The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)

Chapter Thirty: The Dignified Demeanor of Serene Purity (Section Twenty-Nine)

The term "dignified demeanor" refers to the bodily, verbal, and mental conduct of sentient beings in their daily lives—actions such as coming and going, moving and stopping, welcoming and seeing off, and so forth. Practitioners must maintain dignified and principled bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, conforming to certain standards. Monastics have the dignified demeanor of monastics, laypeople have the dignified demeanor of laypeople; different identities entail different dignified demeanors, and every sentient being's dignified demeanor should align with their own identity. This chapter expounds upon the Buddha's dignified demeanor. The Buddha's dignified demeanor shares similarities with that of sentient beings, yet also differs, for the Buddha has cultivated through three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, and his bodily, verbal, and mental conduct have become utterly pure, perfect and flawless, without the slightest fault or blemish, worthy of being a model for humans and gods.

The title of this chapter, "The Dignified Demeanor of Serene Purity," consists of merely four or five characters, yet it reveals the entire theme and central point of the Diamond Sutra. It can be called the stroke that adds the finishing touch. It resonates profoundly with the profound meaning of the dignified demeanor displayed by the World-Honored One at the beginning of the Diamond Sutra—putting on his robe, eating, seeking alms, and washing his feet. It encompasses both principle and phenomena, perfectly integrating both, pointing sentient beings to that indestructible, diamond-like mind within themselves. Thus, the essence of the Dharma is made utterly clear, guiding sentient beings into the supreme truth of Mahāyāna reality, the perfection of wisdom, and opening the boundless treasure trove of wisdom within sentient beings.

So what is the profound meaning of "dignified demeanor of serene purity"? The Buddha's eighty thousand dignified demeanors, three thousand subtle practices—putting on robes, seeking alms, eating, washing feet, expounding the sutras, teaching the Dharma, liberating sentient beings—these bodily, verbal, and mental actions are clearly all movement, all encompassed within the Buddha's volitional formations (saṃskāra). They are fundamentally unceasingly dynamic, subject to birth, abiding, change, and extinction. Why then is it called "serene purity"? This is where I leave you with a suspense, urging you to generate the resolve to investigate and grasp the heavenly secret within it. I cannot reveal it here.

Let this suspense serve as the doubt for your Chan meditation, deeply suspended in your mind. Bring it up in the morning, bring it up in the evening, bring it up while eating, bring it up while washing your feet; whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, always bring it up. Bring it up and bring it up, until one day, suddenly—*plop*—your mind becomes brilliantly clear, a skylight opens, the doubt is shattered, and you return home to sit securely. From then on, day after day, leisurely enjoy your own precious treasure. Clothes come and you extend your hand, food comes and you open your mouth; no longer seeking externally, no longer plundering what is not yours, the era of great peace descends, and ultimately you ascend the throne of the wheel-turning king, sovereign and supreme throughout the world. Excellent! Excellent! Why would you not rejoice and undertake this?

Original Text: “Subhūti, if someone says, ‘The Tathāgata comes or goes, sits or lies down,’ such a person does not understand the meaning of what I have taught. Why? The Tathāgata has no place from which he comes, and no place to which he goes. Therefore, he is called the Tathāgata.”

Explanation: Subhūti, if someone says the Tathāgata either comes or goes, or sits, or lies down, perceiving the Tathāgata in these appearances of coming, going, sitting, or lying, this person has not truly understood the profound meaning of the Dharma I have expounded over such a long time, and thus is deluded by the appearances of the Tathāgata, failing to see the true Tathāgata. Why is this said? Because the true Tathāgata comes from nowhere, and goes nowhere; there is no place from which he comes, no origin, and no place to which he goes, no destination. That which neither comes nor goes, neither arises nor ceases, is called the true Tathāgata.

