The Ten Similes

Explanation of the Ten Similes in the First Chapter of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Śāstra, Part Eleven, Fascicle Six

Sutra:

They understood all dharmas as like an illusion, like a mirage, like the moon in water, like empty space, like an echo, like a gandharva city, like a dream, like a shadow, like an image in a mirror, and like a magical transformation.

Treatise:

These ten similes are given in order to explain the Dharma of emptiness.

Question: If all dharmas are empty like an illusion, why are there dharmas that can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched, and known?

If they truly do not exist at all, there should be nothing that can be seen, and so on, up to nothing that can be known. Furthermore, if what does not exist is falsely seen, why does one not see sounds and hear forms? If all are equally empty and without anything existent, why are there things that can be seen and things that cannot be seen? Since all dharmas are empty, then just as the first fingernail of one finger does not exist, the second fingernail also does not exist. Why, then, is the second fingernail not seen, while only the first fingernail is seen? For this reason one knows: because the first fingernail truly exists, it can be seen; because the second fingernail truly does not exist, it cannot be seen.

Answer: Although the marks of all dharmas are empty, there are still distinctions between what can be seen and what cannot be seen.

It is like an illusionist conjuring elephants, horses, and many other things. Although one knows they are not real, their forms can be seen and their sounds can be heard. They stand in relation to the six faculties without being confused with one another.

All dharmas are also like this. Although they are empty, they can still be seen and heard, without confusion.

As the Sutra of the Virtuous Woman says, "The Virtuous Woman said to the Buddha, 'Blessed One, does ignorance exist internally?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"'Does it exist externally?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"'Does it exist both internally and externally?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"'Blessed One, does this ignorance come from a former life?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"'Does it go from this life to a later life?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"'Does this ignorance have one who produces it or one who destroys it?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"'Is there one dharma with a fixed real nature that is called ignorance?'

"The Buddha said, 'No.'

"At that time the Virtuous Woman again said to the Buddha, 'If ignorance is not internal, not external, and not both internal and external; if it does not come from a former life to this life or go from this life to a later life; and if it has no real nature, then how can formations arise conditioned by ignorance, and so on up to the gathering of all suffering? Blessed One, suppose there is a tree. If it has no roots, how can it produce trunk, joints, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit?'

"The Buddha said, 'Although the marks of all dharmas are empty, ordinary beings are without learning and without wisdom. Therefore, within them they produce many kinds of afflictions. Conditioned by afflictions, they create bodily, verbal, and mental karma. Conditioned by karma, they create a later body. Conditioned by the body, they experience suffering and pleasure. Within this, there is no real one who creates afflictions, no bodily, verbal, or mental karma, and no one who experiences suffering and pleasure. It is like an illusionist creating many illusory things. What do you think? Do the things made by illusion exist internally?'

"She answered, 'No.'

"'Do they exist externally?'

"She answered, 'No.'

"'Do they exist both internally and externally?'

"She answered, 'No.'

"'Do they come from a former life to this life, or go from this life to a later life?'

"She answered, 'No.'

"'Do the things made by illusion have one who produces them or one who destroys them?'

"She answered, 'No.'

"'Is there truly one dharma that is made by illusion?'

"She answered, 'No.'

"The Buddha said, 'Have you ever seen or heard music and performances made by illusion?'

"She answered, 'I have both heard and seen them.'

"The Buddha asked the Virtuous Woman, 'If illusion is empty, deceptive, and unreal, how can music and performances be made from illusion?'

"The Virtuous Woman said to the Buddha, 'Blessed One, such is the mark of illusion. Although it has no root, it can still be heard and seen.'

"The Buddha said, 'Ignorance is also like this. Although it does not exist internally, does not exist externally, and does not exist both internally and externally; although it does not come from a former life to this life or go from this life to a later life; although it has no real nature and has no one who produces it or destroys it, still, conditioned by ignorance, formations arise, and so on up to the gathering of all aggregates of suffering. When illusion ceases, what was made by illusion also ceases. Ignorance is the same. When ignorance is exhausted, formations are also exhausted, and so on until the whole mass of suffering is also exhausted.'"

Furthermore, the simile of illusion shows beings that all conditioned dharmas are empty and not solid. As it is said, "All formations are like illusions. They deceive children. They depend on causes and conditions, are not autonomous, and do not abide for long."

For this reason, it says, "Bodhisattvas know all dharmas as like illusions."

"Like a mirage" means this: because sunlight, wind, and moving dust come together, in a wilderness one sees something like a shimmering haze. When people without wisdom first see it, they think it is water.

