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ChatGPT translation of a very good Chinese article on Dependent Origination and Emptiness. (Chinese original below) This article to shared to me by John Tan some years ago.
**What does Pratītyasamutpāda (Dependent Origination) Śūnyatā (Emptiness) mean? (Part 1)**
[Source: http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_c3c90ce50101fbkt.html]
**2013-07-24 19:41 | Views: 631**
1. The idea of Pratītyasamutpāda Śūnyatā (Dependent Origination and Emptiness), in summary, is this: all dharmas, because they have no self-nature (nissvabhava), can manifest as illusions depending on conditions. Although all these illusory dharmas are vividly apparent, they are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; like dew and lightning. When we truly understand and believe this principle, then all conceptual elaborations will cease, and we will be free from disputes with others and have no inner attachments. Following this, the only thing left in life is to act accordingly and accept whatever comes, without there being, in truth, any merit (puṇya) really existing.
2. The cosmology of Buddhism leans towards phenomenology rather than metaphysical ontology; it analyzes the essence of phenomena based on experiential phenomena. Additionally, Buddhism is not purely a cosmological phenomenology; it is further a method to free oneself from suffering. The focus is on relieving all human suffering. To free humanity from suffering, the Buddha discovered that suffering arises from the misinterpretation of phenomena. Since the misinterpretation and distortion of phenomena bring boundless distress to oneself and others, the Buddha proposed the concepts of Pratītyasamutpāda (Dependent Origination) and Anātman (No-self) as methods to counteract this. Therefore, Pratītyasamutpāda and Anātman are not only explanations of objective phenomena in Buddhism but also methods to eliminate suffering.
3. Everything is merely the transformation of functions and phenomena; within them, there is no life, no body, and no consciousness. This is my understanding of the Dharma.
4. The doctrine of 'Pratītyasamutpāda and Anātman' or 'the ultimate emptiness of Dependent Origination' is the fundamental thought of Buddhism. Any group or individual whose ideas deviate from the principle of Dependent Origination and Emptiness is not recognized as part of Buddhism, even though it may still be a great religion, a rigorous philosophy, or a person of admirable moral character.
5. The Dharma is fundamentally simple; there are only a few words that can truly transcend life and death and ferry one across the sea of suffering. While learning is vast and requires much study and reading, practice is best kept minimal. The Middle Way (Madhyamaka) and Prajñāpāramitā teachings are extensive, but they can be summarized in the two words 'Pratītyasamutpāda' (Dependent Origination). If someone deeply understands the profound meaning of Pratītyasamutpāda, they can immediately distance themselves from conceptual elaborations! Some say, 'From the three thousand waters, I take only one scoop to drink.' One scoop of water is enough to quench thirst, but if one stands by the river and counts the three thousand waters without drinking, they will die of thirst by the river.
6. The meaning of Pratītyasamutpāda and Anātman is a profound Buddhist doctrine. The Buddha once said, 'Pratītyasamutpāda is deep, very deep!' Although we often hear Buddhists talk about 'Pratītyasamutpāda,' those who truly understand the meaning of Pratītyasamutpāda and Anātman are relatively few compared to those who merely speak about it.
7. What does 'Pratītyasamutpāda' mean? Pratītyasamutpāda means that many conditions come together to manifest and complete a thing. What does 'Śūnyatā' mean? It means that since all things are composed of conditions, they do not have their own nature, individuality, permanence, eternity, or autonomy. That is all.
8. The general idea of Pratītyasamutpāda and Anātman is: First, sentient beings' existence is not without cause; their appearance in the world, and the different encounters and retributions they experience, are due to the power of ignorance and karma. Second, sentient beings undergo long cycles of rebirth in the three realms, exhibiting various states of life and creating different bodily and mental activities. However, these states and activities are merely the illusory combinations of roots, objects, and consciousness, without substance, core, and constantly changing and flowing. The essence of Anātman can be summarized in these two points, but for the vast majority of beings attached to sensory experiences, superstitious materialistic thoughts, and constantly distracted, it is extremely difficult to understand! Especially for those who desire to grasp the essential teaching of Pratītyasamutpāda and Anātman and integrate it into their lives to purify the three karmas (body, speech, and mind), to sever thirst and extinguish conceptual elaborations, achieving tranquility and non-contention, it is even more challenging for those with a strong sense of right and wrong and a combative mind!
9. Phenomena have two aspects: their appearance and their essence. The appearance of phenomena refers to all the things, events, principles, and matters that arise and perish due to causes and conditions (including the three realms of samsara, karma, and retribution). The essence of phenomena is impermanence, no-self, and emptiness. One who does not see emptiness is not a Buddhist; one who discusses emptiness apart from the appearance of phenomena does not correctly understand emptiness. Since the three realms of samsara, karma, and retribution cannot be fully comprehended without the attainment of the four dhyānas and the eight samādhis (only through faith and understanding), and because the appearance is infinite and boundless, practitioners cannot observe everything. Therefore, modern Zen advises practitioners to focus on the attainment of pre-dhyāna concentration, living in the present moment, and contemplating the emptiness of the five aggregates at all times and places. Because those who have firm pre-dhyāna concentration can perform deep contemplation, and those who truly see the emptiness of the five aggregates can cease greed and hatred and attain liberation.
