འཕགས་པ་རྡ་རྗའ་སྙང་པའ་གཟངས་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 9

9

“Mañjuśrī, can any such phenomenon that is nonexistent, unfindable, unknowable, imperceptible, does not come to be, and is not an object of desire, anger, or confusion be something that could be polluted, purified, or obscured?”

“No, Blessed One. No, Sugata,” said Mañjuśrī. “Blessed One, if it is true that any phenomenon related to ignorance is not something that could be polluted, purified, or obscured, then why did the Blessed One refer to ignorance as ‘polluted’?”

The Blessed One replied, “Allow me to provide an example, Mañjuśrī. Smoke arises and fire appears when one uses a rubbing stick, the wooden base for the rubbing stick, and the rubbing action of a person’s hand, but that fire is not present in the rubbing stick, the wooden base, or the rubbing action of a person’s hand. In the same way, Mañjuśrī, the tormenting fires of desire, anger, and confusion arise in a confused person, but that torment does not dwell within, without, or as neither of those possibilities. Nevertheless, we speak of confusion, Mañjuśrī. Why is that? Because, Mañjuśrī, all phenomena are already totally free. And phenomena that are totally free we call the basis of the dhāraṇī.”

Mañjuśrī then asked the Blessed One, “Is there some Dharma gate a bodhisattva can possess that leads to attaining the dhāraṇī that is in accord with everything?”

The Blessed One replied, “Mañjuśrī, there is a Dharma gate a bodhisattva can possess that leads to attaining the dhāraṇī that is in accord with everything. Even if one were to teach it using a single syllable or up to a hundred thousand syllables, one would never know the limit of those syllables.