Kong-Xing — Emptiness-Nature — Internal Reference¶
This version contains the Guide's original texts in full, presented without alteration, for deep study.
I. Emptiness-Nature Is Ultimate Nirvana¶
Emptiness-nature is the Elysian World; entering the state of emptiness-nature is ultimate nirvana; ultimate nirvana means one has already arrived at the Elysian World.
Do you want ultimate nirvana? Do you want to go to the Elysian World?
As long as you enter the state of emptiness-nature, you have already achieved ultimate nirvana; you have already arrived at the Elysian World.
So what is the state of emptiness-nature?
(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming Buddha · Emptiness-Nature Is Ultimate Nirvana, 2023-08-03)
II. The Heart Sutra Is the Nature Sutra¶
The essence of Buddhist texts is the Heart Sutra, but in fact the Heart Sutra is a mistranslation, misreading, and misunderstanding — its true name is the Xing Sutra (Nature Sutra). For example, "form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form" speaks of the state of one's nature (xing-zhuang), not the state of one's mind (xin-zhuang). The rest of the sutra also speaks of the state of emptiness-nature, not of an empty mind.
Buddha is nature; nature is Buddha. The mind does not exist. "The past mind cannot be grasped; the present mind cannot be grasped; the future mind cannot be grasped." Therefore the Heart Sutra is not about the mind but about nature: "If you wish to find Buddha, you must first see your nature; nature is Buddha. Without seeing your nature, reciting sutras, keeping precepts, fasting, and observing the rules are all of no benefit." Without seeing one's nature, even a lifetime of reciting sutras, a lifetime of releasing animals and performing charitable acts, a lifetime of burning incense and kneeling in pious worship — none of it can make one a Buddha.
The Xing Sutra describes the state of emptiness-nature with consummate clarity.
All dharma-forms are empty-forms, incapable of increase or decrease, without arising or ceasing, without distinction of pure or defiled, good or evil, beautiful or ugly, true or false: "No sensation, perception, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or objects of mind; no eye-realm, and so on up to no realm of consciousness; no ignorance and no cessation of ignorance; and so on up to no old age and death, and no cessation of old age and death; no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; no wisdom and no attainment." This is the state of emptiness-nature — also the state after becoming a Buddha — also the state of the Elysian World.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming Buddha · Emptiness-Nature Is Ultimate Nirvana, 2023-08-03)
III. Emptiness-Nature Is the Tao — The Equivalence Chain¶
This is the state of great freedom, great perfection, and oneness with the Tao after all suffering has been stripped away. This description is precisely a description of the Tao's nature-state; the Tao is just such a state. From this we know: emptiness-nature is the Tao; the Tao is emptiness-nature.
From this we can logically derive the following conclusion: emptiness-nature = no-form = no-self = ultimate nirvana = Elysian World = Tao = Buddha = Celestial Being.
According to this conclusion: achieve no-self and you can become the Tao, become a Buddha, become a celestial being, and enter the Elysian World. Achieve no-form and you can become the Tao, become a Buddha, become a celestial being, and enter the Elysian World. Achieve ultimate nirvana and you have become the Tao, become a Buddha, become a celestial being, and entered the Elysian World.
Now the question is: according to the Xing Sutra's description of emptiness-nature — that is a lifeless, still emptiness, with nothing in it at all. What is the point of becoming a Buddha or celestial being? Is the Elysian World really just such an empty-natured appearance?
Know that the Xing Sutra does not describe the scenes of the Elysian World at all — it only describes the pathway and method for becoming a Buddha or celestial being and arriving at the Elysian World. Having informed us of the pathway and method, it urges us: "Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā!" — Go! Go! Go to the further shore! Go along the indicated direction and pathway! You can be freed from afflictions and enter the great freedom of the Elysian World.
Emptiness-nature describes a mode of thinking and knowing; it points to a method and channel for entering the Elysian World; it does not describe the true scenes of the Elysian World. So how do we come to know the Elysian World? Through the master key I have provided for unlocking all the mysteries of the universe — structure, consciousness, energy. As long as the anti-matter structure exists, there exists a consciousness that can mobilize all energy in the universe. As long as consciousness exists, the universe will be full of vitality and life energy — and "emptiness becomes form."