10. Buddhism speaks of 'all dharmas being like illusions,' which is discussed together with 'karma and retribution are not lost.' It can be said that these are two sides of the same coin. To say that mountains, rivers, and the great earth are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows presupposes the acknowledgment of the existence of mountains, rivers, and the great earth; to say that wealth and fame are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows naturally affirms the existence of wealth and fame before saying they are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; to say that the six realms of samsara are like dreams and illusions similarly affirms the existence of the six realms of samsara and that karma and retribution are not lost. The emptiness of dreams and illusions does not negate the fact of dreams and illusions—if a Zen practitioner does not recognize this, they easily fall into the view of nihilistic emptiness.
11. The Buddha said, 'Pratītyasamutpāda is deep, very deep.' Understanding the principle of emptiness is not easy. Those with dull faculties must observe from many aspects to gradually understand emptiness. They need to reflect on the transience and suffering of the world, the despicable, heartless, and fickle nature of human beings, the transient nature of life like staying in a guesthouse, the disguises, performances, packaging, and promotions in society, the deliberate and resultant nature of worldly affairs as combinations of conditions, and so on, to slowly comprehend emptiness. Those with sharp faculties, however, can directly enter the gate of nirvāṇa through the fundamental contemplation of Prajñāpāramitā and Madhyamaka: 'All dharmas arise and appear through the combination of roots, objects, and consciousness.' That is to say, those with sharp faculties may not follow the sequential study of suffering, impermanence, and no-self; they can resolve attachment and enter nirvāṇa by observing that all dependent arisings are illusory and all illusory arisings are unarisen.
12. The Buddha said: 'Pratītyasamutpāda is deep, very deep; the quiescent nature of Pratītyasamutpāda (nirvāṇa) is even deeper and profound.' Pratītyasamutpāda refers to all existing, continuing things, including time, space, spirit, matter, motion (the cycle of the three realms is also a kind of motion phenomenon), and the principles and laws of things (karma and retribution are also a kind of law), all of which are formed based on certain causes and conditions. The quiescent nature of Pratītyasamutpāda points to the intrinsic nature of all existing and continuing dharmas—obviously being impermanent, arising and ceasing, full of suffering, defects, and unease; more profoundly being illusory and unreal, like dreams, flowers in the sky, moon in the water, mirages, and reflections; and ultimately being quiescent and unarisen—nirvāṇa.
13. ‘Anything dependent on conditions for existence is fundamentally unreal, like a dream.’ The core meaning of Prajñāpāramitā Madhyamaka is a truth that is easily understood and explained by ordinary Buddhist learners, but difficult to truly believe, accept, and practice.
**14.** From a Buddhist perspective, the human body and mind—referred to as the five aggregates (skandhas)—are all born from conditions, without inherent subjectivity, autonomy, or an independent core. Terms like 'you,' 'me,' 'he,' 'society,' 'nation,' 'world,' as well as concepts like 'emotion,' 'rationality,' 'justice,' and 'happiness,' are all relatively provisional and temporary composite concepts. The more one recognizes this fact of phenomena, the more one will distance themselves from pride and self-assurance. Therefore, a humble and soft personality is not merely a form of cultivation, but a manifestation in accordance with the truth.
**15.** The phenomena of life are temporary illusions manifesting from the combination of conditions. For convenience, we provisionally name these as 'you,' 'me,' 'he,' but in reality, in the moment-to-moment arising and ceasing, there is no fixed form that can be called a 'dharma,' and in the gathering and dispersing, there is no independent form that can be called 'self.' Just as the sky and the sea do not inherently have boundaries or differences between the four great oceans, initially, names were established according to convention, and eventually, they became ingrained. If asked, 'Where is the soul of the Pacific Ocean?'
**16.** Sentient beings have not broken the 'view of a personal self' (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), so for them, there are unchanging time and space, heaven and hell, Buddhas and Māras, Arhats and Bodhisattvas, the first, second, and subsequent stages of sainthood, all because of 'self-view'—a confused thought and mental state. If one day the self-view is broken, all conceptual elaborations will cease. Because all these distinctions are based on the premise of self-view, self-view is like the coordinates of motion. With the coordinates, motion is possible. When this firm coordinate—self-view—is broken, the world becomes one of infinite light, infinite life, and inconceivable phenomena.
