The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)
Chapter Five: The Fourth Section on Wondrous Practice Without Abiding
This section discusses how bodhisattvas practice giving, through which they attain the most abundant and supreme merit. When bodhisattvas give to sentient beings, it is a wondrous practice yielding immeasurable blessings, yet their minds do not abide in it. The fundamental mark of a bodhisattva is to give for the benefit and happiness of sentient beings. The practice of Mahayana bodhisattvas primarily centers on giving. Bodhisattvas employ the Four All-Embracing Virtues: giving, loving speech, beneficial actions, and cooperative endeavor. Through these four methods, they embrace sentient beings and subsequently guide them toward liberation. If one seeks only personal liberation from birth and death, that is the path of a self-liberator (Pratyekabuddha), not a bodhisattva. A bodhisattva does not act solely for oneself but also for the liberation of sentient beings from suffering and for the eternal perpetuation of the Dharma. The practice of giving serves two purposes: first, for individuals to accumulate merit as provisions for advancing in practice; second, to embrace sentient beings. By giving to sentient beings, bodhisattvas form karmic connections with them, making them receptive to the bodhisattva’s teachings and willing to follow and learn.
The first of the Six Paramitas for bodhisattvas is giving. Giving is divided into three types: material giving (Dana), fearless giving (Abhaya), and Dharma giving (Dharma-dana). According to the Upasaka Precepts Sutra, giving to animals yields a hundredfold karmic retribution; giving to ordinary people, including evildoers and those who violate precepts, yields a thousandfold retribution; giving to those who uphold precepts yields ten thousandfold retribution; giving to those free from desire, including non-Buddhists who have attained the first dhyana, yields a millionfold retribution. This is because attaining the first dhyana severs desire, and upon death, one is reborn in the Form Realm heavens—this constitutes virtue, making such beings worthy of offerings. Giving to Srotapanna-aspirants and above—including Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas—yields immeasurable retribution, though the degree of immeasurability varies greatly.
The karmic causes, conditions, and results of giving are actualized by the Tathagatagarbha. The entire process of giving is upheld and recorded by the Tathagatagarbha. When conditions mature, the Tathagatagarbha outputs this karmic seed, and sentient beings receive their karmic rewards. Generally, this retribution is received in future lives and is called "vipaka karma" (ripened karma). However, if the karma is immense and conditions ripen in the present life, one may receive a "flower retribution" (preliminary karmic reward) in this very life. The karma created by sentient beings never vanishes without cause. Wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral karmas are all stored and output by the Tathagatagarbha without error or omission. Generally, once wholesome or unwholesome karma is exhausted through retribution, the karmic seeds vanish. Past unwholesome karma can also be eliminated through repentance. After attaining the fruition of enlightenment or realizing the mind’s nature, one eradicates karma leading to the three lower realms and will not fall into them in future lives. The strongest karma ripens first. Practitioners should always ensure wholesome karma outweighs unwholesome karma, temporarily delaying the ripening of unwholesome karma. Over a long period, the karmic seeds wither. For example, sentient beings who commit the five heinous crimes but attain rebirth in the Pure Land through the lowest grade of rebirth remain within a lotus for twelve great kalpas. With no opportunity to create new karma, their karmic seeds gradually wither. Once their minds are purified, they emerge from the lotus.
Fearless giving includes saving sentient beings’ lives, relieving their hardships and dangers, and removing psychological obstacles. It yields karmic rewards of health, longevity, peace, happiness, smooth endeavors, and prosperity. Sometimes material giving contains elements of fearless giving, and fearless giving contains elements of material giving. Dharma giving yields both merit and wisdom, along with the rewards of fearless giving. Expounding sutras and propagating the Buddha’s teachings constitute direct Dharma giving. Printing sutras, supporting monastic treasures in spreading the Dharma, and similar acts are indirect Dharma giving. However, it is best to first cultivate realization, attain the eye of wisdom, and awaken to the wisdom of both Mahayana and Hinayana, ensuring the fundamental Dharma is not misinterpreted. This prevents misleading sentient beings onto erroneous paths of practice and, crucially, avoids severing their Dharma-body and wisdom-life. Only then should one personally expound the Dharma to guide sentient beings—this is the optimal approach. Sentient beings supporting Dharma teachers must also possess the "eye of discernment" (dharma-selecting wisdom), which is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, enabling them to distinguish right from wrong in the Dharma. Otherwise, if the fundamental Dharma is incorrectly propagated or supported, the karmic retribution is severe.