Understanding this theoretically is not difficult. The difficulty is that one cannot have the personal experience and feeling. Without direct personal experience and feeling, all "knowing" is hollow and non-definitive. What does jackfruit taste like? Listening to others describe it is still like flowers reflected in a mirror, water reflected in the moon — because you have no firsthand experience or feeling. Only by eating jackfruit yourself will you truly know what jackfruit tastes like.
Self lost, heart expansive and joyful. The aim of losing the self is to enter emptiness-nature; entering emptiness-nature allows the heart to become expansive and joyful; expansive and joyful heart — that is the true scene of the Elysian World.
How does one achieve self-loss?
By entering cultivation practice following the eight methods in my writing Free Sacred Land — Dharma-Forms Dissolved into Emptiness.
Note: I say "emptiness-nature is the Elysian World" and also say "emptiness-nature does not describe the true scenes of the Elysian World" — these may seem contradictory. Understand it this way: an apple is a fruit, but not all fruit is an apple.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming Buddha · Emptiness-Nature Is Ultimate Nirvana, 2023-08-03)
IV. Emptiness-Nature Is the Channel to the Elysian World¶
A world with no sadness, anxiety, confusion, worry, or fear — only joy, pleasure, ease, refreshment, and excitement — that is the Elysian World. The Celestial Islands Continent is part of the Elysian World.
There is a channel into the Elysian World. This channel is: emptiness-nature, no-form, no-self.
Emptiness-nature is difficult to explain and difficult to put into words — it can only be experienced and felt. I give examples to help everyone understand and sense what emptiness-nature is.
"It feels like an awakening and the beginning of life." "In some ways, aroused desire gives me the opportunity to transcend myself, to awaken from the fog of everyday existence." "As if I left my body and my spirit behind, and I was no longer really concerned with anything that normally seems important to my everyday self." "Life pausing, like a moment of eternity, through the intense fusion of drinking in and tasting the sweetness of the body." "A strange feeling — another dimension of my own existence drifting and dissolving from the support point of my life."
The above are experiences and sensations of sexual climax. Within them are several key points: a sense of awakening and the beginning of life; transcending the self, awakening from the fog of everyday existence; leaving the body and spirit behind, no longer concerned with what normally matters; life pausing, like an instant of eternity; a strange sensation of another dimension of one's existence.
What are they describing?
They are describing the scenes of the Elysian World. The self is gone, the body is gone, the spirit is gone; life is frozen in a wondrous experience and feeling; another "self" is born — this is a form of emptiness-nature.
Ask those brothers and sisters who have experienced extreme sexual climax to reflect: when you entered climax, did you not care at all, even completely ignore, the existence of the one with whom you were sharing intimacy? Did you not completely forget, or ignore, the worries, sadness, and pain of your daily life? Did you not also completely ignore your own existence? Did you only feel extreme wonder and pleasure? Did you feel that everything was so exquisitely wonderful and boundless?
In fact, this is the state of emptiness-nature — the state of self lost, heart expansive and joyful.
From this we know: to go to the Elysian World, one must let oneself enter the state of emptiness-nature.
The state of emptiness-nature is the state of no-self and no-form. Only in this state do you understand what is meant by "only by having no-self can you have true self" and "no-self is the true self." You will also understand the true meaning of what I wrote in With Self, One Cannot Become a Buddha.
Conclusion: emptiness-nature is the channel into the Elysian World, and also the dharma-gate into the Elysian World.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming Buddha · The Channel into the Elysian World, 2023-08-01)
V. Emptiness-Nature and Biological Robots¶
To coexist with biological robots, fighting them with will, courage, or ruthlessness is absolutely futile — only emptiness-nature can deal with them.
(Xuefeng's Writings · Q&A · On Ling and Biological Robots)
VI. Entering the Emptiness-Nature of Prajña¶
According to the Diamond Sutra, only when one serves all beings without ego can one be in accord with prajña and enter the emptiness-nature of prajña.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming Buddha · Formless Giving, Wisdom Life)
Related Entries¶
Nirvana · No-Self, No-Form · Elysian Bliss · Five Skandhas Are Empty · Becoming a Buddha · Self-Coherence · Mind Without Abiding · Self-Nature (Buddha-Nature) · Formless Giving