坐禪三昧經 2.24

2.24

Furthermore, one contemplates: to whom does the mind belong? Contemplating perception, thinking, mindfulness, desire, and other dharmas associated with the mind and unassociated with the mind, carefully looking for their master, a master is unobtainable. Why is this? Born of causes and conditions, they are therefore anitya; being anitya, they are duḥkha; being duḥkha, they lack mastery; lacking mastery, they are without a master; being without a master, they are empty. Previously, by contemplating body, sensation, mind, and dharmas separately, [a master] was unobtainable; now, comprehensively contemplating the four applications of mindfulness, a master is unobtainable, and seeking apart from these, [a master] is also unobtainable. If the permanent is unobtainable, the impermanent is also unobtainable. If it were permanent, it should always suffer or always enjoy pleasure, and should never forget. If there were a permanent soul, there would be no sin of killing or harming, and there would also be no nirvāṇa. If the body were the soul, when the anitya body is destroyed, the soul should also be destroyed, and there would be no future lives, nor would there be sin or merit. Thus comprehensively contemplating that there is no master, all dharmas are empty and lack mastery; arising because causes and conditions combine, and perishing because causes and conditions dissolve—dharmas combined of conditions such as these: this is called mindfulness of dharmas.