Were there such a thing as ultimate Reality, it would not be impermanent, it would not come and go; in other words, it would be without a beginning or an ending. This means it would not be caused by any other thing, nor would it be affected by any other thing; it would exist entirely independently, alone.

Every thing in the universe – and including the universe itself; that is, every phenomena and event – is purported to be impermanent, to have a beginning and ending. None of these exist independently of every other phenomena or event. Thus, ultimately, none of these forms have the characteristic of being finally real. Despite any appearance of being real, they lack the qualities of being real.

It is for a human mind that this distinction has importance. But the human mind – indeed the human itself — is not ultimately real. Can anything which appears to an unreal mind be real?

At night, you (your mind, that is) dream that you buy a car. The you, in the dream, has no actual reality: what, then, of the car that appears to it?

So “life”, in this universe, is like an illusion, or like a dream. Not any part of it is real, beyond the impermanent appearances. To express this, the Heart Sutra has propounded the formula, “form is emptiness” — meaning that all phenomenon are empty of reality, or actual existence.

When all that exists in the universe (and including the universe) is unreal, has any of it had an actual beginning; in other words, has any thing ever actually been created, or caused or originated? The obvious answer is no.

Ultimate reality can have no beginning or ending. What has no beginning or ending is not itself a form; it is formless, or formlessness. (Neither does it have any relation to time, cause and effect, or space, which are – unreal – elements of our Dream). What has no form has no content; it is empty of all qualities and quantities.

Out of the ultimate condition of emptiness not anything can arise, or be originated; no causes are included within emptiness. So, from the ultimate condition, not anything has every arisen or been created.

In fact, not anything has ever actually happened, or occurred, at all.

Not anything that ever “happens” in “this life” has any meaning or importance at all.

Nothing that you do (or don’t do) matters ultimately.

The value of this knowledge is that it awakens us to the fact that not anything – you included — has every actually been “born” (aside from that appearance within the Dream of “life”) nor, therefore, will ever actually die, or “lose” its (unreal) life.

This is to awaken from the Dream (while still “in” it), or to “see through” the illusion.

In 25 words:

All that is,

exists within the Dream.

You are within the Dream;

Simply be as you are.

Not any thing is real —

Ultimately, nothing matters!