The Six Entrances of Illusions
“Again, Ananda, why do I say that the six entrances of illusions are fundamentally the absolute nature of the Tathagata store? Although staring causes fatigue to the eye, the eye and the stress itself are but trouble arising from Bodhi. Since the seeing arises in the states of light and darkness, it has no independent substance that exists apart from light and dark.
“Thus, Ananda, you should know that seeing comes from neither light nor dark, neither the organ of sight nor emptiness. Why? If it came from light, it would cease to exist when it is dark, and you would not see darkness. If it came from dark, it would cease to exist when there is light, and you would not see light. If it came from the sense organ, there would be no light and darkness, and the essence of perception would have no nature of its own. If it came from emptiness, it would also see the organ of sight, and would have nothing to do with entrance through the eyes. Therefore, you should know that entrance through the sight is false, and that it is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
復次阿難。云何六入，本如來藏妙真如性。阿難。即彼目睛瞪發勞者，兼目與勞，同是菩提瞪發勞相。因於明暗二種妄塵，發見居中，吸此塵象，名為見性。此見離彼明暗二塵，畢竟無體。如是阿難。當知是見，非明暗來，非於根出，不於空生。何以故。若從明來，暗即隨滅，應非見暗。若從暗來，明即隨滅，應無見明。若從根生，必無明暗。如是見精，本無自性。若於空出，前矚塵象，歸當見根。又空自觀，何關汝入。是故當知眼入虛妄。本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, for example, if a person suddenly closes his ears with two fingers, he will hear sound in his head. Both the closing as well as the hearing come from Bodhi. And you should know that hearing comes neither from motion nor stillness, and neither from the ears nor emptiness. Why? Because if it came from motion, it would cease to exist when there is stillness and would not hear of stillness. If it came from stillness, it would cease to exist when there is motion and would not hear of motion. If it came from a sense organ, this faculty of hearing would have no self-nature since there would be neither stillness nor motion. If it came from emptiness, emptiness would then become hearing and no longer be emptiness. Therefore, you should know that entrance through the ears is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，以兩手指急塞其耳，耳根勞故，頭中作聲，兼耳與勞，同是菩提瞪發勞相。因於動靜二種妄塵，發聞居中，吸此塵象，名聽聞性。此聞離彼動靜二塵，畢竟無體。如是阿難，當知是聞，非動靜來，非於根出，不於空生。何以故。若從靜來，動即隨滅，應非聞動。若從動來，靜即隨滅，應無覺靜。若從根生，必無動靜。如是聞體，本無自性。若於空出，有聞成性，即非虛空。又空自聞，何關汝入。是故當知，耳入虛妄。本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, for example, suppose a person suddenly holds his breath, there will be a sensation of cold in his nose. Because of this sensation, he can distinguish ventilation from suffocation, and emptiness from fullness, and he can smell fragrance and odors. Both the breath-holding as well as the sensation of the nose are trouble that arises from Bodhi. You should know that smelling comes neither from ventilation nor obstruction, and neither from the nose nor emptiness. Why? Because if it came from ventilation, it would cease to exist when there is obstruction. If it came from obstruction, it would cease to be clear and fail to come into contact with fragrance or odors. If it came from a sense organ, this faculty of smelling would have no self-nature since there would be neither ventilation nor obstruction. If it came from emptiness, emptiness would then have smell and no longer be emptiness. Therefore, you should know that entrance through the nose is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，急畜其鼻，畜久成勞，則於鼻中，聞有冷觸，因觸分別，通塞虛實，如是乃至諸香臭氣，兼鼻與勞，同是菩提瞪發勞相。因於通塞二種妄塵，發聞居中，吸此塵象，名嗅聞性。此聞離彼通基二塵，畢竟無體。當知是聞，非通塞來，非於根出，不於空生。何以故。若從通來，塞則聞滅，云何知塞。如因塞有，通則無聞，云何發明香臭等觸。若從根生，必無通塞。如是聞機，本無自性。若從空出，是聞自當迴嗅汝鼻。空自有聞，何關汝入。是故當知鼻入虛妄。