**17.** An unenlightened person, when talking about ancient Chan masters or Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, always holds self-view in their mind—seeing the Sixth Patriarch, Yongjia, Huangbo, Linji, and Nanquan as separate 'entities' and viewing Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva as 'one' Bodhisattva—this is evidence of not yet being enlightened. A truly enlightened person, from the perspective of their mind's eye, sees only dependent origination, not individual selves. They do not view Bodhisattvas, patriarchs, or even sentient beings as separate 'entities.' They do not hold the view of 'individuality' among sentient beings, which is called 'personality view' (pudgala-dṛṣṭi) in Buddhism; nor do they arise the view of 'self' within themselves—'view of a personal self' (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). They see only dependent origination and merely play within dependent origination.
**18.** People can naturally be free and unobstructed, but due to the mistaken identification of 'body and mind as self,' a deep-rooted habitual force forms, even becoming 'effortless.' Thus, afflictions are continuous, and suffering arises. By falsely grasping the body as self and thoughts and feelings as self, one naturally becomes concerned only with their own body and mind (including feelings, sensations, thoughts, ideas, memories, impressions, and experiences), and to protect these two, they fall into blind biases, contradictions, and emptiness. Like flies, they are quickly waved away but soon return to the original place—all their concerns and attachments are only centered on their own body and mind, unable to step outside the five elements and become free people.
**19.** I often tell fellow practitioners, 'Life is like a pile of mud; don't roar in it!' What does 'roar' mean? It means getting emotionally agitated, shouting and yelling; here, it also refers to being high-spirited, arrogant, self-assured, affectionate, greedy, anxious, and uneasy. Over the years, I have deeply felt that life really has nothing much to it! Life quickly passes! The current body, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, hands, feet, tendons, bones, blood, flesh, fat, as well as memory, experience, perception, and thoughts, I feel they are just a heap of combinations. They belong to unknowable conditions, not to me.
**20.** Ordinary people cannot be at ease or follow conditions because they do not believe in or understand the Buddha's teaching that 'life is like a dream.' They are deceived by their own eyes, their own consciousness, and by the eyes and consciousness of others. They mistakenly believe that time, space, objects, motion, and even mental phenomena, psychological activities, philosophical principles, and so on, all truly exist—since their mindset takes all these as real and serious, how can they not be stubborn? How can they move toward liberation?
**21.** People mistakenly believe that everything is real, so they 'seriously' cling and 'seriously' let go. Thus, whether clinging or letting go, they do not understand the Madhyamaka (Middle Way).
**22.** If one cannot correctly see and contemplate the impermanence of all conditioned things (saṃskāra) and the no-self nature (anātman) of all dharmas, freeing the mind from all notions of reality and self-view, no matter how happy or carefree or how ascetic their practice, they will never be associated with the liberation of the Buddha's teachings.
**23.** 'All dharmas are unattainable' does not mean that because the practitioner has a mind of non-attainment, all dharmas are unattainable. Rather, all dharmas are inherently without core, without substance, unreal, and unattainable!
**24.** True practice is not for escaping saṃsāra in the future but is driven by the urgent need to free oneself from suffering. Everywhere in life, we see people suffering intensely due to a lack of wisdom, which is an evident fact. Although the five aggregates are without self, karma and retribution still exist. If one really swallows a nail, it will rupture the stomach; if one jumps from a roof, they will be bloodied and broken—this is not negated by the no-self nature of the five aggregates.
Perhaps it can be said that humans rarely act purely for the 'self,' since 'self' is just a concept. What humans truly yearn for, roar about, are countless desires and greed—and it is these desires and greed that cause their body and mind to suffer. Our practice focuses on believing, understanding, practicing, and realizing the emptiness of dependent origination and no-self. This emptiness can heal our present suffering caused by desires and greed, while escaping future saṃsāra is just a natural, inevitable result.
**25.** Since all dharmas arise from conditions, and conditions are inherently without self-nature (nissvabhava), all dharmas in the world, although vividly present, are ultimately unborn (ajata), have never existed from the start! Since all dharmas in the world have never existed from the start, naturally, there is no issue of arising or ceasing! Given that everything is without issue, how can there be true regret in the heart of a Buddhist disciple?
Continuation from Part 1:
People intuitively feel that death is real and true, leading to a fear of death. If one can see through the illusion that pleasure, pain, birth, and death are like dreams, then they can free themselves from the fear of death.
The stream of life is without beginning or end. Although the phenomena of "death" appear due to the coming together of conditions, it is not a termination, just a change in form. Those who have insight into dependent origination understand the principles of samsara and maintain clear mindfulness at all times, keeping themselves in a simple, pure world.
People might say that at least the present can be grasped. But what does "present" mean? It is merely the image produced in the brain when the eye nerves come into contact with the external environment.
A practitioner proficient in śamatha (calm abiding) and vipaśyanā (insight) can confirm in a blink that the world is truly like a dream, knowing that the images of the world arise in relation to one's eye faculties as illusions.
