neither realizes nor does not realize Suchness? Any irreversible Bodhisattvas, or Arhats whose right intentions are fulfilled, or persons whom achieve as right views these fathomless stations described by Tathagatas as Suchness, as Tathagata are enlightened as these.

The Lord: So it is, Subhuti. Suchness, as Tathagatas fully neither do nor do not 'realize', is inexhaustible, as Tathagatas are purely aware [beyond thought and word...as space] of Suchness as such, and can describe Suchness as inexhaustible...for Suchness, neither fully 'realized' nor not...is infinitely pure awareness [as space...dharmakaya].

Fathomless Marks and How They are Fastened

So now, headed by Sakra, Chief of Gods, the Gods of the realm of sense-desire and of the realm of form and twenty thousand of the Gods of the realm of Brahma have come to see the Lord, salute his feet with their heads, and standing to one side, these ask: As fathomless dharmas are revealed, how, O Lord, are the marks fixed onto these? [273]

The Lord: Marks are fixed on to the fact these fathomless dharmas are empty, signless, wishless [the three doors to deliverance], not brought together, not produced, not stopped, not defiled, not purified, so, as such these non-exist, beyond even samsara and nirvana, as does also this realm of Dharma, and Suchness. As these marks are not supported by anything such are like unto space. These marks are not fixed on by Tathagatas, as these cannot be reckoned among skandhas. As these are not dependent on skandhas, such are not fixed on by Gods, Nagas nor any beings, and these cannot be shaken off by the world with its Gods, beings and Asuras. For even this world with its Gods, beings and Asuras has just this mark. No hand has fixed on these marks. Would this be correct to say space is fixed on something?

The Gods: No, Lord, as it would have to be conditioned.

The Lord: Well said, and this is true, O Gods. Regardless of whether Tathagatas are produced or not, [274] these marks stand out just as such. In accordance with what stands out, just as such Tathagatas describe this reality, as such Tathagatas fully realize it. As such are Tathagatas called 'Tathagata'.

Subhuti: Fathomless, O Lord, are these marks as Tathagatas fully realize perfection of wisdom as unattached cognition/awareness of Tathagatas. This field in this unattached cognition is perfection of wisdom, this range of Tathagatas.

The World Shown as Empty

The Lord: So it is, Subhuti. With this process of perfection of wisdom are Tathagatas instructed within worlds. As Tathagatas are spontaneously interdependent with dharma, as also with this perfection of wisdom, to this extent are these dharmas which stand without support fully realized by Tathagatas, as these take their stand nowhere. As such, these dwell interdependently as just Dharma. Tathagatas treat Dharma with respect, revere, worship and adore this, as these realize this essential nature of dharma is just perfection of wisdom. Just as all-knowledge of Tathagatas is realized as perfection of wisdom, Tathagatas are grateful and thankful for her. With justice can Tathagatas be called "grateful and thankful" [kritajna kritavedin]. With gratitude and thankfulness Tathagatas [275] favor and cherish this vehicle for such is this path by which these realize full enlightenment. One knows this gratitude and thankfulness of Tathagatas. In addition, Tathagatas fully know all dharmas as neither made [akrita] nor unmade, as not brought together. This also, one knows as gratitude and thankfulness of Tathagatas. It is as gratitude to perfection of wisdom this cognition of Tathagatas thus proceeds in all dharmas. This is another aspect of the fact this perfection of wisdom simultaneously instructs Tathagatas in this world.

Subhuti: But how can perfect wisdom instruct Tathagatas in this world if all dharmas are unknowable and imperceptible?

The Lord: It is good, Subhuti, as you question Tathagata about this matter. All dharmas are indeed unknowable and imperceptible as these are empty, and cannot lean on anything. It is thus all these dharmas are, as perfect wisdom, fully known by Tathagatas. Another reason also perfection of wisdom can be regarded as the instructress of Tathagatas in this world is that none of the skandhas is viewed.

Subhuti: How can here be a non-viewing of form, feeling, perception, impulse, or consciousness?

The Lord: As in this continuum arises merely an apparent act of consciousness which has no skandhas as objective support, here this non-viewing of form, etc., takes place. But, just this non-viewing of the skandhas is viewing of the world. This is the way in which this world is viewed by Tathagatas. Thus perfection of wisdom acts as instructress in these worlds to Tathagatas. And how does perfection of wisdom show up this world for what it is? She shows this world as empty, unthinkable, calmly quiet. As purified of itself she shows up the world, she makes it known, she indicates it, yet does nothing.

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