觀有相無相門第五
Chapter 5: Contemplating the Characteristics of Existence and Non-Existence
復次，一切法空。何以故？
Furthermore, all phenomena are empty. Why is this so?
有相相不相， 無相亦不相；
離彼相不相， 相為何所相？
If you cling to form, you miss the true form. If you cling to formlessness, you also miss it. Apart from clinging and not clinging, what form is there to grasp?
有相事中相不相。何以故？若法先有相，更何用相為？復次，若有相事中相得相者，則有二相過：一者先有相，二者相來相是相。是故有相事中相無所相。無相事中相亦無所相。何法名無相而以有相相？如象有雙牙，垂一鼻，頭有三隆，耳如箕，脊如彎弓，腹大而垂，尾端有毛，四脚麁圓，是為象相。若離是相，更無有象可以相相。如馬竪耳、垂𩭤，四脚同蹄，尾通有毛，若離是相，更無有馬可以相相。如是有相中相無所相，無相中相亦無所相；離有相、無相，更無第三法可以相相，是故相無所相。相無所相故，可相法亦不成。何以故？以相故知是事名可相。以是因緣故，相、可相俱空。相、可相空故，萬物亦空。何以故？離相、可相，更無有物。物無故，非物亦無；以物滅故名無物，若無物者，何所滅故名為無物？物、無物空故，一切有為法皆空；有為法空故，無為法亦空；有為、無為空故，我亦空。
In phenomena that have characteristics, characteristics do not characterize. Why? If a thing already possesses characteristics, what further use is there for characteristics to characterize it? Furthermore, if characteristics were to characterize phenomena that already have characteristics, then there would be a fault of having two characteristics: first, the characteristics that already exist, and second, the characteristics that come to characterize those characteristics. Therefore, in phenomena that have characteristics, characteristics do not characterize anything.
In phenomena without characteristics, characteristics also do not characterize anything. What thing, which is called "without characteristics," could be characterized by having characteristics? For example, an elephant has two tusks, a hanging trunk, a head with three prominences, ears like winnowing baskets, a back like a curved bow, a large and drooping belly, a tail with hair at the tip, and four thick, round legs—these are the characteristics of an elephant. Apart from these characteristics, there is no elephant that can be characterized by characteristics. Similarly, a horse has upright ears, a hanging mane, four hooves of the same kind, and a tail covered with hair. Apart from these characteristics, there is no horse that can be characterized by characteristics.
Thus, in phenomena that have characteristics, characteristics do not characterize anything; in phenomena without characteristics, characteristics also do not characterize anything. Apart from phenomena with characteristics and phenomena without characteristics, there is no third kind of thing that can be characterized by characteristics. Therefore, characteristics do not characterize anything.
Since characteristics do not characterize anything, the things that can be characterized also do not exist. Why? Because it is through characteristics that we know something is called "characterizable." For this reason, both characteristics and characterizable things are empty.
Since characteristics and characterizable things are empty, all things are empty. Why? Because apart from characteristics and characterizable things, there is nothing else. Since things do not exist, "non-things" also do not exist; it is because things cease that we speak of "non-things." But if there are no things, what ceases that we call "non-things"? Since both things and non-things are empty, all conditioned phenomena are empty. Since conditioned phenomena are empty, unconditioned phenomena are also empty. Since both conditioned and unconditioned phenomena are empty, the self is also empty.