From this point on, as the origin of production and destruction is exposed, he will completely see all the twelve categories of living beings in the ten directions. Although he has not fathomed the source of their individual lives, he will see that they share a common basis of life, which appears as a mirage—shimmering and fluctuating—and is the ultimate, pivotal point of the illusory sense faculties and sense objects. This is the region of the formations skandha.

From this point on, as the origin of production and destruction is exposed... This refers to the origin of birth and death, which lies in the subtle movements of the seventh and sixth consciousnesses. At this point, the thinking skandha has been destroyed, and the cultivator has reached the formations skandha. Therefore, as the origin is revealed, he will completely see all the twelve categories of living beings in the ten directions. He exhaustively understands each of the twelve categories, which include beings born from eggs up to beings not completely without thought.

Although he has not fathomed the source of their individual lives, he will see that they share a common basis of life, which appears as a mirage—shimmering and fluctuating. He does not completely understand how each individual came into being, but he does perceive the origin of all the twelve categories of beings. This origin appears to him like a mirage. Sometimes in the spring you may see what seems to be a body of water in the distance, but when you reach the spot, there is no water. Zhuang Zi called this mirage a “wild horse,” a poetic reference to the cloud of dust stirred up by a galloping horse. In the Shurangama Sutra, it’s literally called “solar flames.” It refers to the vapor that rises from the earth in the springtime, forming a mirage. It’s said that wherever these mirages appear, the geomantic properties are pretty good. Thus, whether the Buddhist Sutras read “solar flames” or “wild horse,” the reference is to mirages. “Shimmering” means that there’s a bit of light, but it’s not clear. “Fluctuating” means that the state of disturbance is not very great.

And is the ultimate, pivotal point of the illusory sense faculties and sense objects. The six sense faculties are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. These are all illusory, not real. In Chinese, “pivotal point” is expressed by characters for the pivot on which a Chinese door hangs and the place where the pivot is anchored so that the door can be opened and closed. Nowadays we use two metal hinges, but in ancient China the doors were hung on pivots that were anchored in holes. This situation is known as the region of the formations skandha.

Once the basic nature of this shimmering fluctuation returns to its original clarity, his habits will cease, like waves subsiding to become clear, calm water. This is the end of the formations skandha. This person will then be able to transcend the turbidity of living beings. Contemplating the cause of the formations skandha, one sees that subtle and hidden false thoughts are its source.

Once the basic nature of this shimmering fluctuation returns to its original clarity, his habits will cease, like waves subsiding to become clear, calm water. The nature of this small amount of light is such that, after a long while, it will revert to its original stillness and clarity. Once it settles and becomes clear, the original, pure nature appears. When that happens, those kinds of habits will disappear like subsiding waves.

The thinking skandha is like a rapidly flowing torrent. The comparison was made earlier in the Sutra. Now the analogy is to waves, as in a swift current or a torrent. When the waves subside, the water clears and settles. This is the end of the formations skandha. The thinking skandha is like a gushing torrent, whereas the formations skandha is like ripples on the water. When only the consciousness skandha remains, there are no more waves in the clear, settled water. This is called “the end of the formations skandha.”

To be continued