འཕགས་པ་བྲམ་ཟ་མ་དཔལ་ལྡན་མས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 3

3

With the cessation of rebirth, old age and death, as well as sorrow, misery, suffering, mental anguish, and agitation, cease. In only this way will the great heap of suffering cease.

“This, Śrīmatī, is the wheel of Dharma that has never before been rightfully turned in the world by any mendicant, brahmin, god, demon, or brahmā, but was turned by the Thus-Gone One here at Ṛṣipatana Deer Park near the city of Vārāṇasī.”

Śrīmatī the brahmin woman asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, is ignorance something internal or something external?”

The Blessed One responded, “It is neither, Śrīmatī.”

“Blessed One, if ignorance is neither internal nor external, then how does something nonexistent act as a condition for formations? Are there any phenomena that are beyond this world, Blessed One?”

“There are not, Śrīmatī.”

“Blessed One, does ignorance have features?”

“It does not, Śrīmatī,” the Blessed One replied. “Ignorance comes about in a false manner, Śrīmatī; it does not come about in a true manner. Ignorance comes about in a mistaken manner, Śrīmatī; it does not come about in an unmistaken manner.”

“Blessed One, if ignorance is nonexistent then where do formations come from? And where does suffering come from? Blessed One, let me share an analogy. If a banyan tree has no roots, how do its boughs, leaves, and branches develop? In a similar manner, Blessed One, if ignorance has not come into being and is not existent, how can it act as the condition for formations?”

“Indeed, Śrīmatī,” replied the Blessed One, “all phenomena are empty of inherent characteristics.