The Four Inversions of Dharma

Then all bhiksus said to the Buddha: "We not only practice selflessness meditation, but even other meditations, to wit: all those relating to suffering, impermanence, and selflessness. Oh World Honored One! A person, when intoxicated, the mind spins, and all the mountains, rivers, castles, palaces, the sun, moon and stars appear to spin too. Oh World Honored One! Anyone who does not practice the meditation on impermanence and selflessness, cannot be called wise. Due to indolence, one recycles between birth and death. Oh World Honored One! For this reason, we practice such meditations."

Then the Buddha said to all the bhiksus: "Hear me well, hear me well! Now, you mention the case of an intoxicated person. This refers to knowledge, but not the meaning. What do I mean by meaning? The intoxicated person sees the sun and moon, which do not moving, but it thinks they do. The same is the case with beings. As the weight of all illusions and ignorance falls on [the mind], the mind turns upside down and takes Self for non-Self, Eternal for non-Eternal, Purity as non-Purity, and Bliss as suffering. (With mind) overwhelmed by illusions, these thoughts arise. Though these thoughts arise, the meaning is not understood. This is as in the case of the intoxicated person who sees what does not move as if it were moving. The ‘Self’ means Buddha, 'Eternal' means Dharmakaya, 'Bliss' means Nirvana, and 'Pure' means Dharma. Bhiksus, why is it said that one who has the idea of a Self is an arrogant and proud, turning in Samsara? Bhiksus, although you say 'we also meditate on the impermanence, suffering, and not-Self’, these three kinds of cultivation have no real value or meaning. Now, I will explain the three excellent ways to cultivate the Dharma. Think of suffering as Bliss and think of Bliss as suffering, is a perversion of the Dharma; think of the impermanent as Eternal and think of the Eternal as impermanent, is a perversion of the Dharma; think of non-Self [anatman] as the Self [atman] and think of the Self as non-Self, is a perversion of the Dharma; think of the impure as the Pure and think of the Pure as impure, is a perversion of the Dharma. Whoever has these four kinds of perversions, are people who do not know the correct cultivation of dharmas. Bhiksus, you give rise to the idea of Bliss with regard to the phenomena associated with the suffering; the idea of Eternity with regard to the phenomena associated with impermanence; the idea of the Self with regard to the phenomena devoid of Self; and the idea of Purity with regard to the phenomena that are impure. Both the mundane and also the supramundane have the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and Purity. Worldly teachings [dharmas] have letters and are without meaning; the Supramundane teachings have letters and meaning. Why? Because worldly people have these four perversions, they are unfit to understand the true meaning. Why? Having these perverse ideas, their thoughts and visions are distorted. Through these four perversions, worldly people see suffering in Bliss, impermanence in the Eternal, non-Self in the Self, and impurity in the Pure. These are called perversions / inversions. Due to these perversions / inversions, worldly people know the letters, but not the meaning / referent. What is the meaning / referent? Non-Self is Samsara, the Self is the Tathagata; impermanence are Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, the Eternal is the Dharmakaya of the Tathagata; suffering is all Tirthikas [deluded beings, non-Buddhists], Bliss is Nirvana; the impure are all compounded dharmas [Samskrta], the Pure is the true Dharma that the Buddha and Bodhisattvas have. This is called non-perversion / non-inversion. By not being inverted, one will know both the letter and the meaning. If one desires to be freed from the four perversions / inversions, one should know the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and the Pure in this manner (described above)."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 3 - On Grief.