The marks of male and female are also like this. The sunlight of fetters and afflictions heats the dust of formations; the wind of wrong recollection moves through the wilderness of birth and death. Those without wisdom take it to be one fixed mark, calling it male or female. This is called being like a mirage.

Furthermore, when one sees a mirage from far away, one imagines it to be water. When one comes near, there is no perception of water. People without wisdom are also like this. When they are far from the noble Dharma, they do not know non-self and do not know that all dharmas are empty. Within the empty nature of the aggregates, elements, and sense fields, they produce the mark of a person, the mark of male, and the mark of female. When they draw near to the noble Dharma, they know the true mark of all dharmas, and at that time all kinds of false and deceptive imaginings are removed.

For this reason, it says, "Bodhisattvas know all dharmas as like a mirage."

"Like the moon in water" means this: the moon truly exists in empty space, while its reflection appears in water. The moon of the true mark of dharmas abides in the empty space of suchness, Dharma-nature, and the true limit, while in the mind-water of ordinary devas and humans the marks of self and what belongs to self appear. For this reason it is called "like the moon in water."

Furthermore, it is like a child who sees the moon in water, becomes delighted, and wants to grasp it. An adult who sees this laughs. People without wisdom are also like this. Because of the view of the body, they see a self. Because they lack true wisdom, they see many kinds of dharmas. Having seen them, they become delighted and want to grasp all their marks: the mark of male, the mark of female, and so on. Noble ones who have attained the path laugh at them. As a verse says:

The moon in water, water in a mirage,
wealth gained in a dream, life sought in death:
if someone truly wants to obtain these,
that person's delusion is laughed at by the noble ones.

Furthermore, it is like seeing the moon's reflection in still water: when the water is stirred, the reflection is no longer seen. In the still water of the mind of ignorance, one sees the shadows of self, pride, and the fetters. When the staff of true wisdom stirs the water of the mind, the shadows of self and the other fetters are no longer seen.

For this reason, it says, "Bodhisattvas know all dharmas as like the moon in water."

"Like empty space" means this: it has only a name and no real dharma. Empty space is not a visible dharma, but because one looks from far away, the eye's light turns and sees a pale blue color.

All dharmas are also like this. They are empty and have nothing at all, but because people are far from undefiled true wisdom, they abandon the true mark and see self and other, male and female, houses, cities, and many other mixed things, and their minds cling to them.

It is like a child looking up at the blue sky and thinking there is a real color there. If someone flies up extremely far, there is nothing to be seen. Because it is viewed from far away, it is taken to be blue. All dharmas are also like this. For this reason, they are said to be like empty space.

Furthermore, the nature of empty space is always pure, yet people say it is impure when it is covered by clouds and haze. All dharmas are also like this: their nature is always pure, but because they are obscured by lust, anger, and the like, people say they are impure. As a verse says:

In the summer sky, thunder, lightning, and rain:
clouds cover it, so it seems impure.
Ordinary beings without wisdom are also like this:
many afflictions always cover the mind.

When the winter sun first appears,
it is still shaded by dim vapors and clouds.
Even one who has attained the first fruit or the second path
is still covered by the stain of desire.

When the spring sun is about to rise,
it may still be covered by clouds.
Even one who has left the stain of desire and reached the third fruit
still has remaining delusion and conceit covering the mind.

When the autumn sun has no clouds or haze,
it is also like the great ocean with water clear and pure.
With what had to be done already done, the undefiled mind
of an arhat becomes pure in this way.

Furthermore, empty space has no beginning, no middle, and no end. All dharmas are also like this.

Furthermore, as in the Mahayana, the Buddha said to Subhuti, "Empty space has no past life, no middle life, and no future life. All dharmas are also like this." That sutra should be explained extensively here.

For this reason, all dharmas are said to be like empty space.

Question: Empty space is a real dharma. Why? If empty space were not a real dharma, then actions such as lifting and lowering, coming and going, bending and stretching, entering and exiting should not exist, because there would be no place for movement.

Answer: If the dharma of empty space truly existed, empty space should have an abiding place. Why? Without an abiding place, there is no dharma. If empty space abides in holes and openings, then empty space would be abiding in empty space; for this reason, it should not abide in holes. If it abides in something solid, that solid thing is not empty, and so it cannot abide there, because there is no room to receive it.

Furthermore, you say, "The abiding place is empty space." But in a solid stone wall there is no abiding place. If there is no abiding place, then there is no empty space. Because empty space has no abiding place, there is no empty space.

