坐禪三昧經 2.23

2.23

One should know that the mind experiences suffering and pleasure, and experiences neither suffering nor pleasure. What is the mind? This mind is anitya, because it is born of causes and conditions. Arising and perishing without remaining, arising in similarity, only because of viparyāsa does one regard it as single. Originally non-existent and now existing, having existed and returning to non-existence, it is therefore anitya. One contemplates and knows the mind is empty. How is it empty? Born of causes and conditions: there is the eye and there is form, what can be seen and mindfulness, the desire to see, and so forth—in harmony, eye-consciousness arises. Just as with a sunstone, where there is the sun, the stone, dry grass, and cow dung, and when these many conditions come together, fire is produced from them. Searching each one individually, fire cannot be found; only when conditions combine is there fire. Eye-consciousness is also like this: it does not abide in the eye, nor does it abide in form, nor does it abide between the two; it has no place of abiding, yet it is also not non-existent. For this reason the Buddha said: 'Like an illusion, like a phantom.' The present mind contemplates the past mind as either suffering, or pleasure, or neither suffering nor pleasure; the minds are each distinct and each perishes. A mind with desire and a mind without desire are also like this: each distinct and each perishes. Contemplating the internal mind, contemplating the external mind, and contemplating the internal and external mind are also like this. This is called mindfulness of the mind.