འཕགས་པ་ཆས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡད་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 1.21

1.21

and (10) the teaching on the peace of nirvāṇa.

“How is the teaching on the aggregates a conventional teaching? The aggregate of form does not ultimately exist. If the aggregate of form were to exist ultimately, existence would cease upon its abandonment. Something that is freed through being abandoned would then either exist as something that remained or exist as something that changed. This is not the case, therefore the teaching on the aggregate of form is a conventional teaching. In the same way, teachings on the aggregates of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are conventional teachings. The aggregate of consciousness does not ultimately exist. If the aggregate of consciousness were to exist ultimately, existence would cease upon its abandonment. Something that is freed through being abandoned would then either exist as something that remained or exist as something that changed. This is not the case, therefore the teaching on the aggregate of consciousness is a conventional teaching.

“The teaching on the elements and the teaching on the sense bases are conventional teachings in the same way.

“How is the teaching on beings a conventional teaching? Beings do not ultimately exist. Beings do not exist because they are nothing more than conventional phenomena.³⁴ If beings were to exist, then when their aggregates ceased, beings would be devoid of aggregates, like space. But like the aggregates, beings are compounded phenomena, so this is not the case. Therefore the teaching on beings is a conventional teaching.

“How is the teaching on action a conventional teaching? The performance of actions is neither existent nor nonexistent. If the performance of actions were to exist, the performance of actions would not be created, like space. But, if it were compounded like the aggregates, it would not be created, just like space. That which is uncreated could not be created, entailing that no actions could ever be performed. If actions do not exist, how could actions ever come about?