The path to the goal is not the goal itself. The principle of dependent origination and emptiness, although it can indeed distance one from delusion and dreams, is not the ultimate reality or nirvāṇa itself. Thus, explaining that "all dharmas are merely nominal" will not cause sentient beings to lose the path to liberation. The Chan (Zen) assertion that "all words are expedient means" does not contradict the Prajñāpāramitā Madhyamaka philosophy.
Actually, "The Great Sage spoke of emptiness to free one from all views." Emptiness and dependent origination should not be considered the highest philosophical presupposition. Thinking that the theory of dependent origination is the highest, unchanging truth goes against the Buddha's original intention in presenting dependent origination and emptiness. The scriptures state, "To save sentient beings, the ultimate emptiness is taught." In reality, "emptiness itself is empty" and "emptiness is merely nominal" are points we should be mindful of.
When Buddhism says "everything is empty," it does not mean everything is meaningless or non-existent. It tells us that nothing is absolute, permanent, or real, hoping that people will not cling to things. This concept of emptiness will not lead to negativity; it only makes people tolerant, unobstructed, and refreshed.
All dharmas lack a fixed nature and are in a constant state of change. Therefore, any notion of something being unchanging, absolute, or eternal is a foolish view.
Since we live in a relative world, we must adhere to the general rules of the world. When worldly sages say something exists, we should also say it exists. When they say it does not exist, we should say it does not exist. However, from the highest perspective, we must affirm that good and evil arise from causes and conditions, and there is no fixed, unchanging, absolute, or real significance. Furthermore, for one who sees the quiescent nature of dependent origination, their actions are solely for the benefit of others. They do whatever benefits sentient beings. Since "evil" is harmful to sentient beings and "good" is beneficial to sentient beings, they naturally encourage people to avoid all evil and cultivate all good. Although they teach "avoid all evil and cultivate all good," they do not have a real sense of good and evil, understanding that these are dependent origination and born of the mind.
Worldly good and bad are composed of causes and conditions. For example, is a knife good or bad? It is not definite; with certain causes and conditions, a knife is good; with others, it is bad. In some situations, it can be said to be bad, and in others, it can be said to be good. The view of good and bad should not be fixed, which is the attitude of a practitioner.
Worldly matters often appear simple on the surface, but a deeper investigation reveals that many small daily things contain profound principles.
The entire network of causes and conditions is a web-like causal system, where pulling one hair can move the whole body. Thus, any issue is not a simple one, and a deeper investigation often shows hundreds of issues behind each one. The emergence of one issue often affects the arising of other issues.
I believe that "all dharmas arise from causes and conditions," and the arising of dharmas under the same conditions is universally inevitable and follows an invariable order. However, the problem is, given the endless interconnected causes and conditions of the world and the constantly flowing five aggregates (skandhas) of body and mind, who can grasp the exact same conditions completely?
Most worldly matters have various aspects of appearance and essence, near and far, high and low. Each matter is complex, containing contradictory yet unified contents.
People become what their environment shapes them into. Everyone has the potential to change because no one is fixed; everything is due to causes and conditions. Therefore, practitioners have no fixed views about people and things and are not attached.
Causes and conditions are truly inconceivable. In the vast expanse of time and space and the myriad human world, people with different background conditions come together!
All dharmas and worldly matters arising from causes and conditions are inherently integrated, and even the term "integrated" cannot fully describe their close relationship. They cannot be forcibly separated as "this is you," "this is me," or "that is him." The notions of "you," "me," and "him" are illusions arising from the ignorance of the three marks of existence (trilakṣaṇa), which are superfluous, unreal, and products of deluded dreams. In burning away all these illusions, there is only "seeing" without a "seer"; only "suffering" without a "sufferer"; only "acting" without an "actor." Sentient beings have compassion because "everyone" arises from causes and conditions! Furthermore, the Mahayana scriptures emphasize that "everyone can become a Buddha" because of causes and conditions!
Past events and future events may feel dream-like to us, but we do not perceive the present as a dream. In reality, both the future and the past are dreams; does the present have any real essence? The "present" is at most just a second, and once a second passes, it cannot be retrieved.
In the world of dependent origination, what is high is not high, and what is low is not low. Everything is closely interconnected.
The causes and conditions of sentient beings vary! From my impression of reading the Buddhist scriptures, there were sentient beings that Venerable Ananda could not save, but Venerable Sariputra could. Similarly, there were those Venerable Kassapa could not save, but Venerable Anuruddha could. Thus, causes and conditions are not fixed.
The world is like a banana tree, covered layer upon layer by banana leaves—formed by endless overlapping causes and conditions, creating the world. But if the causes and conditions, like banana leaves, are peeled away one by one, there is no self, no dharma to be found. Impermanence is the appearance and phenomenon of the world, while its essence and nature are without self-nature.
Infinite causes and conditions only form a phenomenon called "events." Although we can say that infinite causes and conditions form an event, in our minds we must understand that infinite causes and conditions only form the composite illusion called an event.
