Samdhinirmocana-sutra

Chapter IIsetting themselves up at a crossroads, make things like brokentiles, grass, leaves, pieces of wood, etc., appear to be magical things,[such as] herds of elephants, horses, chariots, soldiers, gems, pearls,cat's-eyes, conches, crystal, coral, treasure, grain, storehouses, etc.Some people, dull and slow-witted, of perverse understanding andlacking acumen, see and hear those magical things and think thatthey really are elephants, horses, etc. They tenaciously cling tothe verbal expressions that are engendered from what they themselveshave seen and heard, [thinking] only that is true and realand everything else is false. It is only later that they are forced tochange their opinions. Other people, not dull nor slow-witted, ofgood understanding and having acumen, see and hear those magicalthings and understand that what they see are not really elephants,horses, etc., but rather magical tricks that confuse theeye and cause it to engender the concept of a herd of elephants,the imagined concept of a herd of horses, the many imagined conceptsof grain, storehouses, or other magical illusions. They do nottenaciously cling to verbal expressions that are engendered fromwhat they have seen and heard. With them it is not the case thatonly that is true and real and everything else is false. But, in orderto express objects [seen and heard], they also follow the acceptedlanguage. Afterwards they do not have to reconsider."In like manner, some sentient beings, foolish and profane,have not yet attained to the transcendent understanding of thesaints and are not able to recognize that in all things reality isapart from language. After they have seen and heard about allconditioned and unconditioned [things], they think that what theyhave learned is most certainly really existing conditioned and unconditionedthings. They cling tenaciously to the verbal expressionsengendered by what they have seen and heard. Only that istrue and everything else is false. But later they must reconsider."Other sentient beings, not foolish, who have gained insightinto the holy truth, who have attained the transcendent insight ofthe saints, do truly understand that in all things reality is apartfrom language. After they have seen and heard about conditioned689b13