When sentient beings lack the eye of wisdom, they often mistake wrong for right and right for wrong, becoming inverted and confused. Some may only recognize famous teachers, unaware that "famous teachers" and "enlightened teachers" differ greatly. One may possess the Way without fame, and fame does not imply possession of the Way. Only by distinguishing between famous and enlightened teachers can one "rely on the Dharma, not the person." Propagating the true Dharma yields immense merit, but if transmitted incorrectly, erroneous seeds planted in sentient beings’ minds will sprout bad fruits life after life. Even good spiritual friends find it difficult to correct this, as sentient beings cling to first impressions. True Dharma often fails to resonate with sentient beings because it contradicts their habitual understandings. Sentient beings thus reject it, and their minds resist transformation. Therefore, propagating the Dharma must be undertaken with utmost caution.
Original Text:
"Furthermore, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should practice giving without abiding in any dharma. That is to say, without abiding in form when giving, without abiding in sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharma when giving. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should give thus, without abiding in any characteristic."
Explanation: Furthermore, Subhuti, regarding the Dharma, a bodhisattva should practice giving without abiding anywhere. The mind does not abide in form when giving, nor in sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharma when giving. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should give in this manner, without abiding in any characteristic.
This passage is the World-Honored One’s instruction to bodhisattvas: when practicing giving, they should not abide in the six dusts (objects of sense)—form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharma. Giving should not seek conditioned karmic rewards within the Triple Realm, nor seek pleasures of the five desires (wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep), nor seek gratitude or repayment from sentient beings, nor aim for rebirth in heavenly realms to enjoy blessings. The bodhisattva’s mind should be like the Tathagatagarbha—abiding nowhere. When the Tathagatagarbha gives, it abides in no dharma whatsoever. The six sense faculties and six dusts are provided by it; the six consciousnesses are manifested by it, enabling us to live in the world with our five aggregates. Without it, we could accomplish nothing. It grants us lifespan, warmth, and conscious mind. If it departs from the body, we die instantly: lifespan ends, the body turns cold and rigid, breath, heartbeat, and pulse cease immediately, and blood stops flowing.
It is our very life root—a great giver—yet it seeks nothing from us, not even a word of praise. Singing its praises, it does not hear, let alone feel joy. Because it has no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharma; no eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, or mind-consciousness—thus it has no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness; no perceptions, discriminations, or delusions. In contrast, our deluded mind—the seven consciousnesses—possesses self-view, self-attachment, self-conceit, deluded discriminations, erroneous views like view-holding and asceticism-holding, and the sixty-two wrong views. Having views is erroneous—it is the deluded mind; having no views is correct—it is the true mind. Therefore, bodhisattvas should learn from the Tathagatagarbha and give without abiding in any characteristic.
Original Text:
"Why? If a bodhisattva practices giving without abiding in characteristics, the merit thereof is inconceivable."
Explanation: Why should a bodhisattva practice giving without abiding in characteristics? If a bodhisattva gives without abiding in characteristics, the merit attained is inconceivable.
Giving while abiding in characteristics confines the mind to those characteristics, limiting the mind’s capacity. Thus, the merit is finite. A mind unable to transcend the characteristics of the six dusts cannot attain liberation, let alone Buddhahood. The mind capable of giving is the deluded mind of the seven consciousnesses, primarily the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The deciding factor is the seventh consciousness, the Manas-consciousness (also called Klista-manas), which contemplates what, how much, and to whom to give, then makes the decision. The analysis, reasoning, judgment, and observation before giving are performed by the sixth consciousness (mind-consciousness), which reports to the seventh consciousness and persuades it. After contemplation, the seventh consciousness sometimes follows, sometimes not. Thus, we sometimes feel we should act one way but end up doing the opposite, feeling helpless—because the seventh consciousness does not necessarily heed the sixth consciousness’s guidance.
After learning Buddhism, one may feel eating meat is wrong and should become vegetarian, yet upon seeing meat, one eats anyway, unable to control oneself—because the seventh consciousness habitually follows ingrained tendencies and is difficult to change. One may agree to give a hundred dollars, but when handing over the money, hesitation arises. The agreement came from the sixth consciousness’s analysis, but when giving, the seventh consciousness takes charge. The seventh consciousness is heavy with self-attachment, reluctant to relinquish. Only through long-term edification and persuasion by the sixth consciousness can it possibly change. Thus, when the seventh consciousness transforms, everything changes, and karmic results differ. A bodhisattva giving without abiding in characteristics attains immeasurable, boundless merit. Like the Tathagatagarbha, whose merit is beyond expression\: the universe and void belong to it; the trichiliocosm belongs to it; the Flower Treasury World belongs to it; the ocean of worlds belongs to it; the thirty-two marks and eighty noble characteristics of all Buddhas belong to it. Not a single dharma does not belong to it, yet it needs nothing. Its merit is immeasurable and boundless.
Why is the merit of a bodhisattva’s giving without abiding in characteristics inconceivable?
