28th Imperishable, Reliance on Meaning

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

What then is the meaning, what is the letter?

The letter is teaching the entrance into the moments of existence and the actions of the world; while the [empty (śūnya) ] meaning is understanding the moments of existence transcending the world.

The letter is teaching generosity, self-control, vows and discipline; while the meaning is the knowledge that generosity, self-control, vows and discipline are the same [in being without own-being (niḥsvabhāva), or, the meaning is knowing the emptiness of those moments of existence (teṣāṃ dharmāṇāṃ śūnyatājñānam) ].

The letter is enumerating and proclaiming the imperfections of existence; while the meaning is understanding existence as being beyond comprehension.

The letter is proclaiming the qualities, the praise of extinction; while the meaning is (p. 115) the absence of thought-constructions concerning the moments of existence which are all originally extinguished.

The letter is teaching according to the differentiation of religious ways; while the meaning is knowledge of entering the non-differentiation and homogeneity of absolute reality.

The letter is teaching to give away all one’s belongings; while the meaning is knowledge of threefold purity [no own-being (niḥsvabhāva) in giver, given or recipient].

The letter is teaching to take upon oneself all the vows, morality, training, qualities of purity and austerities in body, speech and thought; while the meaning is knowledge of the purity in taking upon oneself all the vows, morality, training, qualities of purity and austerities without apprehending body, speech or thought.

The letter is teaching the power of tolerance and mildness to overpower all ill-will, harshness and anger, malice, conceitedness, pride and arrogance; while the meaning is the tolerance that all moments of existence are unborn.

The letter is to take vigour upon oneself to gather all the roots of good; while the meaning is [the fruit of vigour, namely] vigour not dependent on rejection and appropriation [of bad and good].

The letter is teaching meditation, liberation, concentration and states of concentration; while the meaning is the [fruit of those teachings, namely] knowledge of entering the state of cessation.

The letter is the root of the insight of all who retain learning; while the meaning is the knowledge of the ineffable meaning.

The letter is revealing the thirty-seven moments of existence which are like the wings of awakening; while the meaning is realizing the fruit of accomplishing the thirty-seven moments of existence which are like the wings of awakening.

The letter is revealing the truths of suffering, origination and the way; while the meaning is realizing cessation.

The letter is revealing that [twelvefold chain of dependent origination] which begins with ignorance and ends in ageing and death; while the meaning is that which begins with cessation of ignorance and ends with cessation of ageing and death.

The letter is teaching the accumulation of [pure morality, moderation in eating, avoiding crowds, staying awake in the beginning and end of the night, preparing for] peaceful meditation and expanded vision; while the meaning is knowledge of wisdom and liberation.

The letter is teachings for beings who act out of passion, aversion, delusion or the three together; while the meaning is the imperturbable knowledge which is liberated thought.

The letter is revealing the moments of existence which are hindrances or pertain to hindrances; while the meaning is the unhindered knowledge which is liberation.

The letter is displaying the endless praise of qualities in the three jewels; while meaning is seeing the body of the Buddha [including all] moments of existence, the state of moments of existence in cessation where all passion has disappeared, the knowledge of attaining the unconditioned qualities of the Buddha, his religion and congregation [that is, knowledge understanding the qualities of the Buddha, his religion and the congregation according to their essence in the highest meaning (paramārthasvabhāvâdhigamajñāna) ].

[To summarize:] The letter is displaying the mass of qualities in the bodhisattva from the time he first produces the thought of awakening until he sits on the place of awakening; while the meaning is the complete awakening to omniscience through insight appearing in a moment of thought.

In short, teaching the eighty-four thousand masses of religious teaching is the letter; while the meaning which cannot be uttered in the words, syllables (p. 116) and sounds [or letters] of all beings is the meaning.

This is reliance on meaning, not reliance on the letter.