An Introduction to Tantric Buddhism c7.8

c7.8

In the *Apratiṣṭhāna-prakāśa* (of the same author and collected in the *Advaya-vajra-saṃgraha*) also there is a preference for the Mādhyamika faith. It is said that consciousness cannot have existence for the past, present and the future,—and therefore the absolute essencelessness even of consciousness has been spoken of by the Lord.³ The origination of the *dharmas* is incomprehensible and therefore it is called *śūnyatā*. In the *Yuganaddha-prakāśa* (in the same collection) it has been said that anything that manifests itself should be known to be in its nature pure knowledge without any change or corruption,—for, in the ultimate nature everything is *śūnya* which is pure knowledge. As fire belongs neither to that against which anything is rubbed, nor to the churning rod, nor to the hands of the operator,—but it is produced with reference to all these factors, so also is the case with all origination.¹ Thus, because of this dependent origination, all the *dharmas* are non-essential and illusory like the magic. Because of the non-essential character there is the non-production of the *dharmas* and because of the cause and conditions there is also the non-destructibility of the *dharmas*; so there is neither existence nor non-existence,—existence and non-existence always appear in perfect union.² The same non-essential nature of the world has been spoken of in the *Mahāyāna-viṁśikā*.³