Here, "characteristics" refer to the characteristics of objects—the six dusts of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharma. When bodhisattvas give, they do not abide in the characteristics of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharma, nor cling to them. They remove these characteristics, practicing giving with the "emptiness of the three aspects" (giver, receiver, and gift). They do not discriminate the recipient’s gender, age, status, wealth, power, appearance, or whether they are enemies or kin, but give equally. They do not calculate or consider which recipients might bring desired benefits, nor seek recompense in the form of the six dusts or the five desires (wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep). They do not evaluate the value of the gift, but give unconditionally to those in need, without calculation or discrimination.
Those who can abandon all characteristics, cling to none, and give with the emptiness of the three aspects possess vast minds. One whose mind is empty is no ordinary person—that is a great-hearted bodhisattva in the true sense, possessing profound wisdom of emptiness, a person of great merit. After great giving, wisdom and merit advance further. The merit of emptiness-wisdom is beyond quantitative limits; the merit attained is thus immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable. The measure of merit corresponds to the measure of the mind—they are proportional and mutually reinforcing. Those who give while abiding in characteristics have minds constrained by characteristics; their minds are small, so the merit attained is meager. How can a small vessel hold large or abundant objects? Merit accords with the vessel: a large vessel holds great merit; a small vessel holds little merit—this is inevitable. Therefore, when bodhisattvas give without abiding in characteristics, their capacity is vast, their minds like space, and the merit attained is like space—immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable.
Original Text:
"Subhuti, what do you think? Can the void in the eastern direction be measured?" "No, World-Honored One." "Subhuti, can the void in the southern, western, northern directions, the four intermediate directions, above and below be measured?" "No, World-Honored One." "Subhuti, the merit of a bodhisattva who practices giving without abiding in characteristics is also thus—inconceivable. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should abide solely as taught."
Explanation: The World-Honored One asked: "Subhuti, what is your view? Can the void in the eastern direction be measured?" Subhuti answered: "It cannot be measured, World-Honored One." The World-Honored One asked again: "Subhuti, can the void in the southern, western, and northern directions, the four intermediate directions, above and below be measured?" Subhuti said: "It cannot be measured, World-Honored One." The World-Honored One said: "Subhuti, the merit of a bodhisattva’s giving without abiding in characteristics is also thus—inconceivable. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should abide solely as the Buddha has taught."
Taking any point in space as the center, extending outward, there are ten directions, each endless, boundless, shoreless, and inconceivably vast. None can reach its limit. If space had a boundary, what lies beyond? If one says "nothing," it is void; if "something," it is still within space. Space is not a truly existent dharma but a provisional designation relative to form: where matter is absent is void; where matter is present is not void. Matter and void are mutually exclusive: where one exists, the other does not. They can also be seen as interdependent: space can contain material form, and material form contains spatial gaps.
For example, place a box in a location that was originally empty. Once the box is placed, it is no longer empty. Where did the original void go? Where did the extra void come from? When people dig a well, removing a cubic foot of earth creates a cubic foot of void. Where did this void come from? It has no origin. If the earth is returned, the void vanishes. Where did it go? It has no destination. In truth, the void arises from the Tathagatagarbha and later dissolves back into it.
Space has no boundaries, thus the ten-direction worlds can all be established within it. Each Buddha, upon attaining Buddhahood, establishes a Buddha-land in space—a trichiliocosm. If all sentient beings attain Buddhahood, they establish immeasurable worlds in space, all accommodated within it. Can such space be measured? Who can measure it? Why is the merit of a bodhisattva’s giving without abiding in characteristics inconceivable? Because by not abiding in characteristics, the mind grasps nothing, attaining liberation—release from birth and death, transcending the Triple Realm. Yet bodhisattvas do not leave the Triple Realm nor enter final nirvana. Life after life, they remain within the Triple Realm to benefit self and others until Buddhahood.
Can the merit of a Buddha be measured? Consider the merit of an eighth-ground bodhisattva: in a single thought-moment, without deliberate effort, they can manifest a trichiliocosm, with countless jewels, mountains of fish, rice, and meat, saving immeasurable sentient beings. They can carry sentient beings from Earth to other planets without their awareness. They can swallow the four great oceans, with sentient beings within unaware. They can manifest a Buddha or countless emanations to guide those with affinities. How much more so the merit of a Buddha—infinitely vaster and more boundless! Such is the immeasurable merit of giving without abiding in characteristics. We must expand our minds again and again—never confine ourselves with pettiness. Bodhisattvas should abide thus—abiding in non-abiding, grasping no dharma whatsoever. If one abides anywhere, Buddhahood cannot be attained. Bodhisattvas should follow the World-Honored One’s teaching and practice giving thus.
