"The
five aggregates constitute
what we call the mundane world.
Of these, the aggregate
of form
has the nature of accumulated foam,
the aggregate of feeling has
the nature
of a bubble,
the aggregate of conception has the nature of a mirage,
the aggregate
of impulse has the nature
of a hollow plantain,
and the aggregate of consciousness
has the nature of an illusion.
Thus, One should know that the
essential nature
of the mundane world
is none other than that of foam, bubbles, mirages,
plantains,
and illusions;
Will it there are neither aggregates
nor the names of aggregates,
neither
sentient beings nor
the names of sentient beings,
neither the mundane
world nor
the supra-mundane world.
Such a right understanding of
the five aggregates
is called
the supreme understanding.
If one attains this supreme understanding,
then he is liberated,
as he [actually] always has been.
If he is so liberated,
he is not attached to mundane things.
If he is not attached to mundane things,
he transcends the mundane world.
"Furthermore, the basic nature
of the five aggregates is emptiness.
If that nature is emptiness,
there is neither
'I' nor 'mine.'
If there is
neither 'I' nor 'mine,'
there is
no duality.
If there
is no duality,
there is
neither grasping
nor abandoning.
If there is neither
grasping
nor abandoning,
there is no attachment.
Thus,
free of attachment,
one transcends the mundane world.
"Furthermore,
the five aggregates belong
to
causes and conditions.
If they belong to
causes and conditions,
they do not belong
to oneself
or to others.
If they do not belong
to oneself or to others,
they have
no owner.
If they have no owner,
there is no one
who grasps them.
If there is
no grasping,
there is no contention,
and non-contention is
the practice of
devotees.
Just as a hand moving
in empty space
touches no object
and meets no
obstacle,
so the Bodhisattvas who
practice the equality of emptiness
transcend
the mundane world."
Manjusri
