T he supreme Self is without a beginning, undifferentiated, deathless. Though it dwells in the body, Arjuna, it neither acts nor is touched by action. As radiation pervades the cosmos but remains unstained, the Self can never be tainted though it dwells in every creature.

quote 4135  |   The Bhagavat Gita Bhagavad Gita 13.32

T he Tathagata... is the essence which is the reality of matter, but he is not matter. He is the essence which is the reality of sensation, but he is not sensation. He is the essence which is the reality of intellect, but he is not intellect. He is the essence which is the reality of motivation, but he is not motivation. He is the essence which is the reality of consciousness, yet he is not consciousness. Like the element of space, he does not abide in any of the four elements. Transcending the scope of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, he is not produced in the six sense media... He abides in ultimate reality, yet there is no relationship between it and him. He is not produced from causes, nor does he depend on conditions. He is not without any characteristic, nor has he any characteristic. He has no single nature nor a diversity of natures. He is not a conception, not a mental construction, nor is he a nonconception. He is neither the other shore, nor this shore, nor that between. He is neither here, nor there, nor anywhere else.…

quote 4119  |  (Yuima) Vimalakirti Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 12

W hat is never cast off, seized, interrupted, constant, extinguished, and produced--this is called Nirvana. Indeed, Nirvana is not strictly in the nature of ordinary existence for, if it were, there would wrongly follow the characteristics of old age and death. For, such an existence cannot be without those characteristics. If Nirvana is strictly in the nature of ordinary existence, it would be of the created realm. For, no ordinary existence of the uncreated realm ever exists anywhere at all. If Nirvana is strictly in the nature of ordinary existence, why is it non-appropriating? For, no ordinary existence that is non-appropriating ever exists. If Nirvana is not strictly in the nature of ordinary existence, how could what is in the nature of non-existence be Nirvana? Where there is no existence, equally so, there can be no non-existence. If Nirvana is in the nature of non-existence, why is it non-appropriating? For, indeed, a non-appropriating non-existence does not prevail. The status of the birth-death cycle is due to existential grasping [of the skandhas] and relational condition [of the being]. That which is non-grasping and non-relational is taught as Nirvana. The Teacher has taught the abandonment of the concepts of being and non-being. Therefore, Nirvana is properly neither [in the realm of] existence nor non-existence. If Nirvana is [in the realm of] both existence and non-existence, then liberation will also be both. But that is not proper. If Nirvana is [in the realm of] both existence and non-existence, it will not be non-appropriating. For, both realms are always in the process of appropriating. How could Nirvana be [in the realm of] both existence and non-existence? Nirvana is of the uncreated realm while existence and non-existence are of the created realm. How could Nirvana be [in the realm of] both existence and non-existence? Both cannot be together in one place just as the situation is with light and darkness. The proposition that Nirvana is neither existence nor non-existence could only be valid if and when the realms of existence and non-existence are established. If indeed Nirvana is asserted to be neither existence nor non-existence, then by what means are the assertions to be known? It cannot be said that the Blessed One exists after nirodha (release from worldly desires). Nor can it be said that He does not exist after nirodha, or both, or neither. It cannot be said that the Blessed One even exists in the present living process. Nor can it be said that He does not exist in the present living process, or both, or neither. Samsara (the empirical life-death cycle) is nothing essentially different from Nirvana. Nirvana is nothing essentially different from Samsara. The limits of Nirvana are the limits of Samsara. Between the two, also, there is not the slightest difference whatsoever. The various views concerning the status of life after nirodha, the limits of the world, the concept of permanence, etc., are all based on [such concepts as] Nirvana, posterior and anterior states of existence. Since all factors of existence are in the nature of Emptiness (sunya), why assert the finite, the infinite, both finite and Infinite, and neither finite nor infinite? Why assert the identity, difference, permanence, impermanence, both permanence and impermanence, or neither permanence nor impermanence? All acquisitions [i.e., grasping] as well as play of concepts [i.e., symbolic representation] are basically in the nature of cessation and quiescence. Any factor of experience with regards to anyone at any place was never taught by the Buddha.

quote 4114  |   Nagarjuna Mulamadhyamaka Karika 25

W hen appearances and names are put away and all discrimination ceases, that which remains is the true and essential nature of things and, as nothing can be predicated as to the nature of essence, is called the "Suchness" of Reality. This universal, undifferentiated, inscrutable Suchness is the only Reality, but it is variously characterized as Truth, Mind-essence, Transcendental Intelligence, Perfection of Wisdom, etc. This Dharma of the imagelessness of the Essence-nature of Ultimate Reality is the Dharma which has been proclaimed by all the Buddhas, and when all things are understood in full agreement with it, one is in possession of Perfect Knowledge.