From the perspective of dependent origination, all people, events, and things are finite; there is no perfect group or individual in the world. As long as the general direction is towards the path of Buddhahood, everything is not in vain.
Although heat and cold are not absolute, being scalded by boiling water still causes injury. Thus, ignorance of objective relative truth still causes us suffering. Similarly, although there is no absolute truth, understanding objective relative truth can still lead to the elimination of suffering.
In the world of dependent origination, one cannot find pure, complete, transcendental, absolute objectivity—what is generally called objectivity is also a kind of standpoint, whether leaning left, right, or centered.
Buddhism's theory of dependent origination tells us that everything manifests based on causes and conditions. Things that manifest based on causes and conditions are inherently impermanent and changeable—possessing infinite possibilities. From known and visible causes and conditions, we might say something is "impossible," but if we take an absolutely rigorous standpoint, we should acknowledge that all phenomena contain the potential for change and possibility.
“缘起性空是什么意思？（上）
http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_c3c90ce50101fbkt.html
2013-07-24 19:41阅读：631
1.缘起性空的思想，概要言之只是：一切法由于无自性，因此得以随缘幻现；幻现的一切法，虽然历历在目，但却如梦幻泡影、如露亦如电。当我们真正信解这个道理之后，则当戏论灭尽，与人无诤讼，同时内心了无牵挂。接着，人生仅剩的唯是，行所当行，受所当受－－而实无功德。
2.佛教的宇宙论是比较倾向现象论，而不是形而上学的本体论，就是以经验可及的现象来剖析它的本质到底是什么？此外佛教也不是纯粹的宇宙现象论，它更进一步是一种摆脱痛苦的方法，它的重点是在摆脱人类一切的痛苦。为了要摆脱人类一切的痛苦，佛陀发现痛苦是源自于人们对现象的曲解。佛陀由于发现众生这种对现象曲解、扭曲的认知，将带给自他无边的苦恼，从而提出缘起性空、缘起无我的思想（方法）以对治之。所以缘起无我不仅是佛教对客观现象的解释，同时也是佛教达到灭苦的方法。
3.一切都只是功能和现象的变化而已，此中并没有生命，也没有身体和意识——我所了解的佛法只是这样。
4.‘缘起无我论’或‘缘起（毕竟）空义’是佛教的根本思想。任何团体及个人倘若观念偏离缘起空义，将不被承认是佛教的一员。尽管它仍然可能是伟大的宗教、严密的哲学或道德情操令人敬重的个人。
5.佛法本无多，真正可以超生了死、渡出苦海的并没有几句话。学问在于广博，要学要读的很多，但修行是愈少愈好。中观般若那么多，但说起来，只是‘缘起’二个字而已。如果有人能深解缘起的甚深义，那么，当下便可远离戏论了！有人说‘弱水三千，我只取一瓢而饮。’一瓢饮就能解渴了，但如果站在河边，细数流水三千而不取饮，那就只好渴死河边了。
