A. Entering into the nature of all dharmas, the unborn

Having fully taught the two stages of secret mantra, now we enter into the teaching of the nature of all dharmas as the natural state, co-emergent wisdom, the primordially natureless essential meaning of all dharmas. As has been explained:

By the yoga that unifies development and perfection
dharmas enter into the empty and unborn.

“By” this means it starts to do this and continues until it is completely done. The nature of dharmas which should be known is the unborn transcending the four extremes. The Noble Sutra of the Source of the Three Jewels (’phags pa dkon mchog ‘byung gnas kyi mdo) says:

If we do not know how everything is empty,
The consequence is like making everything into space.
For everything there is, no nature at all exists.
Such things as those can never be the cause of others.

That whose nature is to be met with nowhere at all,
How will that natureless thing be met with by another?
How will what is natureless be produced by another
Therefore this was the teaching of the Tathagata.

Everything, even Dharma, is motionless, stable resting.
Changeless and undisturbed, It is simply peace itself.
Like the space of the sky, it is without awareness,
However, not knowing that, beings are stupefied;

Just as mountains are not moved and agitated,
dharmas in a similar way are immovable.
They do not die and transmigrate.
Therefore they are unborn.
That was taught about dharmas by the Victorious One.

The True Samadhi (ting nge ‘dzin dam pa) says:

Dharmas are without birth, and also without arising;
Having no death or transmigration, they do not have old age.

Since this teaching was taught by the Lion of Men,
Hundreds of sentient beings Have been established in it.

Nothing of these things has any nature whatsoever.
Also there are no others. No one has ever found them.

Nothing is internal, And nothing is found outside.
These teachings were presented by the Protector himself.

The Gathering of the Intention (dgongs ‘dus) says:

E MA HO, wondrous marvelous Dharma.
This is the secret of all the perfected buddhas.
It is not empty, it is not non-empty,
Nor is it conceived as being in the middle.

Attachments to external objects are abandoned by those objects being known as one’s own mind and so forth or as the deities and palace. As for knowing that they are unborn, since even this antidote is essenceless, the nature of all dharmas is entered into. The Commentary Ascertaining the Intention (dgongs pa nges ‘grel) says:

As they are dependent on mind-only,
Thoughts of external objects are abandoned.
By being taught as nothing whatsoever,
Later even that is left behind.

The Lankavatara Sutra says:

After they are seen to be mind-only,
They are not conceived as external objects.
After they exist in the perfect state,
They are seen as transcending even mind-only.

The yogin who exists without appearance,^[1]
By doing that has seen the great vehicle.

That is how we enter into knowledge of emptiness.