Innate Purity of Phenomena

[Simple_Jack]

Āryānantamukhapariśodhananirdeśaparivarta-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra states:
The Sugata said "existence" and "nonexistence" are extremes; whatever does not exist in the extremes, that also does not exist in the middle.

Ārya-varmavyūhanirdeśa-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra
Since this vehicle is without extremes,
also the extreme of the middle does not exist.

Ārya-kāśyapaparivarta-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra:

Kāśyapa, "permanence" is one extreme; impermanence is the second extreme. Whatever is the middle of those two extremes, that also cannot be examined.

Sampuṭanāma mahātantra:

There is nothing empty, not empty,
and nothing to perceive in the middle.

The Meditation on Bodhicitta:

The nonexistence dependent on existence does not exist, also that nonexistence does not exist. Because the extremes do not exist, the middle does not exist, also do not rest in the middle.

The sgra thal gyur: [<---- Dzogchen upadesha tantra]

Because of being free from extremes, do not abide in the middle.

 

Since there is no basis or foundation, dwell in emptiness.

 

Due to being free from extremes, the middle does not exist.

 

The commentary describes this as the Great Perfection view that is totally complete freedom from extremes:

The so-called intimate instruction of the view of the totally complete space of the great freedom from activities is the view of the totally complete freedom from extremes. Since that is free from the extreme of existence, it does not fall into the position of substantiality. Since it is free from the extreme of nonexistence, it exhausts grasping to emptiness. Since it is free from both existence and non-existence, it is free from apprehending the intrinsic nature of the apprehender, since it is free from the extreme of neither existence nor nonexistence, there is also no concept of mere non-existence.

...

 

“Hey, hey, apparent yet nonexistent retinue: listen well! There is no object to distinguish in me, the view of self-originated wisdom; it did not exist before, it will not arise later, and also does not appear in anyway in the present. The path does not exist, action does not exist, traces do not exist, ignorance does not exist, thoughts do not exist, mind does not exist, prajñā does not exist, samsara does not exist, nirvana does not exist, vidyā itself does not even exist, totally not appearing in anyway.”

-- Unwritten Tantra [<--- Dzogchen upadesha tantra]

“Venerable Śariputra, if one sees it like so, all phenomena are empty, without characteristics, non-arising, unceasing, without stains, and not free from stains; not decreasing, not increasing.
“Śariputra, in emptiness there is no matter, no sensation, no ideation, no formations, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no contact. There is no eye element up to no mental element, and also nothing up to the element of mental consciousness.
There is no ignorance; there is no end of ignorance; up to there is no aging and death and no end of aging and death.
Likewise, there is no suffering, cause, cessation and path.
There is no wisdom, nothing to obtain, and also nothing not to obtain.

-- The "Heart" Sutra

 

~ trans. by Loppon Namdrol

[Simple_Jack]

As the Buddha states in the Śatasāhasrika-prajñāpāramitā:

• Suchness empty of suchness is the emptiness of suchness. Whatever is emptiness, that is suchness. There is no emptiness apart from suchness. Suchness is emptiness, emptiness is suchness.

Āryāṣṭadaśasahasrika-prajñāpāramitā-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra:

• Dependent origination should be known as emptiness.

Ārya-mahāvajrameruśikharakūṭāgāra-dhāraṇī

• Due to being imputed, imputation is also empty. Due to arising from causes and conditions, dependent origination is also empty. Due to being generated by adventitious causes and conditions, production is empty of self. In that respect, dependent origination is empty of intrinsic characteristics. Whatever is empty of intrinsic characteristics is characteristicless. Whatever is characteristicless, that is suchness. Whatever is suchness, that is unmistaken suchness. Whatever is unmistaken suchness, that is isn't anything other than suchness. Whatever isn't anything other than suchness, that is samadhi. Whatever is samadhi, that is realization. Whatever is realization, that is emptiness. Whatever is emptiness, that is sublime insight. Whatever is sublime insight, that is calm-abiding. Whatever is calm-abiding, that is complete freedom [vimokṣa]. Whatever is complete freedom, that is the middle way. Whatever is the middle way, that is without a first limit and without a second limit, cannot be apprehended, is not an apprehender, is not annihilated, is not permanent, does not arise, does not cease, is without thought, is without concept, is not independent, is not dependent, does not come, does not go, is without total affliction, without purification, does not cohere, does not separate, that is sublime insight. Whatever is sublime insight, that is without aggregates, without elements [dhātus], without sense organs, without sense gates [āyatanas], without objects, is not designated as an object, is without karma, without the result of karma — whatever is without karma and without the result of karma, that is unsurpassed perfect awakening.

Here we can clearly see the Buddha stating that since dependent origination is empty, it is without characteristics, and whatever is without characteristics is suchness.

 

~ trans. by Loppon Namdrol