Furthermore, because empty space has no mark, there is no empty space. Each dharma has its own mark, and because there is a mark, one knows that there is a dharma. For example, earth has the mark of hardness, water has the mark of wetness, fire has the mark of heat, wind has the mark of movement, consciousness has the mark of knowing, wisdom has the mark of understanding, the world has the mark of arising and ceasing, and nirvana has the mark of permanent cessation. Because empty space has no mark, it does not exist.

Question: Empty space has a mark, but because you do not know it, you say it has none. The place without form is the mark of empty space.

Answer: That is not so. "Without form" is only the breaking apart of form; there is no separate dharma. It is like a lamp going out: there is no further dharma. For this reason, there is no mark of empty space.

Furthermore, this dharma of empty space does not exist. Why? You depend on form and take the place without form to be the mark of empty space. If that is so, then before form has arisen, there would be no mark of empty space.

Furthermore, you say, "Form is an impermanent dharma, while empty space is an existent permanent dharma." Before form existed, the dharma of empty space should already have existed, because it is permanent. But if form has not yet existed, then there is no place without form. If there is no place without form, then there is no mark of empty space. If there is no mark, then there is no dharma. For this reason, empty space has only a name and no reality.

Just as with empty space, all dharmas are also like this: they have only provisional names and no reality.

For this reason, bodhisattvas know all dharmas as like empty space.

"Like an echo" means this: in deep mountains and narrow valleys, in deep and sheer ravines, or in a large empty hall, whether there is the sound of speech or the sound of striking, from one sound another sound arises. This is called an echo. People without wisdom think it is the voice of someone speaking. Wise people think, "This sound is not made by a person. It is only because sound has struck something that another sound arises and is called an echo." The event of an echo is empty, yet it can deceive the ear faculty.

When a person is about to speak, the wind in the mouth is called udāna. It returns inward to the navel, touches the navel, and sound comes out. When the sound comes out, it touches seven places and withdraws. This is called speech. As a verse says:

The wind is called udāna;
it touches the navel and rises upward.
This wind touches seven places:
the neck, gums, teeth, lips,
the tongue, throat, and chest.
From these, speech is born.

Foolish people do not understand this.
Confused and attached, they give rise to anger and delusion.
A person of moderate wisdom
does not become angry and does not cling,
and also does not become foolish,
but simply follows the marks of dharmas.

Bent or straight, contracted or extended,
coming and going, speech appears;
yet there is no maker at all.
Is this an illusion?
Is it a wooden puppet mechanism?
Is it something in a dream?
Am I oppressed by heat,
so that what exists seems not to exist?
Who can know this matter?
This person of bones wrapped in sinews
can make these sounds of speech,
like molten gold poured into water.

For this reason, it says that bodhisattvas know all dharmas as like an echo.

"Like a gandharva city" means this: when the sun first rises, one sees city gates, watchtowers, palaces, and people coming and going. As the sun rises higher, it disappears. This city can only be seen by the eye, but it has no reality. This is called a gandharva city.

There may be someone who has never before seen a gandharva city. In the early morning, facing east, he sees it and thinks it is real and delightful. He quickly walks toward it, but the closer he gets, the more it disappears; as the sun rises higher, it vanishes. Extremely hungry, thirsty, and distressed, he sees hot vapors like a mirage and thinks they are water. He runs quickly toward them, but the closer he gets, the more they vanish. Exhausted and in distress, he reaches a poor mountain and narrow valley. He cries out loudly and weeps; hearing an echo reply, he thinks there are residents there. He searches until he is exhausted, but sees nothing. Reflecting on this, he awakens for himself, and his thirsty wish comes to rest.

People without wisdom are also like this. Within the empty aggregates, elements, and sense fields, they see self and dharmas. Their minds cling through lust and anger, and they run wildly in the four directions, seeking pleasure to satisfy themselves. Deceived by inverted views, they become utterly distressed. If, through wisdom, they know that there is no self and no real dharma, then at that time their inverted wishes come to rest.

Furthermore, a gandharva city is not a city, but the mind imagines it to be a city. Ordinary beings are also like this: what is not a body, they imagine to be a body; what is not mind, they imagine to be mind.

Question: If one matter can be understood, why give many similes?

Answer: I have already answered this earlier. The Mahayana is like the water of the great ocean: it includes all dharmas completely. Because the Mahayana has many causes and conditions, there is no fault in giving many similes.

