འཕགས་པ་ཆས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡད་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 1.22

1.22

For these reasons, the teaching on actions is a conventional teaching.

“How is the teaching on birth a conventional teaching? Birth does not ultimately exist. If birth were to exist ultimately, it would be perpetual, and birth would not entail birth. That which is born through birth, and also that which is tormented by birth, would not exist. Therefore, the teaching on birth is a conventional teaching.

“How is the teaching on old age a conventional teaching? Old age does not ultimately exist. If old age were to exist ultimately, no one would become old. Those who are aged could not have been young, old, or very old. There would be no aging for a child, and thus a child would never age. If there were no old age, how would one become old? In such circumstances one who is not old would never age. If an old person aged, then why would a young person not age? Therefore, the teaching on aging is a conventional teaching.

“How is the teaching on death a conventional teaching? Death does not ultimately exist. If death were to exist ultimately, it would be something acquired. It would then be logical that if a single living being acquired it, then all other living beings would not die; however, there is no one who does not die. Since it is taught that death does not come from anywhere or go anywhere, the teaching on death is a conventional teaching.

“How is the teaching on transmigration upon death a conventional teaching? Transmigration upon death does not ultimately exist. If transmigration upon death were to exist ultimately, the very same being who died would be the being who is born, entailing that the one who died would have two bodies upon birth: the body that transmigrated and the body in which they transmigrate. If transmigration were to exist, the five aggregates would also exist. Why? Because the consciousness that was freed from the aggregates would not have a point of access.