6.缘起无我义，这是非常深的佛教义理，佛陀曾说：‘缘起甚深极甚深！’虽然我们常闻佛教徒云‘缘起、缘起’，但真正了解缘起无我义的人，相对于口说缘起者，比例恐怕是非常少的。
7.什么叫做‘缘起’：缘起就是说很多条件来呈现、完成一件事情；什么叫‘性空’：就是说一切事物既然都是条件的组合，那么它们就不会有自己的本性、自己的个性，没有不变性、永恒性、和自主性
就是这样而已。
8.缘起无我的大意是：一、有情的 存在，不是没有原因的，他们之所以出现在世间，际遇报应各有不同，乃依无明意识和业的力量所造。二、有情长劫轮回于三界，展现种种不同的生命状态，并营造出不同的身心活动，但这些状态和活动，都只是根、境、识和合的假相，没有实体、没有核心，而且变化不居、迁流不息。无我的理趣，扼要的说，虽只是以上两点，但对于执着感官经验、迷信唯物思想且一向散乱的广大群生而言，是多么难以理解的！尤其是意欲掌握缘起无我的心要，并援引心要融入生活净化三业，以至于断渴爱、灭戏论、寂静无诤、任运随缘之境，对于是非心重、诤胜心强的有情，更是难上加难！
9.现象有两部份，即现象的表相和现象的本质。现象的表相是指一切有因有缘而生起、逝灭的人、物、理、事（含三世轮回、因果业报）；现象的本质则是无常、无我、空。不见空者，非佛教；离现象之表相而论空者，非正解空义的人。由于三世轮回、因果业报非具足四禅八定难以现观（唯能信解），而表相更是无量无边，修行人也无法一一遍观，所以现代禅建议行人，应特重未到地定，随时随地活在眼前一瞬，并集中心力观五蕴皆空即可。因为未到地定坚固者便能作深观，而真能照见五蕴皆空者，便可止息贪嗔得解脱。
10.佛教所说‘诸法如幻’，它和‘业报不失’是一并讲的，可说是一体之两面。说山河大地如梦幻泡影其前提是承认世间有山河大地；说财富名利如梦幻泡影，当然是肯定财富名利的存在，然后才说它们是如梦幻泡影的；说六道轮回如梦如幻，同样也是肯定六道轮回、业报不失的现象。如梦如幻的空义，并没有否定如梦如幻的事实——修禅的人如果没有认清此点，则易陷入断灭空之中。
11.佛说‘缘起甚深极甚深’，空义的通达是不容易的。钝根的人必须从很多方面的观察，才能慢慢了解空，他起先要从‘世间是短暂的、痛苦的’‘人性是卑鄙、绝情、善变的’‘人生如客居旅店，最后还是双手空空’‘社会充斥着伪装、作秀、包装和宣传’‘世事都是刻意、作为的结果，是各种条件的组合’……等等角度的省思、感触之后，才能渐渐信解空义。而利根的人却直从‘诸法是根境识和合而呈现的’——般若中观的这一根本理趣的思惟观察便可步入涅盘门。也就是说，利根的人未必遵从苦、无常、无我的次第学习起，他单从缘生即幻生、幻生即无生的观察，便能化解贪着顺入涅盘。
12.佛说：‘缘起甚深极甚深，缘起之寂灭性（涅盘）倍复甚深极甚深。’‘缘起’是指一切存在、延续的人、物、理、事，包含时间、空间、精神、物质、运动（‘三世轮回’也是一种运动现象），以及事物的理则和定律（‘因果业报’也是一种定律），这一切皆基于一定的原因和次第所形成。‘缘起之寂灭性’则指向这存在、延续的一切法的本性——粗显的是生灭无常、迁流不住，充满痛苦、缺陷和不安；深刻些的是虚幻不实，就如同梦境、空花、水月、阳焰、海市蜃楼；而最极幽隐的是寂静无生——涅盘。
13.‘凡是依赖因缘而存在的事物，其本身就如梦幻一般不真实。’般若中观的根本奥义，对于普遍学佛者而言，是一种容易被理解、演说，却难以被信仰、接受、奉行的真理。
14.从佛教的观点来看，人类的身心——也就是‘五蕴’都是‘因缘所生’，没有主体性、自主性，不是单一、自成、有核心的存在；人们通说的‘你’‘我’‘他’‘社会’‘国家’‘世界’，以及‘感情’‘理智’‘正义’‘幸福’……等等的一切，其实都是相对、权宜、暂时安立的复合性概念。对这一现象事实，越有认识的人，则会越远离憍慢自恃。因此说，谦卑柔软的人格，不单是涵养而已，实是相应真理的表现。
15.生命的现象乃是因缘和合暂时呈现的幻相，我们为了方便起见，权且安立假名说这是‘你’、‘我’、‘他’，但事实上刹那生灭中并没有可称之为‘法’的固定相，和合积聚中也没有可称之为‘我’的独立相；就如虚空与大海本没有国界和四大洋之别，先前乃随俗立名，最后则积非成是，问道：‘太平洋的灵魂在哪里？’
16.众生因为‘萨迦耶见’未破，所以对他来讲，世间有一成不变的时间、空间，有天堂、地狱，有佛、有魔、有阿罗汉、有菩萨，有初果、二果，有五、六、七、八……等等，这些都是因为‘自性见’——‘迷惑的思想和心态’才有的。若有一朝自性见破除了，所有的戏论，就通通息灭。因为上述的一切分别，都是以自性见为前提，自性见就像运动时的座标一样，有了座标才有运动可言。而当这座坚固的座标——自性见打破时，世界就是无量光、无量寿、不可思议的世界了。