Furthermore, because these bodhisattvas have profound and sharp wisdom, they use many Dharma gateways, many causes and conditions, and many similes to break down dharmas. In order to help people understand, they should draw on many similes.

Furthermore, in all the Dharma of the śrāvakas, there is no simile of a gandharva city. There are many other similes for impermanence: "Form is like a mass of foam, feeling is like a bubble, perception is like a mirage, formations are like a plantain tree, and consciousness is like an illusion," as well as the emptiness similes in the Sutra of the Net of Illusions. Because the simile of a gandharva city is different, it is explained here.

Question: In the Dharma of the śrāvakas, a city is used as a simile for the body. Why does this text use the simile of a gandharva city?

Answer: In the Dharma of the śrāvakas, the city simile means that the many conditions truly exist, while the city is only a provisional name. In a gandharva city, even the many conditions do not exist. It is like a spinning wheel of fire: it only deceives the eye. In the Dharma of the śrāvakas, the city is used as a simile in order to break the notion of self. Here, because bodhisattvas have sharp faculties and enter deeply into the emptiness of all dharmas, a gandharva city is used as the simile.

For this reason, it is said to be like a gandharva city.

"Like a dream" means this: in a dream there is no real event, yet one takes it to be real. After waking, one knows it was not real and laughs at oneself.

People are also like this. While asleep in the fetters and latent tendencies, they cling to what is not real. When they awaken by attaining the path, they then know it is not real and also laugh at themselves. For this reason, it is called like a dream.

Furthermore, in a dream, because of the power of sleep, one sees what has no dharma. People are also like this: because of the power of the sleep of ignorance, they see many things as existent although they do not exist, such as self, what belongs to self, male and female, and so on.

Furthermore, in a dream, though there is nothing to be joyful about, one is joyful; though there is nothing to be angry about, one is angry; though there is nothing to fear, one is afraid. Beings in the three realms are also like this. Because they sleep in ignorance, they are angry when they should not be angry, joyful when they should not be joyful, and afraid when they should not be afraid.

Furthermore, there are five kinds of dreams. If the body is out of balance and there is much heat, one often dreams of fire, yellow, or red. If there is much cold, one often sees water or white. If there is much wind, one often sees flying or black. Again, because one has heard and seen certain things and thought about them often, one sees them in dreams. Or devas may give a dream because they want one to know future events.

These five kinds of dreams all have no real events, yet one falsely sees them. People are also like this. Beings in the five destinies, because of the power and conditions of the view of the body, see four kinds of self: the form aggregate is self; form belongs to self; form is within self; and self is within form. As with form, so too with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. Four times five makes twenty. After awakening by attaining the true wisdom of the path, one knows that these are not real.

Question: One should not say that dreams are unreal. Why? When the mind-consciousness obtains causes and conditions, it arises. In a dream, consciousness has many kinds of conditions. If there were no such conditions, how could consciousness arise?

Answer: There are none. One sees what should not be seen: in a dream one sees horns on a person's head, or dreams that one's body flies through empty space. In reality, people do not have horns, and the body does not fly. For this reason, dreams are unreal.

Question: There really are human heads, and elsewhere there really are horns. Because the mind is confused, one sees horns on a human head. Empty space really exists, and there are also really beings who fly. Because the mind is confused, one sees one's own body flying. This is not unreal.

Answer: Although there really are human heads and although there really are horns, a human head growing horns is a false seeing.

Question: The world is vast, and the causes and conditions from former lives differ in many ways. In other lands, there may be people with horns growing from their heads, or people with one hand and one foot, or people one foot tall, or people with nine heads. What is strange about a person having horns?

Answer: If people in another land have horns, that may be so. But in a dream, to see someone one knows in this land having horns is impossible.

Furthermore, if someone dreams of the boundary of empty space, the boundary of direction, or the boundary of time, how could such a thing be real? Where is there no empty space, no direction, or no time? For this reason, in a dream one sees as existent what does not exist. You said earlier, "Without conditions, how can consciousness arise?" Although there are no conditions from the five sense objects, because the power of one's own thought and recollection turns, consciousness arises with dharmas as its condition. If someone says there is a person with two heads, then because of those words an image arises in the mind. In a dream, seeing as existent what does not exist is also like this.

All dharmas are also like this. Although dharmas do not exist, they can still be seen, heard, and known. As a verse says, "Like a dream, like an illusion, like a gandharva city: all dharmas are also like this."

For this reason, it says that bodhisattvas know all dharmas as like a dream.