How exceedingly compassionate is the World-Honored One! For the sake of sentient beings, he wears coarse and soiled robes, humbling himself to come to this turbid and evil world, revealing the Buddha's knowledge and vision to sentient beings, expounding the sutras and teaching the Dharma, never tiring. Here, the World-Honored One repeatedly adds the finishing touch, sparing no effort, his eyebrows practically dragging on the ground, the hem of his robe soaked in muddy water—all to drag sentient beings out of the quagmire of wrong views, awaken them to the Buddha's knowledge and vision, so they may share the Buddha's vision and conduct, no longer traversing the dangerous paths of the wilderness or desolate, perilous places.

Sentient beings' habit of clinging to appearances has long penetrated to the marrow; the poisonous thorns of wrong views are truly difficult to extract. Helplessly, it falls to the World-Honored One to tirelessly demolish appearances again and again, using all manner of similes and words to reveal to sentient beings the mind of reality, devoid of any form or appearance. Yet still, there are exceedingly many people who do not see the true, formless Tathāgata, seeing only the Tathāgata with form who comes and goes, moves and stops. However, will the appearances of the Tathāgata’s coming, going, sitting, and lying down disappear, cease, and become unseen? After disappearing, where then can one see the Tathāgata? Where do these appearances of coming, going, sitting, and lying down come from, and where do they cease and go? And why are there comings and goings, sittings and lyings down? Those with discerning minds should place a big question mark here, harbor a deep doubt, and not let it go.

The appearance of the Tathāgata’s coming manifests dependent on the five aggregates (skandhas) and the physical body, manifesting dependent on the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses (vijñāna). It fundamentally belongs to the volitional formation aggregate (saṃskāra-skandha) within the five aggregates. Without the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses, there would be no appearance of coming for sentient beings to witness. And where was this appearance of coming before it came? Due to what did it come? Because this appearance of coming is a conditioned phenomenon (saṃskṛta dharma), all conditioned phenomena arise from causes and conditions. The appearance of coming arises from the coming together of various conditions; born from causes, with causes and conditions, the appearance of coming manifests. Sentient beings witness it and see only the appearance of coming, not knowing where it comes from, not knowing the cause of the appearance of coming. This is the delusion of sentient beings clinging to appearances, failing to recognize the truth. Sentient beings, due to clinging to appearances and being deluded about the principle, align with dust and turn away from enlightenment, thus generating worldly toil, and the phenomena of the world continue unceasingly, birth and death never ending. If one wishes to transcend the phenomena of birth and death, what should be done? Naturally, one must seek the cause that gives rise to appearances, recognize the principle of true suchness (tathatā), eliminate deluded karma, and return to the original state.

The appearance of the Tathāgata’s going manifests dependent on the five aggregates, manifesting dependent on the seven consciousnesses, fundamentally belonging to the volitional formation aggregate within the five aggregates. Dependent on what do the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses manifest? Before going, there is coming and abiding; before coming and abiding, there are causes. When going, it does not depart from the causes; otherwise, it could not go. After going, the appearance vanishes without a trace, but the cause of going does not cease; therefore, it can go again and again, and come again and again—birth, abiding, change, extinction—thus cycling endlessly. This is vibrant vitality, causes for birth everywhere, just like a splendid spring. As for the Tathāgata’s appearance of sitting and lying down, they also fundamentally belong to the volitional formation aggregate within the five aggregates, manifesting dependent on the physical body and the seven consciousnesses. The physical body and the seven consciousnesses also have causes for their manifestation. Due to these causes, appearances arise and cease. Sentient beings see only the appearances and their arising and ceasing, never seeing the causes giving rise to the arising and ceasing of appearances. Deluded by superficial appearances, they fail to recognize the truth. Therefore, they are born again and again, die again and again, tumbling and drifting, lost and unable to return.

