You have asked what the Buddha-dhatu [Buddha Nature, Buddha Essence] is, so listen with sincerity, listen with sincerity, I shall analyse and elucidate it for your sake.

Nobly-born son, the Buddha-dhatu is termed “ultimate emptiness” [paramartha-sunyata], and ultimate emptiness is termed Awareness [jnana – gnosis]. So-called emptiness is neither viewed as emptiness nor as non-emptiness.

The wise perceive:

Emptiness AND non-emptiness,

The permanent AND the impermanent,

Suffering AND bliss,

Self AND non-Self.

The empty is the totality of samsara and

The non-empty is Great Nirvana [and so forth down to]

Non-Self is samsara, and

The Self is Great Nirvana.

To perceive the emptiness of everything and not to perceive non-emptiness is not termed the Middle Way [and so forth down to], to perceive the non-Self of everything, and not to perceive the Self is not termed the Middle Way.

The Middle Way is termed the Buddha-dhatu. For this reason, the Buddha-dhatu is eternal and unchanging.

Because beings are enveloped in ignorance, they are unable to perceive it. Sravakas and pratyekabuddhas [i.e. relatively high-level spiritual aspirants, but lower than full Buddhas] perceive the emptiness of everything, but do not perceive the non-emptiness [and so forth down to], they perceive the absence of self [i.e. non-Self] in all things, but do not perceive the Self.

For this reason, they do not attain the ultimate emptiness. Because they do not attain the supreme emptiness, they do not walk the Middle Way. Because they lack the Middle Way, they do not perceive the Buddha-dhatu.’