本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, if for instance, a person repeatedly licks his lips with his tongue, he will have fatigue from the licking. If he is sick, he will experience a bitter taste; if he is healthy, he will have a subtle sweet taste. Sweetness and bitterness demonstrate the tongue’s sense of taste, which is usually tasteless in the absence of stirring. Both the fatigue and the taste are but illusion arising from Bodhi. This illusion is due to false externals such as bitterness or sweetness and then drawn into Alaya’s perception (Storehouse Consciousness) which is called taste. It has no independent substance apart from flavors such as sweetness, bitterness, and tastelessness. You should know that this perception of taste comes neither from the flavors, nor from the sense organ, nor from emptiness. Because if it came from flavors, it would vanish in the state of no-flavors. If it came from the tongue (which is originally neither sweet nor bitter nor tasteless), this faculty of tasting would have no self-nature. If it came from emptiness, the emptiness would then have taste and no longer be emptiness. Therefore, you should know that entrance through the tongue is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，以舌舐吻，熟舐令勞。其人若病，則有苦味。無病之人，微有甜觸。由甜與苦，顯此舌根，不動之時，淡性常在。兼舌與勞，同是菩提瞪發勞相。因甜苦淡二種妄塵，發知居中，吸此塵象，名知味性。此知味性，離彼甜苦及淡二塵，畢竟無體。如是阿難。當知如是嘗苦淡知，非甜苦來，非因淡有，又非根出，不於空生。何以故。若甜苦來，淡則知滅，云何知淡。若從淡出，甜即知亡，復云何知甜苦二相。若從舌生，必無甜淡及與苦塵。斯知味根，本無自性。若於空出，虛空自味，非汝口知。又空自知，何關汝入。是故當知，舌入虛妄。本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, now suppose a person touches his warm hand with his cold hand. If the cold exceeds the warmth, his warm hand will become cold. If the warmth exceeds the cold, his cold hand will become warm. The sensation of warmth or cold is felt through the contact and separation of the two hands. The contact, the hands, and the feeling experienced are all but trouble arising from Bodhi. The trouble occurs where there are false conditions of contact and separation, and is then drawn into Alaya’s perception called touch. It has no nature independent of conditions. You should know that this perception of touch comes neither from contact nor from separation, neither from sense organ nor from emptiness. If it came from contact, it would vanish in the state of separation. If it came from a sense organ, it would be free from other conditions, then the body that feels the conditions would have no self-nature. If it came from emptiness, the emptiness would feel the touch and no longer be emptiness. Therefore, you should know that entrance through the hands is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，以一冷手。觸於熱手。若冷勢多，熱者從冷。若熱功勝，冷者成熱。如是以此合覺之觸，顯於離知。涉勢若成，因於勞觸。兼身與勞，同是菩提瞪發勞相。因於離合二種妄塵，發覺居中，吸此塵象。名知覺性。此知覺體，離彼離合違順二塵，畢竟無體。如是阿難。當知是覺，非離合來，非違順有，不於根出，又非空生。何以故。若合時來，離當已滅，云何覺離。違順二相，亦復如是。若從根出，必無離合違順四相。則汝身知，元無自性。必於空出，空自知覺，何關汝入。是故當知身入虛妄。本非因緣，非自然性。
“Ananda, now again, suppose a person goes to sleep when he is tired. After a night of sound sleep, he awakens and tries to recollect what he experienced while asleep. He recalls some things and forgets others. This is the inverted condition of birth and death, stay and change, which is continuously taken into the mind or inner intellect, each following the next without ever being overtaken. The mind and the experiences are all trouble arising from Bodhi. It comes from perceiving the false conditions such as birth and death, a perception that covers all inner data, which cannot be reached either by seeing or hearing, which is called knowing. This knowing has no substance of its own apart from the states of waking and sleeping, or from the conditions of birth and death. Thus, you should know that the organ of knowing comes neither from the states nor from the conditions, and neither from the organ nor from the emptiness. If it came from the waking state, it would cease to exist in the sleeping state. If it came from birth, it would cease to exist at death, then who will die? If it came from death, it would cease at birth, then who is living? If it came from the organ, then while the body experiences the waking and sleeping, the knowing would have no self-nature. If it came from emptiness, the emptiness would know everything and no longer be emptiness. Therefore, entrance through the intellect is neither causal nor conditional nor self-existent.
阿難。譬如有人，勞倦則眠，睡熟便寤，覽塵斯憶，失憶為忘，是其顛倒生住異滅，吸習中歸，不相踰越，稱意知根。兼意與勞，同是菩提瞪發勞相。因於生滅二種妄塵，集知居中，吸撮內塵，見聞逆流，流不及地，名覺知性。此覺知性，離彼寤寐生滅二塵，畢竟無體。如是阿難。當知如是覺知之根，非寤寐來，非生滅有，不於根出，亦非空生。何以故。若從寤來，寐即隨滅，將何為寐。必生時有，滅即同無，令誰受滅。若從滅有，生即滅無，誰知生者。若從根出寤寐二相隨身開合，離斯二體，此覺知者，同於空華，畢竟無性。若從空生，自是空知，何關汝入。是故當知，意入虛妄。本非因緣，非自然性。
Buddha Mind 