འཕགས་པ་ལྷག་པའ་བསམ་པ་བརྟན་པའ་ལའ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 9

9

it is amazing that similarly the reflection does not give rise to desirous thoughts about the woman?”

“No, Blessed One,” he replied. “Why is that? Because, Blessed One, a reflection does not have thoughts, and is unreal, so it will not have any thoughts at all about her.”

The Blessed One said, “Noble son, that is so. Although childish ordinary beings formulate ideas about forms by thinking ‘these forms are bad,’ ‘these are average,’ and ‘these are excellent,’ the forms themselves do not give rise to thoughts about the nature of forms, nor do they formulate ideas or have thoughts at all. It is the same for sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile objects.

“Moreover, childish ordinary beings formulate ideas about phenomena by thinking ‘these phenomena are bad,’ ‘these phenomena are average,’ and ‘these phenomena are excellent,’ yet the phenomena themselves do not give rise to thoughts about the nature of phenomena, nor do they formulate ideas or have thoughts at all.

“Noble son, just as in the analogy that woman perceives something that does not exist as existing and clings to the conclusion she has reached about it, so too, noble son, some bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen, understanding all phenomena to be like reflections, proclaim that they are not attached to forms. Likewise, they proclaim that they are not attached to sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, or phenomena. Stating that they have achieved restraint, they perceive those things as existing where there is nothing, conclude that they are there although they do not exist, and grasp at them. Moreover, they are pleased and praise themselves while denigrating others. They should be seen as just like that woman. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

it is amazing that similarly the reflection does not give rise to desirous thoughts about the woman?”

“No, Blessed One,” he replied. “Why is that? Because, Blessed One, a reflection does not have thoughts, and is unreal, so it will not have any thoughts at all about her.”

The Blessed One said, “Noble son, that is so. Although childish ordinary beings formulate ideas about forms by thinking ‘these forms are bad,’ ‘these are average,’ and ‘these are excellent,’ the forms themselves do not give rise to thoughts about the nature of forms, nor do they formulate ideas or have thoughts at all. It is the same for sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile objects.

“Moreover, childish ordinary beings formulate ideas about phenomena by thinking ‘these phenomena are bad,’ ‘these phenomena are average,’ and ‘these phenomena are excellent,’ yet the phenomena themselves do not give rise to thoughts about the nature of phenomena, nor do they formulate ideas or have thoughts at all.

“Noble son, just as in the analogy that woman perceives something that does not exist as existing and clings to the conclusion she has reached about it, so too, noble son, some bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen, understanding all phenomena to be like reflections, proclaim that they are not attached to forms. Likewise, they proclaim that they are not attached to sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, or phenomena. Stating that they have achieved restraint, they perceive those things as existing where there is nothing, conclude that they are there although they do not exist, and grasp at them. Moreover, they are pleased and praise themselves while denigrating others. They should be seen as just like that woman. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.