17.一个尚未开悟的人，当他在谈论古代禅师或佛菩萨的时候，都含有自性见在胸中——以个别的‘单位’看待六祖、永嘉、黄檗、临济、南泉等人，也把观世音菩萨当做是‘一个’菩萨——这也是还未开悟的证明。而一个真正开悟的人，从他的心眼看出，则只见因缘，不见人我。他不会把菩萨、祖师，甚至众生当做个别的‘单位’来看待，他于众生中不起人见，也就是佛学上所说的‘补特伽罗见’；也不会于自己生起我见——‘萨迦耶见’，他只见缘起，并在缘起中游戏而已。
18.人本来是可以自在无碍的，却因误认‘身心是我’，且形成根深蒂固的惯性，甚至已成‘无功用’了，所以烦恼不断，苦惑丛生。由于妄执身体是我，思惟、感受是我，自然变得只关心自己的身体和意识（包括感受、感觉、感想、思考、思想、记忆、印象、经验），也为了保护这两样东西，陷于盲目偏见、矛盾空虚之中。就像苍蝇一般，刚刚才挥走，很快就又飞回原来的地方——一切所关心、挂碍的都只在一己身心上，没办法跳出五行外，成为自由人。
19.常对同修说：‘人生就像烂泥巴堆，不要在当中咆哮！’什么是咆哮？咆哮就是情绪激动大吼大叫；在此，也是指意气风发、傲慢自恃、眷恋贪爱、紧张不安……等等。多年来我深深痛感人生真的没有什么！人生很快就过去了！眼前当下的身体，眼、耳、鼻、舌、心、肝、脾、肺、手、脚、筋、骨、血、肉、脂肪，以及记忆、经验、知觉、思惟……，我都感到它们只是一堆组合物而已，它们属不可知的因缘，不属于我。
20.一般人之所以不能悠闲、不能随缘，是因为他们不相信也不了解佛说‘人生如梦’的道理，他们被自己的眼睛、自己的意识以及众人的眼睛、众人的意识所蒙蔽；误认时间、空间、物体、运动……以及精神现象、心理活动、哲学义理……等等都是真实存在的——心态上既然对存在的这一切‘当真’‘认真’，又怎么能够不固执？又怎么能够趋向解脱呢？
21.人们因为误认事事物物都是真的，所以‘很当真’地执着，也‘很当真’地放下，因此，无论是执着、还是放下，都是不解中观的人。
22.倘不能正见正观诸行无常、诸法无我，心离一切实在感、自性见，则无论如何快乐逍遥或刻苦修行，永远和佛门之解脱是没有交涉的。
23.‘诸法无所得’并不是因为修行者具无所得之心，诸法才无所得，而是诸法本来就是无核、无体、无实、无所得！
24.真正的修行并不是为了日后的摆脱轮回，而是人类皆有‘脱离痛苦’的热切需要。生活中随处可见人们由于缺乏智慧，导致身心苦痛、无限煎熬，这是眼前明显不过的事实；同时，尽管五蕴无我，但因果业报还是有的，如果真的把铁钉吃下去，则会肚破肠流，真的从屋顶往下跳，则会血肉模糊——并不因为五蕴无我是现象界的事实。
或许可以这样说，人类很少为了‘我’，因为‘我’只是一种概念，人类真正朝思暮想、咆哮怒吼的是数不尽的欲望和贪婪——并且也因这些欲望和贪婪使他身心痛苦。而我们修行所重视的，是信、解、行、证缘起无我空义，这空义可以疗愈我们因欲望和贪婪所引生之当下苦，至于脱离未来轮回之苦，只是水到渠成、法尔如是的自然结果。
25.由于诸法因缘生，因缘生即无自性，无自性的世间一切法，虽然体相历历在目，但究其真实，到底不生、无生、从本不曾存在过！从本不存在过的世间一切法，当然也丝毫不会有如何灭、如何消除的问题！既然一切都没问题，那么佛弟子内心怎么会有真正的遗憾呢？
推荐：佛教基本知识”
Continuation from Part 1:
人們直覺死亡是實在的、真實的，由於這種感受，導致我們對死亡的恐懼。如果能看穿苦樂生死如夢幻一般的虛假，則可擺脫死亡的恐懼。
生命之流無始無終，因緣和合雖有「死亡」現象的呈現——但不是斷滅，唯是形態的不同。對緣起有洞見的人，明白輪迴的原理，他隨時隨地保持正念分明，讓自己恆常處在單純、清淨的世界裡。
也許人們可說，至少現在是捉得到；可是「現在」是什麼意思呢？其實也只是眼神經和外境接觸，大腦裡所產生的影像而已！
熟嫻止觀的修行人，只要稍眨個眼，就能確認世間真的如夢一般，因為他知道世間的影像，乃是相對自己的眼根而幻現的。
通往目標的道路，並不等於目標本身；緣起——空的道理，雖然確實可以使人遠離顛倒夢想，但是它並不就是實相、涅槃本身。因此，演述「一切諸法，但有假名」之說，並不會導致眾生失去通往解脫的道路，主張「凡有言說，皆屬方便」的禪，也沒有與般若中觀的思想形成矛盾。
