Now that it has been demonstrated that phenomena, which are by nature like magical illusions, are an unceasing display, we must now show how these same phenomena come from nowhere, just like optical illusions, or tricks of sight. Phenomena appear, and yet they have no intrinsic being. They arise from nowhere, just like something seen in an optical illusion. It is said in the middle-length Prajnaparamita Sutra, “Subuti, phenomena are like tricks of sight, by their nature, they come from nowhere…” This teaching, condensed into an essential instruction, is divided into three parts, corresponding to Ground, Path and Result.
First, by means of the view, we establish the Ground, which, like a trick of sight, comes from nowhere. Shadows are cast by material forms, they arise in the shape of these forms, but are different in kind. In similar fashion, there is the radiance of awareness of the primordial ultimate expanse — empty, luminous, spontaneously present. This corresponds to the material form. Not recognizing this radiance, beings stray into the duality of apprehended and apprehender. And there appear, concomitant with the radiance of awareness, The Five Aggregates, The Five Elements, The Five Defilements, The Five Sense-Objects, The Five Material-Sense Organs, and so on.
They are different in kind from the radiance of awareness, for they manifest as a host of hallucinatory appearances that afflict, obstruct and are impure, and, as Karma and The Five Defilements. So it is that there are The Three Worlds and Six Migrations, wherein beings circle through the coming together of causes and conditions. Just like shadows cast by material forms, even so are manifold hallucinatory experiences. When the conditions are assembled, the deceptive mechanism of Karma manifests.
On the basis of false appearance, beings turn and wander, in a further level of hallucinatory experience. Childish beings, who do not understand that संसार Saṃsāra is like an optical illusion, constantly take it as something real. Their mental consciousness strongly clings to apparent, but hallucinatory sense-objects: form, sound, smell, taste, textures — all of which are perceived, but are without real existence.
Beings are engrossed in sense-objects. They hold to ‘I’ and ‘mine’ — and thus turn constantly in Samsara. They are like children, who lose themselves in their games. If one does not understand that the apparent world is devoid of intrinsic reality, one is deceived by it. And even among those engaged upon the path, there are many who are just like childish people.As The Way of The Bodhisattva tells us, children can’t help crying when their sandcastles come crumbling down. My mind is so like them when praise and reputation start to fail. It is thus that childish beings are attached to appearances that are, in fact, just tricks of sight. Therefore practicioners are exhorted to understand the nature of phenomena and realize their lack of intrinsic being. Phenomenal existence, the universe and beings, happiness and suffering, the high and the low — are all like tricks of sight. Such optical illusions, which appear, even though they do not exist, are produced in relation to certain forms and are not different from them, in respect of their arising, duration and subsiding. They are like a shadow that is cast: like a second moon, like darkness, and so on.
In brief, this means, respectively, that on the basis of an actual form, another form appears as a copy. A second form manifests, and another form arises in the manner of a reflection. In contrast with the actual form, these secondary forms are categorized as optical illusions, because they are not causally effective. Likewise, if all phenomena are examined, they are like tricks of sight. For, although they appear, they have no intrinsic being. If they are left unexamined, they seem to be perfectly fine. If, on the other hand, they are minutely investigated, even the partless particles, and the subtle moments of consciousness that support coarse, extended phenomena, are found to be without any identifiable nature. They are like space: they do not have any existence at all.
Since, like tricks of sight, all phenomena are devoid of intrinsic being, they are by nature primordially empty. But in what way are they empty?
Samsaric phenomena appear like tricks of sight. They do not have any true characteristics of their own. When they are examined, they are empty. They are none other than the mere subjective experience of one’s mind. And this condition of theirs is their primordial state. This primordial state is the emptiness of phenomena. The fact that, while they appear within the self-cognizing mind, they have no existence from their own side. It does not mean that phenomena are investigated as to their past. Therefore, everything that appears, is just this subjective experience of one’s own mind. It is like a trick of sight.
Everything should be understood as the mind’s radiant display, which has no existence within awareness: the fundamental nature. Within the nature of the mind, which is rootless, and because of subtle ignorance, which is difficult to discern, hallucinatory appearances arise ever-more vividly and extensively.
When a small thing appears to be great in size, this is a hallucination. For example, in an immense desert, and at a distance, a crow may appear to be as big as a yak, and a yak may look as large as a mountain. This impression occurs because the desert is dry, and one is in a distressed state, overcome by the heat, and furthermore, the object is very far away. It is the same in the case of the appearances of Samsara. Because of the subtle ignorance of self-grasping, which is the root, one becomes habituated to conceptual ignorance, and to the dualism of apprehending subject and apprehended object. By this means, one provides the cause, and through various actions, one provides the conditions, for the various hallucinatory appearances of the outer-universe and the beings it contains, which pervade the whole infinity of space.