Sentient beings are deeply mired in delusion, difficult to return. Helplessly, it has fallen to the World-Honored One, the venerable elder, to come to this Sahā world over eight thousand times. Pointing to the heavens with one hand and to the earth with the other, he reveals to sentient beings: "Throughout the heavens and the earth, I alone am the Honored One!" Magnificently displaying the Tathāgata’s wisdom and virtuous marks, he unties the bonds and washes away the dust and afflictions for sentient beings. If not for the Great Compassionate Father, who could be like this! If we are the Tathāgata’s filial sons, when the World-Honored One points to heaven and earth, we should bare our right shoulder, place our right knee on the ground, join our palms, and call out: "My Buddha! The Tathāgata, the Most Honored One! I now see the true Tathāgata." From then on, gradually we can inherit the Buddha’s work, propagate his teachings on his behalf, guide sentient beings, dispel delusion and reveal wisdom, entering the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. If there are many such filial sons, the work of my Buddha will have successors, the Buddha Dharma will shine brightly, the compassionate ferry will carry all universally, the whole world will rejoice together, and the ten directions will enter together the ocean of Sarvajna (Omniscience).

So how are sentient beings to recognize the truth? The World-Honored One then continued his exposition: "The Tathāgata has no place from which he comes, and no place to which he goes. Therefore, he is called the Tathāgata." "Has no place from which he comes" means there is no place from which the Tathāgata could come; thus, there is no origin. Although there is no origin, the Tathāgata nevertheless appears constantly and everywhere; though without a body, he is not hidden. Therefore, the Tathāgata without an origin is unarisen, originally present, not dependent on other conditions, self-existent and autonomous. This Tathāgata is the true Tathāgata. "Has no place to which he goes": "Place" means location; there being no place to go means non-extinction. Non-extinction means existing constantly and everywhere, manifesting constantly and everywhere, functioning constantly and everywhere. This Tathāgata is the true Tathāgata. The true Tathāgata has no appearance of coming or going, yet comes and goes; though coming and going, he is profoundly unmoving, majestic and dignified, thus coming, thus going, neither coming nor going, neither arising nor ceasing.

To help sentient beings recognize the true Tathāgata, the World-Honored One and Mañjuśrī performed a skit to demonstrate the meaning of the true Tathāgata to the bhikṣus. Once, after all the bhikṣus were seated in the lecture hall, the World-Honored One pushed open the lecture hall door, and the thirty-two marks of the five aggregates majestically appeared before the assembly. The World-Honored One then walked with the step of a goose-king, slowly proceeding to the Dharma seat and gradually sitting down cross-legged. After the World-Honored One was seated cross-legged, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, holding a gavel, struck the lectern and announced: "The World-Honored One’s lecture is concluded!" The bhikṣus, prepared to listen to the World-Honored One expound the Dharma, suddenly hearing Mañjuśrī’s announcement, were all dumbfounded, not understanding the reason. The World-Honored One, paying no heed to the bhikṣus’ bewilderment, slowly stood up from the Dharma seat, calmly walked directly to the door, pushed it open, and went out. The thirty-two marks of the five aggregates then vanished without a trace.

Honorable assembly, you have now seen the appearance of the Nirmanakaya Buddha’s Tathāgata—the thirty-two marks, the eighty minor characteristics, majestic and dignified, magnificent and glorious, supremely solemn. Yet these appearances, in this Sahā world, after all, lingered for only eighty years before disappearing. This certainly is not the true Tathāgata. So where is the true Tathāgata? Which one is it? In truth, the Dharmakāya Tathāgata has never left the Nirmanakaya Tathāgata. From the moment the World-Honored One pushed the door open and entered, throughout the entire process until he pushed the door open and left, the Dharmakāya Tathāgata has always been manifesting with His faceless face. Those with sharp eyes directly see Him right then and there; with wisdom eyes, they recognize Him behind the five aggregates. How exhilarating it is to recognize Him thus! How effortless! Everyone, cast aside the World-Honored One’s illusory form of the five aggregates, and try to see that which cannot be cast aside, that which cannot be separated, that which has never arisen or ceased, that which neither comes nor goes—that Dharmakāya true Tathāgata. A good horse moves upon seeing the shadow of the whip; a wise person, seeing the shadow of the five aggregates, can recognize the true person. Where is the true person? *Doh!* Right here.