其實，「大聖說空法，為離諸見故」，空——緣起並不可做為哲學上的最高預設；認為「緣起論」是最高的真理、不變的理則，反而有違背佛陀最初提出緣起——空的本意。經上說：「為可度眾生，故說畢竟空。」其實「空亦復空」「空但有假名」……是我們應該留意的。
佛教所說的「一切皆空」，不是指一切都沒有意義，或者一切都沒有；而是告訴我們一切都不是絕對、不變、真實的，希望人們不要執著。這樣的空義，並不會導致消極，它只會使人寬容、無礙、清爽而已。
諸法無定相，一切皆在變化的過程中，所以任何有一不變、絕對、永遠，那就是愚癡論。
由於我們是活在相對世界的人，所以必須遵守世間一般的規則，世間智者說有，我們也應該說有；世間智者說無，我們也應該說無。不過從最高的立場來講，我們卻必須肯定善惡因緣生，並沒有「一定」「不變」「絕對」「實在」的意義存在。其次，對一個現觀緣起寂滅性的人而言，所行唯求利他，怎樣對眾生有利，他就怎麼去做。既然「惡」對眾生不利，「善」對眾生比較有利，他當然是勸大眾諸惡莫作，眾善奉行囉！他雖然講「諸惡莫作，眾善奉行」，但是對善惡不會有實在感，因為他明白，那些都是緣起的，都是心所生的。
世間好與不好是由因緣組成的，例如一把刀子，刀子不好嗎？刀子好嗎？不一定；有因有緣刀子好，有因有緣刀子不好。某種情形下可以說它不好，某種情形下可以說它好，好壞不是一定的。「不好的」在某些因緣改變後，可能成為「好」，「好的」在因緣改變後，可能變成「不好」。對人物、事理的看法，不要存有成見才是修行人的態度。
世間的事情，往往表面看起來很簡單，可是如果深入探究，許多日常生活中很微小的事，都蘊藏著許多深奧的道理。
整個因緣網，是一個網狀的因果體系，可謂牽一髮而動全身，所以任何一個問題，事實上並不是一個單純的問題而已，一旦深究起來，幾乎每一個問題的背後，都由上百個問題組成；並且一個問題的出現，也常影響到其他問題的相繼產生。
我覺得「諸法因緣生」，緣生法在相同的因緣條件下，其生起是有普遍的必然性和不可躐等的次第性，這是沒錯的，但問題是，重重無盡的世間因果、遷流不住的五蘊身心，誰能掌握完全相同的因緣呢？
人世間的事情大都含有表裏粗細、遠近高低各種不同面向的角度；直接說，每一件事情都複雜，都存有正反面，既矛盾又統一的內容。
給他什麼環境，他就會變成什麼樣的人。人都有改變的可能——因為沒有人，一切只是因緣。故對人、對事沒有固定見，不會執著。
因緣實在不可思議，浩瀚無邊的時空、人海茫茫的塵世，不同因緣背景的人，竟然會聚在一起！
因緣生的一一法、人事地物，原原本本是渾然一體的，甚至連「渾然一體」都無法形容他們之間密切的關係，那是無法將之強力切割曰「這是你」「這是我」「那是他」；你、我、他（它）乃是有情昧於三法印而起的錯覺，這種錯覺是多餘的、非實的、顛倒夢想的產物。在燃燒這一切錯覺的當下，祇有「見」而沒有「見者」；祇有「苦」而無「受苦者」；祇有「行」而無「行事者」……，有情之所以會有悲心，實在乃因「大家」都是因——緣——生哪！不僅如此，大乘經典之所以在在強調「人人皆可成佛」也是因為因——緣——生哪！
過去的事、未來的事，我們還容易有如夢之感，但對於眼前的、現在的一切，我們就不覺它像夢了，其實，未來、過去都是夢；現在，又何嘗有真實的本質呢？「現在」最多也只是一秒而已，一秒過去後，再也沒有辦法追回了。
緣起的世界，高者不是高，低者不是低，大家都緊緊密密地連在一起。
眾生的因緣各有不同啊！據我讀佛經的印象，曾有阿難尊者沒辦法度的眾生，而舍利弗尊者就有辦法度了；也有迦葉尊者沒辦法度的，而阿那律尊者卻能度。所以因緣是不一定的。
世間很像芭蕉樹，被層層次次的芭蕉葉包著－－由無盡的因緣重疊覆蓋著，形成世間。可是如果把如同芭蕉葉的世間因緣一個個解開，則找不到一個我、一個法。無常是世間的表相、現象，它的實質、體性則是無自性的。
無限的因緣只成就某一被稱為「事情」的現象；雖然我們在言語的表達可以講無限因緣成就一件事情，但是在心裏要明白，無限因緣只成就了被稱為事情的和合幻象而已。
從緣起的觀點，任何人事物都是有限的，世上並無十全十美的團體或個人，只要大方向是往成佛之道邁進，則一切都功不唐捐。
冷熱雖不是絕對的，但如果被開水燙到，一樣會受傷。因此，昧於客觀相對的真理一樣會使我們產生痛苦；同樣的，雖然沒有絕對的真理，但認識相對客觀的真理仍然能夠導致痛苦的消除。
緣起的世間，找不到純粹、徹底、超然、絕對的客觀——一般所謂的客觀其實也是一種立場，無論偏左偏右或居中。
佛教的「緣起論」告訴我們，一切都是依因託緣而呈現的。依因託緣而呈現的事物，其本身註定是無常變幻——存有無限的可能性。也許就已知的因緣、可見的因緣來說，吾人不妨說「不可能」，但是倘若站在絕對嚴謹的立場言之，應該承認存在的現象，都含有變化性和可能性的。
