"To where does liberation lead? Who is fettered and who is liberated?"

 

The Lankavatara Sutra

"To where does liberation lead? Who is fettered and who is liberated?"

「解脫至何所？ 誰縛誰解脫？」《楞伽阿跋多羅寶經》卷1

Remarks:

The emptiness nature of tathagatagarbha is the basis set forth by the Buddha as the absolute origin of nirvana; thus, the attainment of the Two-Vehicles adepts is different from non-Buddhists’ attainment of nihilism. Based on the possible eradication of the taints and delusions of the three realms, which are stored in the tathagatagarbha, adepts enter nirvana after having completely extinguished the five aggregates; thus, this concept differs from that of nihilistic non-Buddhists.

The “true self” considered by eternalism’s proponents is precisely the vijnana aggregate that belongs to the notion of five aggregates established by the Buddha.

The clear, empty, perceptive mind possessed by those who mistakenly considered themselves enlightened is simply within the scope of the vijnana aggregate, which belongs to the five aggregates set forth by the Buddha. Therefore, after abandoning their five aggregates, adept saints can enter nirvana. However, such attainment is different from the notions of the five directly perceptible nirvanas assumed by non-Buddhists and those who mistakenly considered themselves enlightened.

In light of the aforementioned, we should know that it is the emptiness nature—the alaya-vijnana itself—that denotes the attainment of nirvanic liberation. In fact, the perceptive mind is incapable of becoming such an emptiness-natured entity. That is, relying on one’s clear, empty, perceptive mind, that which is willing to extinguish itself without reappearing again, thereby allows the alaya-vijnana to dwell in a stateless state in which there is no more future becoming. This is the notion of entering nirvana.

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