The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Division on Purity of Mind and Cultivation of Goodness (Twenty-Third)
Original Text: Furthermore, Subhūti, this Dharma is equal, without high or low. This is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Explanation: Continuing further, Subhūti, all dharmas throughout the world are equal, without distinction of high or low. Realizing such a state is called *anuttara-samyak-sambodhi*, that is, attaining the unsurpassed Buddha-Way.
"This Dharma" refers to all dharmas throughout the three realms of existence. Whatever is called a dharma, whatever dharma-characteristics exist—without the slightest omission—are equally of one suchness, without high or low, without distinction; the entirety is the true suchness. Observing from the perspective of the true suchness principle-body, all dharma-characteristics are the equal true mind principle-body, without duality. The great wisdom arising from this is provisionally named attaining *anuttara-samyak-sambodhi*.
Why did the World-Honored One say this? Because at the time of his enlightenment, the Buddha's seventh consciousness had completely transformed into the wisdom of equality. His cognition of all dharmas, worldly and beyond, had reached ultimate and thorough equality, without the slightest trace of unequal mentality. First, speaking from the Buddha's most ultimate and unsurpassed sixth consciousness, the wondrous observing wisdom, it observes that all phenomena throughout the three realms are produced based on the functioning of the true suchness, the reality-body mind. Their essence is fundamentally the true suchness.
It is like all gold products fashioned from gold, including all ornaments, all daily utensils, and various figures and images—whatever items are made from gold, their essence is gold, nothing else. Whether it is a gold ornament or gold molded into various figures and images, it is all gold and can be used and circulated as gold. If someone sees only the forms of the objects and not the gold, this person is one who clings to false appearances and does not recognize the true substance. Not knowing the preciousness of real gold, they discard the gold and grasp the false appearances. Such a person is called devoid of wisdom. Worldly ordinary beings are likewise: they see only all the illusory appearances of the world, not the substance of the illusory appearances. They cling to names and forms, not recognizing the essence. Thus, foolishly attached to appearances, they revolve endlessly in the six paths of birth and death, suffering ceaselessly, which is deeply pitiable.
The Buddha's wondrous observing wisdom not only sees all dharmas as true suchness but also directly perceives how the true suchness flows forth seeds within the mind-body, accomplishing the characteristics of all phenomena in the three realms. Therefore, the Buddha's seventh consciousness, the wisdom of equality, is able to regard all sentient beings in the three realms equally, without distinguishing their differences of high and low, noble and base. The Buddha views all sentient beings equally as possessing the wisdom and virtuous marks of the Tathāgata; all are Buddhas in the causal stage who, in future time, will perfectly accomplish the fruition ground enlightenment. Therefore, the Buddha gives rise to unconditional great compassion, broadly benefiting sentient beings. Whenever beings’ faculties are mature, regardless of whether they are good or evil, he equally bestows the Dharma-food to ferry them to liberation.
Original Text: Cultivating all good dharmas with no self, no person, no sentient being, and no life span, one attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Explanation: When sentient beings’ minds do not cling to the mark of self, the mark of person, the mark of sentient being, or the mark of life span, and they cultivate all good dharmas, worldly and beyond, with a mind free from the marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span, they will attain *anuttara-samyak-sambodhi*.
Early in the *Diamond Sutra*, the World-Honored One broke the four marks for sentient beings. Only bodhisattvas who have broken the four marks can correspond to the principle-body of the *vajra* (diamond) *prajñā* (wisdom), correspond to the reality of all dharmas, correspond to true suchness, and ultimately correspond to *anuttara-samyak-sambodhi*. Because sentient beings, since beginningless kalpas, have continuously clung to the four marks and not corresponded to the principle-body of emptiness, they have, for the sake of the four marks, extensively created immeasurable and boundless evil karma, sinking for kalpas in the sea of birth-and-death karma, suffering immeasurably with no end in sight. The root cause lies in the sickness of clinging to the four marks. The World-Honored One, with great compassion, skillfully devised various expedient means to dig out the root sickness of sentient beings’ attachment to marks and clinging to appearances, aiming to break their four marks, because without the four marks, one can escape the great fiery pit of birth and death.