quote 4101  |   The Lankavatara Sutra

T here is, monks, a condition where there is neither the element of extension, the element of cohesion, the element of heat, nor the element of motion, nor the sphere of the infinity of space, nor the sphere of the infinity of consciousness, nor the sphere of nothingness, nor the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; neither this world, nor a world beyond, nor sun and moon. There, monks, I say, there is neither coming nor going nor staying nor passing away nor arising. Without support or mobility or basis is it. This is indeed the end of suffering. That which is Selfless, hard it is to see; Not easy is it to perceive the Truth. But who has ended craving utterly Has naught to cling to, he alone can see. There is, monks, an unborn, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If, monks, there were not this unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded, there would not here be an escape from the born, the become, the made, the compounded. But because there is an unborn, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded, therefore there is an escape from the born, the become, the made, the compounded.

quote 4089  |   Buddha Sakyamuni Udana 80, Pataligama

T he quintessence of the utmost Way is Dark, dark, secret, secret: the apex of the utmost Way is mystery, mystery, silence, silence. Look at nothing, listen to nothing.

quote 4038  |   Tchuang Tzu Zhuangzi, chap.11 (Huang Lao school), trad. A.C. Graham, 1981, p.178

I n the primeval mass there is no shape, spreading and scattering, leaving no trail behind, in the darkness of its depths there is no sound. It moves without direction, resides in Mystery.

quote 4037  |   Tchuang Tzu Zhuangzi, chap.14 (Huang Lao school), trad. A.C. Graham, 1981, p.165

A ccustomed long to meditating on the Unborn, the Indestructible, the Unchanging, I have forgotten all definitions of this or that particular goal.

quote 3742  |   Milarepa Evans-Wentz, 1971;pp 245-247

A ll the scriptures unanimously declare That 'the pure, formless, undifferentiated Reality Is the Essence of all forms. There is absolutely no doubt about this. All forms, understand, are only temporary manifestations; The formless Essence eternally exists. Once this truth is realized, There's no more necessity to be reborn.

quote 3716  |   The Avadhuta Gita #20&21, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

I 'm One; I'm all of this! Yet I'm undifferentiated, beyond all forms. How, then, do I regard the Self? As both the Unmanifest and the manifest world.

quote 3712  |   The Avadhuta Gita #10, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

I ndeed, such is the plan of divine love that its purpose is always to draw back to itself that which it loves; it draws everyone out of themselves and out of all created reality, and totally into the uncreated.

quote 3447  |   Angela of Foligno Complete Works. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1993, p. 292

T he absolutely Non-Manifested cannot be designated by any expresssion which could limit It, Separate It, or include It. In spite of this, every allusion alludes only to Him, every designation designates Him, and He is at the same time the Non-Manifested and the Manifested.

quote 3256  |   Abd el-Kader Kitab al-Mawaqif 132, p. 87,in The Spiritual Writings of 'Abd al-Kader. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1995

A gain Mahamati, there has always been an eternally-abiding Reality. The "substance" of Truth abides forever whether a Tathagata appears in the world or not. So does the Reason of all things (dharmata) eternally abide; so does Reality abide and keep its order. What has been realized by myself and all other Tathagatas is this Reality (Dharmakaya), the eternally-abiding self-orderliness of Reality; the "suchness" (tathata) of things; the realness of things (bhutata); Noble Wisdom which is Truth itself.

quote 2612  |   The Lankavatara Sutra Ch XII, p.348, in Dwight Goddard, A Buddhist bible

T hen Mahamati asked the Blessed One, saying: What are the steps that will lead an awakened disciple toward the self-realization of Noble Wisdom? The Blessed One replied: The beginning lies in the recognition that the external world is only a manifestation of the activities of the mind itself, and that the mind grasps it as an external world simply because of its habit of discrimination and false-reasoning. The disciple must get into the habit of looking at things truthfully. He must recognize the fact that the world has no self-nature, that it is un-born, that it is like a passing cloud like an imaginary wheel made by a revolving firebrand, like the castle of the Gandharvas, like the moon reflected in the ocean, like a vision, a mirage, a dream. He must come to understand that mind in its essence-nature has nothing to do with discrimination nor causation; he must not listen to discourses based on the imaginary terms of qualifications; he must understand that Universal Mind in its pure essence is a state of imagelessness, that it is only because of the accumulated defilements on its face that body-property-and-abode appear to be its manifestations, that in its own pure nature it is unaffected and unaffecting by such changes as rising, abiding and destruction; he must fully understand that all these things come with the awakening of the notion of an ego-soul and its conscious mind.

quote 2592  |   The Lankavatara Sutra Ch VII, p.320, in Dwight Goddard, A Buddhist bible

W hen appearances and names are put away and all discrimination ceases, that which remains is the true and essential nature of things and, as nothing can be predicated as to the nature of essence, it is called the "Suchness" of Reality. This universal, undifferentiated, inscrutable, "Suchness- is the only Reality but it is variously characterized as Truth, Mind-essence, transcendental Intelligence, Noble Wisdom, etc.

quote 2567  |   The Lankavatara Sutra Ch.IV, p.299, in Dwight Goddard, A Buddhist bible

