འཕགས་པ་བྲམ་ཟ་མ་དཔལ་ལྡན་མས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 4

4

Nevertheless, childish, ordinary beings who lack learning, knowledge, and realization bring about the formation of karma. Through this karma, cyclic existence manifests, and due to cyclic existence, these beings end up experiencing suffering. But there is no one who forms karma nor is there any act of manifesting cyclic existence. This is the ultimate nature of phenomena. However, Śrīmatī, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddhas, being concerned with how beings can realize the ultimate nature, resort to convention to teach beings the Dharma. However, Śrīmatī, convention is not true. Why not? Because there is no one to comprehend it and no act of coming to understand it.

“Take the following analogy, Śrīmatī. The Thus-Gone One projects an emanation of himself which then, in turn, projects an emanation of itself. The emanation projected by the Thus-Gone One is hollow, that is, of a false and deceptive nature. The emanation projected by the emanation is also hollow, that is, of a false and deceptive nature. In a similar manner, Śrīmatī, that which conditions phenomena is hollow, that is, of a false and deceptive nature. The conditioned phenomena are also hollow, that is, of a false and deceptive nature.”

“It is so,” she replied. “The Blessed One has turned the wheel of emptiness, the wheel of emancipation, the wheel of certainty, the wheel of inconceivability, the wheel unturned, the wheel of the incomparable, the wheel just as it is, the wheel of birthlessness, the wheel of the unreal, and the wheel of the absence of characteristics.”

Then Śrīmatī the brahmin woman took a handful of sandalwood powder, sprinkled it on the Blessed One’s feet, and said,