Why can one escape the great fiery pit of birth and death without the four marks? From the perspective of the Śrāvaka (Hīnayāna) Dharma, if sentient beings can merely break the mark of self, they can escape the three evil destinies. When they cultivate to the point of severing attachment to their own five aggregates body and to the dharmas of the three realms, they gain the ability to escape the cycle of birth and death in the six paths. Thus, they escape the fiery pit of segmented birth and death, obtaining temporary respite. When sentient beings continue advancing on the bodhisattva path and the Buddha path, they gradually break various kinds of dharma-clinging, sever various kinds of transformational birth and death, and realize the true purity of nirvāṇa. From then on, they are completely free from birth and death; only then have they truly and thoroughly escaped the great fiery pit of birth and death.
The starting point for entering the bodhisattva path and the Buddha path is to realize the *vajra prajñā* true suchness mind-body, which is fundamentally without the four marks. Cultivating based on this principle-body without the four marks, the mind becomes increasingly pure, breaking through all conditioned dharma-characteristics of the world. Not even clinging to the mark of true suchness, the mind becomes utterly empty and pure, with not a trace of dharma-characteristics existing or clung to. Only then can one correspond thoroughly to the true suchness mind-body, ultimately perfectly accomplishing the Buddha-Way and attaining *anuttara-samyak-sambodhi*. Therefore, the World-Honored One says that by cultivating all good dharmas with no self, no person, no sentient being, and no life span, corresponding to the true suchness nature, one can accomplish *anuttara-samyak-sambodhi*.
Original Text: Subhūti, as for what is called good dharmas, the Tathāgata says they are not good dharmas. Therefore, they are called good dharmas.
Explanation: Subhūti, the good dharmas I speak of, and those recognized as good dharmas by sentient beings, the Tathāgata says are also not good dharmas. There is no actual good or dharma in the true sense; they are merely appearances. Therefore, they are provisionally named good dharmas.
Good dharmas are divided into many levels and connotations. There are worldly good dharmas and supramundane good dharmas; there are minor good dharmas and major good dharmas; and there are good dharmas in the ultimate sense. Worldly good dharmas are the Five Precepts and Ten Virtues. When the World-Honored One first came to the Sahā world, he first taught the good dharmas for humans and devas, enabling sentient beings to cultivate according to them and attain worldly blessings and virtue—this is minor good. After sentient beings attain worldly blessings and virtue, they can then continue to follow the World-Honored One in studying the Āgama path of liberation, escaping the suffering of the three realms—this is middling good. Subsequently, the World-Honored One spent over twenty years expounding the principles of *prajñā* to sentient beings, enabling them to cultivate accordingly, realize the reality of *prajñā*, become bodhisattvas of true meaning, and then give rise to various profound *prajñā* wisdoms—this is superior good. Afterwards, the World-Honored One expounded the profound principles of the Vaipulya and Vijñapti-mātra (Consciousness-Only) teachings, ferrying Mahāyāna bodhisattvas to gradually possess the profound wisdom of the path—this is great good. Finally, the World-Honored One preached the ultimate meaning of the One Buddha Vehicle in the *Lotus Sutra* and *Nirvāṇa Sutra*, ferrying all sentient beings into the path of Buddhahood, cultivating the Dharma for becoming a Buddha, to attain the ultimately perfect Buddha-fruit—this is the ultimate good.
These good dharmas all have corresponding dharma-characteristics, and these dharma-characteristics are all manifested and illusorily produced based on the markless mind-body of the Tathāgatagarbha, which is without the four marks. These dharma-characteristics are all accomplished by the Tathāgatagarbha flowing forth seeds according to various conditions. The appearances exist—sentient beings can see them—but their existence is not real existence; their characteristics are not true characteristics. Their essence is the true suchness Tathāgatagarbha; all are things within the one true Dharma Realm of true suchness, not beyond true suchness. All good dharma-characteristics are like gold vessels—all come from gold, their essence is the gold Tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, they are all one true Dharma Realm—the true suchness body. Thus, all these illusory appearances of good dharmas, which are not real dharmas, are named good dharmas. Though the name is good dharmas, the substance is the true suchness principle-body.
