The Five Aggregates
“Ananda, you are still not clear about the illusory appearances of all passing phenomena which vanish wherever they arise. These illusions in the shape of forms spring from their underlying nature, which is the wonderful Bodhi. So are the six portals (organs), the twelve ayatana (six sense organs and six sense data) and the eighteen realms of senses, which falsely arise from the mixture and union of causes and conditions, and which falsely vanish when the same causes and conditions are disconnected. They are but creation and destruction appearing and vanishing within the wonderfully bright, permanent, immutable, all-embracing Bhutatathata (absolute) nature of the Tathagata store wherein neither coming nor going, neither delusion nor enlightenment, and neither birth nor death can be found.
阿難。汝猶未明一切浮塵，諸幻化相，當處出生，隨處滅盡。幻妄稱相，其性真為妙覺明體。如是乃至五陰六入，從十二處，至十八界，因緣和合，虛妄有生，因緣別離虛妄名滅。殊不能知生滅去來本如來藏。常住妙明，不動周圓妙真如性。性真常中求於去來迷悟生死，了無所得。
“Why are the five aggregates fundamentally the wondrous nature of the Absolute Tathagata? Ananda, when a man looks at a clear sky with clear eyes, he sees only the void containing nothing. If suddenly without any apparent reason, he adjusts his seeing, then it is disturbed and he starts seeing flowers dancing in the sky.
“Ananda, these dancing flowers come neither from the void nor from his eyes. If they came from the void, they would return to it; if there were really such a coming and going of these flowers, the void would not be empty. If void was not empty but solid, then flowers could not appear and vanish in it. (It is like Ananda’s body, which does not allow another Ananda to enter it.)
“If the flowers come from the eyes, they should be able to return to the eyes, and because they come from the faculty of seeing, they should be able to see things. Thus, when they leave the eyes, they become flowers in the sky; when they return, they should be able to see the organ of sight. If they cannot see things, they should be able to screen the sky when they leave and veil the eyes when they return.
“But as we know, when the man sees the flowers, his eyes are not veiled. Then why do you wait until the sky is clear of everything to say that your eyes are clear? Therefore, you should know that the aggregate form is unreal for it is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。云何五陰，本如來藏妙真如性。阿難。譬如有人，以清淨目，觀晴明空，唯一晴虛，迴無所有。其人無故，不動目睛，瞪以發勞，則於虛空，別見狂華，復有一切狂亂非相。色陰當知亦復如是。阿難。是諸狂華，非從空來，非從目出。如是阿難。若空來者，既從空來，還從空入。若有出入，即非虛空。空若非空，自不容其華相起滅。如阿難體，不容阿難。若目出者，既從目出，還從目入。即此華性從目出故，當合有見。若有見者，去既華空，旋合見眼。若無見者，出既翳空，旋當翳眼。又見華時，目應無翳。云何睛空，號清明眼。是故當知色陰虛妄，本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, when a man is in good health and his limbs are in good condition, he does not feel anything. But if suddenly, without any reason, he rubs his palms together, he feels coarseness or smoothness, cold or warmth. It is the same with the second aggregate vedana. These sensations come from neither the void nor his palms.
“If they come from the void, why are they felt by his palms only and not by his body? If they come from his palms, they should not have waited for the palms to be brought together to be felt. Moreover, if they really come from his palms and are felt when the latter are brought together, then when they are separated, these sensations should re-enter the body, which should feel their re-entry.
“And they should also be felt by the mind as coming in and out, as if something going in and out of the body. If so, there was no need to bring the two palms together in the first place, in order to feel these sensations. Therefore, you should know that the aggregate vedana is unreal and is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，手足宴安，百骸調適，忽如忘生，性無違順。其人無故，以二手掌，於空相摩，於二手中，妄生澀滑冷熱諸相。受陰當知亦復如是。阿難。是諸幻觸，不從空來，不從掌出。如是阿難。若空來者，既能觸掌，何不觸身。不應虛空，選擇來觸。若從掌出，應非待合。又掌出故，合則掌知，離則觸入，臂腕骨髓，應亦覺知入時蹤跡。必有覺心，知出知入。自有一物身中往來。何待合知，要名為觸。是故當知，受陰虛妄，本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, if someone speaks of sour plums, your mouth will start watering, and if you think of walking above an overhanging cliff, you will have the sensation of shivering in your legs. This is the same with the third aggregate sanjna. The talk of sourness does not come from the plum, nor does it enter your mouth. If it comes from the plum, it should be spoken of by the plum itself. If it enters your mouth, it should be your mouth which actually talks about it and not someone else. If it is your ears which alone hear it, why the water does not come out of the ears? This is the same with your thought of walking above a cliff. Therefore, you should know that the third aggregate sanjna is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，談說酢梅，口中水出。思蹋懸崖，足心酸澀。想陰當知，亦復如是。阿難。如是酢說，不從梅生，非從口入。如是阿難。若梅生者，梅合自談，何待人說。若從口入，自合口聞，何須待耳。若獨耳聞，此水何不耳中而出。想蹋懸崖，與說相類。是故當知，想陰虛妄，本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, the fourth aggregate samskara is like water which flows in a torrent endlessly over a fall. This flow does not come from the void nor is it due to the water; it is neither the water itself nor does it exist apart from the void and the water. If it is created by the void, boundless space would become an endless flow of water and the whole world would be submerged. If it is due to the water, then it should have its own form and location. And it is impossible for it to exist apart from the void and water, since space is all-embracing and there is no flow without water. Therefore, you should know that the fourth aggregate samskara is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如瀑流，波浪相續，前際後際，不相踰越。行陰當知，亦復如是。阿難。如是流性，不因空生，不因水有，亦非水性，非離空水。如是阿難。若因空生，則諸十方無盡虛空，成無盡流，世界自然俱受淪溺。若因水有，則此瀑流性應非水，有所有相，今應現在。若即水性，則澄清時，應非水體。若離空水，空非有外，水外無流。是故當知，行陰虛妄，本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, the fifth aggregate consciousness is like the void in an empty pitcher with two holes. If someone blocks both holes and carries it to another location, the void does not go from one place to another. If the void comes from somewhere, that place should lose some of its voidness, and on arriving elsewhere, once the holes are opened and the pitcher reversed, one should see the void being poured out of it. Therefore, you should know that consciousness is unreal and is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.”
阿難。譬如有人，取頻伽缾，塞其兩孔，滿中擎空，千里遠行，用餉他國。識陰當知亦復如是。阿難。如是虛空，非彼方來，非此方入，如是阿難。若彼方來，則本缾中既貯空去，於本缾地，應少虛空。若此方入，開孔倒缾，應見空出。是故當知，識陰虛妄，本非因緣，非自然性。
Buddha Mind 