The Void as ‘Not-Is’ – Element

"Oh good man! The earth stands on the water. As water is non-eternal, the earth, too, is non-eternal. The water hovers on the wind, and as the wind is non-eternal, the water, too, is non-eternal. The wind rests on the space, and as the space is non-eternal, the wind, too, is not-eternal. If it is non-eternal, how can we say: ‘The Void is eternal and fills the space’? As the Void is empty, it has no past, present or future. As the horns of a hare are not a thing, they have no past, present or future. The things are thus. Therefore, I say: 'As the Buddha-Nature is eternal, it does not fall within the category of the Three Times. As the Void is Void, it does not fall within the category of the Three Times'.

Oh good man! I never quarrel with the world. Why not? If the worldly knowledge says 'is', I say 'is'; if the worldly knowledge says 'not-is', I also say 'not-is'."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

the void as not-is element.mp3