འཕགས་པ་ལྷག་པའ་བསམ་པ་བརྟན་པའ་ལའ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 8

8

so, too, noble son, here there are some bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen who do not understand the Tathāgata’s dharmadhātu and who wrongly perceive the result of a stream enterer where there is no result of a stream enterer, wrongly perceive the result of a once-returner where there is no result of a once-returner, wrongly perceive the result of a non-returner where there is no result of a non-returner, wrongly perceive the result of an arhat where there is no result of an arhat, wrongly perceive the result of a pratyekabuddha where there is no result of a pratyekabuddha, wrongly perceive the result of a buddha where there is no result of a buddha, and wrongly perceive the result of nirvāṇa where there is no result of nirvāṇa, concluding that they are there although they do not exist. They become joyful, ecstatic, and exhilarated by a joy that has no truth to it. They should be seen as just like that person. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Therefore, noble son, faithful noble sons and daughters should understand all phenomena to be just like the perception of water that arises in a mirage. Those who understand phenomena in this way are on the right course. Those who understand otherwise are not on the right course. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Noble son, this may be illustrated as follows: suppose a woman takes up a mirror and examines the features of her face. In the highly polished mirror she sees a beautiful and good-looking reflection. While she concludes about it that she will not give rise to desirous thoughts about this reflection, the reason being that it is not hers, nor does she belong to it, do you think, noble son,

so, too, noble son, here there are some bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen who do not understand the Tathāgata’s dharmadhātu and who wrongly perceive the result of a stream enterer where there is no result of a stream enterer, wrongly perceive the result of a once-returner where there is no result of a once-returner, wrongly perceive the result of a non-returner where there is no result of a non-returner, wrongly perceive the result of an arhat where there is no result of an arhat, wrongly perceive the result of a pratyekabuddha where there is no result of a pratyekabuddha, wrongly perceive the result of a buddha where there is no result of a buddha, and wrongly perceive the result of nirvāṇa where there is no result of nirvāṇa, concluding that they are there although they do not exist. They become joyful, ecstatic, and exhilarated by a joy that has no truth to it. They should be seen as just like that person. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Therefore, noble son, faithful noble sons and daughters should understand all phenomena to be just like the perception of water that arises in a mirage. Those who understand phenomena in this way are on the right course. Those who understand otherwise are not on the right course. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Noble son, this may be illustrated as follows: suppose a woman takes up a mirror and examines the features of her face. In the highly polished mirror she sees a beautiful and good-looking reflection. While she concludes about it that she will not give rise to desirous thoughts about this reflection, the reason being that it is not hers, nor does she belong to it, do you think, noble son,