I gnorant people and worldly philosophers cherish a kind of no-birth, but it is not the no-birth which I teach. I teach the un-bornness of the un-born essence of all things which teaching is established in the minds of the wise by their self-realization of Noble Wisdom. A ladle, clay, a vessel, a wheel, or seeds, or elements-these are external conditions; ignorance, discrimination, attachment, habit, karma, -these are inner conditions. When this entire universe is regarded as concatenation and as nothing else but concatenation, then the mind, by its patient acceptance of the truth that all things are un-born, gains tranquility.

quote 2565  |   The Lankavatara Sutra Ch.III, p.298, in Dwight Goddard, A Buddhist bible

T here is an Unborn, Un-originated, Uncreated, Unformed. If these were not this Unborn, this Un-originated, this Uncreated, this Unformed, escape from, the world of the born, the originated, the created, the formed, would not be possible. But since there is an Unborn, Un-originated, Uncreated, Unformed, therefore is escape possible from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the formed.

quote 2469  |   Buddha Sakyamuni Khuddaka Nikaya, Udana, VIII.3

T he Supreme Vacuity which neither comes into [nor goes out of] existence is probably the subtle principle in the reflection of the mysterious mirror of prajna (wisdom) and the source of all existence. Unless one possesses the intelligence and special penetrating power of a sage, how can he harmonize his spirit with the realm of neither existence nor nonexistence? Therefore the perfect man penetrates the infinite with his wonderful mind and the finite cannot obstruct him. He applies to the utmost his ears to listen and his eyes to see, and sound and color cannot restrict him. Is this not because he leaves the vacuous self-nature of things as it is and therefore they cannot affect his spiritual intelligence? Therefore the sage exercises his true mind and is in accord with principle (li), and there is no obstruction which he cannot pass through. He views the transformation of all things with the clear understanding that [they are all of] one material force (1) and therefore he is in accord with whatever he may encounter. Since there is no obstruction which he cannot pass through, therefore he can mix with the impure and achieve purity, and since he is in accord with whatever he encounters, he sees the unity of things as he comes in contact with them. Since this is the case, although the ten thousand forms (phenomenal things) seem to be different, they are not so in themselves. As they are not different in themselves, it follows that these [apparent] forms are not the real forms. As these forms are not the real forms, although they [appear to be] forms, they are not [real] forms at all.

quote 2294  |   Seng-Chao Seng Chao, Treatises, The emptiness of the Unreal, Ch.2, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 21.  This description of the mind of the sage is strikingly similar to those by Chuang Tzu and Kuo Hsiang." The desired state is practically identical with Chuang Tzu's becoming one with the universe and Kuo Hsiang's quiet harmony with all things. In all cases there is "no more deliberate mind of one's own" (wu-hsin) and consequently there is no obstruction between the self and the other but complete harmony without distinction.

I n the great beginning, there was non-being. It had neither being nor name. The One originates from it; it has oneness but not yet physical form. When things obtain it and come into existence, that is called virtue (which gives them their individual character). That which is formless is divided [into yin and yang], and from the very beginning going on without interruption is called destiny (ming, fate). Through movement and rest it produces all things. When things are produced in accordance with the principle (li) of life, there is physical form.

quote 2250  |   Tchuang Tzu Chuang Tzu, ch. 12 (Houang Lao School), NHCC. 5:8b-9b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 8.

T here was something undifferentiated and yet complete, Which existed before heaven and earth. Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change. It operates everywhere and is free from danger. It may be considered the mother of the universe. I do not know its name; I call it Tao. If forced to give it a name, I shall call it Great. Now being great means functioning everywhere. Functioning everywhere means far-reaching. Being far-reaching means returning to the original point. Therefore Tao is great. Heaven is great. Earth is great. And the king (1), is also great. There are four great things in the universe, and the king is one of them. Man models himself after Earth. Earth models itself after Heaven. Heaven models itself after Tao. And Tao models itself after Nature.

quote 2190  |   Lao Tzu Laozi 25, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7  The doctrine of returning to the original is prominent in Lao Tzu (see Lao Tzu, chs. 14, 16, 28, 40, 52.) It has contributed in no small degree to the common Chinese cyclical concept, which teaches that both history and reality operate in cycles.

W e look at it and do not see it; its name is The Invisible. We listen to it and do not hear it; its name is The Inaudible. We touch it and do not find it; Its name is The Subtle (formless). These three cannot be further inquired into, And hence merge into one. Going up high, it is not bright, and coming down low, it is not dark. Infinite and boundless, it cannot be given any name; It reverts to nothingness. This is called shape without shape, Form (hsiang) without object. It is The Vague and Elusive. Meet it and you will not see its head. Follow it and you will not see its back. Hold on to the Tao of old in order to master the things of the present. From this one may know the primeval beginning [of the universe]. This is called the bond of Tao (1).

quote 2179  |   Lao Tzu Laozi 14, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.  (1) Chi, literally a thread, denotes tradition, discipline, principle, order, essence, etc. Generally it means the system, principle, or continuity that binds things together.

T here is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. If there were not this Unborn, this Unoriginated, this Uncreated, this Unformed, escape from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the formed, would not be possible. But since there is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, therefore is escape possible from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the formed.

quote 2125  |   Buddha Sakyamuni Khuddaka Nikaya, Udana, VIII. 3