PART ONE: Review of Verses 1 - 39
Verses 1 - 7 = Arising, abiding, and ceasing, etc, are conventional terms, which are empty signifiers. They cannot be found in the past, present, or future.
Verse 8 - 14 = Ignorance and the other limbs are dependently-originated, lacking inherent existence. All phenomenon which arises in dependence on another dependent phenomenon should be known not to exist in the manner of their appearance.
Verse 15 - 28 = Without the ‘not existing’ thing, the ’existing’ thing is not possible. Existence and non-existence are dependently originated and therefore ‘do not arise’. Characteristics are on account of the characterized (thing), and characterized (things) are on account of their characteristics, and therefore they do no exist in and of themselves.
Verse 29 - 32 = The conditioned and the unconditioned also lack inherent existence.
Verse 33 - 34 = “Conception of self is generated through focusing on the person who is merely imputed upon the 12 dependent limbs, arising from the preconception which takes improper objects and overestimates them.”
Verse 35 = If actions had inherent existence ‘you’ would be the exact same ‘you’ all the time.
Verse 36 = All conditional phenomena are like mirages, lacking inherent existence.
Verse 37 = Afflictions (Kleśas), actions (Karma), and conditioning (saṃskāra) lack inherent existence.
Verse 38 = “When actions do not have inherent existence there will be no person to perform actions. Because both of them do not exist, results do not exist. When there are no results there will be no person to experience those results physically and mentally. Because of that reason that actions do not exist inherently, so all phenomena are devoid of inherent existence.”
Verse 39 = “If one understand how actions are devoid of inherent existence, then they see the suchness of action.” When they have seen suchness they will have eliminated ignorance and when there is no ignorance then actions/saṃskāra all the way up to old age and death, which are caused by ignorance, cannot occur.
PART TWO: The Two Truths
Verse 40 = The Emanation of an Emanation
In the same way as the Tathāgata, through his extraordinary powers, creates apparently (a body), and after having produced this apparent creation, through this same apparent creation creates apparently (other) apparent creations -
Verse 41 = Both are merely ideas
– as the apparent creation of the Tathāgata is devoid of inherent existence, it is hardly necessary to say that apparent creations (apparently created) by the apparent creation are devoid of inherent existence. both are only ideas.
Verse 42 = The one who acts and the act are merely ideas
In the same way, who acts, similar to the apparent creation, and the action (which one performs), similar to the apparent creation (apparently created) by the apparent creation, are devoid of own being, they exist as something which is only an idea.
Verse 43 = There is no suffering or sufferer
If action existed with an own being, nirvāṇa would not exist nor the doer of the action; if (action) does not exist (with an own being), the fruit produced by action – suffering and non-suffering – does not exist.
Verse 44 = The ‘Two Truths’
“Whatever is said by the Buddha has the two truths as its chief underlying thought” - Komito
“It is not easy to understand what has been intentionally said by the Buddhas: ‘The existent’ exists, ‘the non-existent’ exists, ‘the existent and non-existent’ also exists.” - Tola y Dragonetti
PART THREE: The Emptiness of Form
Verse 45 = Visible objects do not ‘exist’
”Neither does inherently existent form (rūpa), having the nature of the elements, arise from elements nor from itself and not even from others. Therefore it does not exist, does it?” - Komito
“If the visible (thing) arose from the material elements, the visible (thing) would arise from something unreal; so it would not exist out of (something with) an own being; (and), since this one does not exist, it does not exist out of another.” - Tola y Dragonetti
Verse 46 = The Four Elements do not ‘exist’
In one, the four do not exist; in the four, the one does not exist; therefore, depending on the inexistent four great elements, how would the visible (thing) exist?
Verse 47 = Attributes are conditional
If it is said that, as (the visible thing) is not perceived in itself, it (can be perceived) through its attributes, (we answer that) these attributes do not exist, since they are produced by causes and conditions; if the visible (thing) existed, it would be illogical (that it exist) without attributes.
Verse 48 = Consciousness also arises conditionally
“If a mind apprehends a form with inherent existence then the mind will (only be) apprehending its own nature. Such a mind has arisen from causes and conditions, so it is a dependent arising which lacks inherent existence. In the same way, form does not exist truly, so how can that mind apprehend a form with true existence?” - Komito
“If the visible (thing) were perceived, an own being would be perceived; how would the inexistent visible thing be perceived through a consciousness (also) inexistent since it arises out of conditions?” - Tola y Dragonetti
Verse 49 = Consciousness and visible objects (form) co-arise simultaneously
“The kind of form, which has arisen but not ceased to exist, that I have explained is not apprehended by each moment of the mind in the present. Therefore, how can such a mind apprehend forms of the past and also the future?” - Komito
Since consciousness, which arises instantaneously, does not grasp the visible (thing) that is born (also) instantaneously, how could it perceive something visible, (already) past or not (yet) arrived?