“There is no substantive atom existing in any entity called ‘sentient being,’”
said the child. “So what is the object of your love and where will you put it?”
“Nonself and emptiness are not understood by many people,” replied
Bhagawan. “With a singular intention toward them, in order to create the
great love, I accumulate merit through wise discriminating activity.”
“You know your own emptiness, and you have peace of mind,” said the child,
“but have you actually abandoned misconceptions such as ‘sentient beings’
and ‘suffering’ in the light of the primal awareness of emptiness?”
“Realizing emptiness and the peace of nirvana, in order to mature beings and
allow them to attain the nirvana that is beyond both samsara and nirvana, the
buddhas teach them out of their great love for them.”
“You, the Tathagata, have not yet rid yourself of erroneous concepts,” insisted
the child. “If the concept of ‘sentient beings’ is investigated, it is found to be
inconsistent with what is concrete. So where is the object of your love?”
“When sentient beings fully apprehend the luminous mind and attain
buddha, through their analysis they find that sentient beings no longer exist.
Even so, the Buddha, with indomitable patience and great compassion, seeks
to help all those beings who without analyzing or examining the nature of
dualistic delusionary appearances are tortured by suffering.”
“Dualistic thought and attendant emotions have no substantial root. If both
outer and inner body are investigated, no substantial cause of either can be
found. Since afflictions cannot be discovered as anything substantial, what is
the need of an antidote?” asked the child.
“All the misconceptions about emotional affliction arise from the labeling
mind,” said Bhagawan. “So that they may discard all the gross and subtle
afflictions, the profound and vast teaching is given to beings.”
“Why do we need so many investigations? The nature of mind is clear light
and thus emotional adulteration cannot arise in it,” said the child. “Although
erroneous thoughts may give rise to reification, they can never affect the
natural clear light that is the nature of unconditioned mind.”
“What you say is true,” admitted Bhagawan. “The mind always stays in the
clear light of great bliss, but adventitiously, due to delusory dualistic
perception, ordinary beings are afflicted.”
“Emotions are immaterial things,” said the child. “And they lack spatial
extension. How do those emotions arise so adventitiously?” asked the child.
“Please tell me!”