Pao-t’ung says, “Let the Four Elements and Five Skandhas be born and die in vain. They have no effect on our dharma body. Like bamboo shadows on the steps, they can’t be swept away. Like the moon moving across the water, it doesn’t leave a trace. Our dharma body is pure. It has no blemish, stain or smudge. It can’t be damaged or burned. Like a lotus, it doesn’t touch the water. Nor does this body whose heart is pure and empty become greater for a sage or lesser for a fool. It is simply so and changeless.”