All this derives from a subtle root, hard to discern. Yet if this same root is examined, it is found to be the utterly pure nature of the mind, which is itself, rootless. The rootless nature of the mind is the root of all phenomena.
Because the Ground and root are subtle, they are hard to discern, and cannot be indicated with words. However, if one leaves the mind alone, without contrivance, it will clarify in the same way that muddy water does when it is left to stand. No one is able simply to annul an optical illusion. But if the form that triggers the trick of sight in the first place is removed, the optical illusion will no longer occur. In the same way, it is not possible simply to remove the hallucinatory appearances of Samsara, for the simple reason that they are not actually existent things. On the other hand, it is through halting one’s apprehension and clinging to such appearances, that the latter will disappear. When all apprehension or clinging is left to settle in its own nature, all this will be brought to an end. How can the duality of apprehender and apprehended remain, when all conceptuality collapses?
Whatever appears cannot be conceived of, expressed, or found… Everything within phenomenal existence is like an optical illusion. It appears and yet is devoid of intrinsic being. With regard to the phenomena that appear in the world, one should overcome the partiality of accepting or rejecting them. The assumption of their true existence and all attachment and aversion and so on. And with regard to the ideas that appear in The Tenent Systems, one should discard all partisan attitudes in distinguishing between cause and effect, appearance and emptiness, the two truths and the aggregates, elements and sense-fields. They appear to perception, but if one does not indulge in clinging to them, one will come to the understanding that they are all simply a vivid, naked, free state of openness. This is what is meant when one speaks of the fundamental way of being of phenomena.
Do not think of anything. Do not ponder anything. Do not alter anything. Stay naturally relaxed. This uncontrived condition is the treasury of non-origination; the path that all Buddhas take: past, present and to come.
This concludes the section on the establishment of the Ground. We now turn to the practice of the Path… Understanding that all phenomena are like optical illusions, one should remain in a state of meditative evenness. As a preliminary to this, one should practice Guru Yoga and one should pray to one’s teacher for help, in seeing that everything is like a trick of sight. The six objects, form and so on, the six organs, the eyes and so on, and the six consciousnesses, such as the consciousness of sight — all things, whether they are appearing phenomena, or mental designations, are devoid of true existence, just like optical illusions. When one reaches such an understanding, one should settle in a state of meditative evenness, free of thoughts and recollections.
As it is said in the Sutra, all thinking is non-virtuous. It is a virtue to refrain from thinking. When there is no recollection, when there is no cogitation, then it is that one recalls The Buddha.
The teaching for the night practice is as follows: one should first visualize within one’s heart, a ball of five-colored light and one should fall asleep in a state that is free of all reference. One will understand that all the things that appear in one’s dreams are nothing but optical illusions. One can then assume different forms in one’s dreams, and transform them, as previously described. The immediate result of this practice is the realization that all things are like optical illusions. And on the basis of such an understanding, one will have the meditative experience of the collapse of hallucinatory appearance. And this will certainly propel one out of Samsara. Meditative concentration will be accomplished, and likewise, various powers of vision, preternatural clairvoyant knowledge, and various miraculous abilities. Through meditative stability, the lower pleasures of the senses are discarded. All kinds of perfect knowledge, clairvoyance, concentration — all are truly gained.
Meditative experience is like smoke. Whereas realization is like fire. Realization consists in the assimilation of the fact that the nature of awareness is a state of groundless openness. If one remains without distraction in this realization, the meditative experiences of bliss, luminosity and no-thought will manifest. Realization is the perfect assimilation of the ultimate status of phenomena. As one grows accustomed to this state, one experiences in one’s body, and mind, the signs of warmth. And this is referred to as meditative experience.
As for the ultimate Result of this practice, it is through the full understanding of phenomena as tricks of sight that one comes to the realization of their fundamental nature, which is groundless and empty. One is consequently released from Samsara, and one attains to the state beyond sorrow. Through wisdom, having perfectly cognized the nature of phenomena — The Three Worlds one will utterly transcend. Certain that phenomena are empty forms, appearing, yet unreal; nonexistent yet perceptible — may beings come to perfect peace within the vast and unoriginate expanse, devoid of mind’s elaborations.
The dualistic play of apprehender, apprehended, like an optical illusion, teeters of the brink of dissolution. And when hallucinatory appearance, the dark of ignorance, dissolves, the sun of self-arisen luminosity arises from within. May others see, as I have done, the way things truly are.
Because phenomena in their variety appear to be, they may seem also not to be. May the deluded, clinging to these two alternatives, collapse, all by itself. Within the state of non-dual evenness of utter freedom and transparent openness, may beings altogether gain their freedom. All, without exception.
This concludes the chapter that is like a trick of sight, a commentary on the third Vajra Point, of Finding Rest in Illusion, a teaching of The Great Perfection.