The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)
Chapter Thirty-One: The Composite Phenomenon
This chapter of the Diamond Sutra primarily introduces the concept of the composite phenomenon (一合相). The Buddha states that the composite phenomenon is non-phenomenal; non-phenomenal means an illusory appearance, a provisional designation, a false appearance. What is the composite phenomenon? This chapter mainly explains that the trichiliocosm (三千大千世界) in which we live is precisely this composite phenomenon. This composite phenomenon does not truly exist; it is a false appearance formed by the combination of various phenomena. What constitutes a trichiliocosm? It is composed of one thousand intermediate chiliocosms (中千世界). An intermediate chiliocosm is composed of one thousand minor chiliocosms (小千世界). A minor chiliocosm is composed of one thousand unit-worlds (小世界). A unit-world consists of the four great oceans, plus the four great continents, plus Mount Sumeru (须弥山), plus the sun, moon, and heavens, plus the six heavens of the desire realm (欲界), plus the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm (色界初禅天). This constitutes one unit-world. One thousand unit-worlds plus the second dhyāna heaven form a minor chiliocosm. One thousand minor chiliocosms plus the third dhyāna heaven form an intermediate chiliocosm. An intermediate chiliocosm plus the fourth dhyāna heaven and the four formless heavens (四空天) forms a trichiliocosm.
Therefore, this trichiliocosm is the composite phenomenon. The composite phenomenon is an illusory appearance formed by combination. It is formed by combining individual, scattered phenomena into an overall appearance; this is called the composite phenomenon. Even a single unit-world is also composite, including the four great oceans. Below the four great oceans are the seven concentric rings of golden mountains (七金山), and below the golden mountains are the hells. Above the four great oceans are the four great continents: Purvavideha (东胜神洲) in the east, Aparagodaniya (西牛贺洲) in the west, Jambudvipa (南赡部洲) in the south, and Uttarakuru (北俱芦洲) in the north. The four great continents lie above the four great oceans, at the four directions surrounding the base of Mount Sumeru.
Mount Sumeru stands amidst the four great oceans, with half submerged beneath the waters and half rising above them, forming a three-dimensional conical shape. At the midsection of Mount Sumeru is the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings (四天王天), where the Four Heavenly Kings reside: Dhṛtarāṣṭra (持国天王) in the east, Virūḍhaka (增长天王) in the south, Virūpākṣa (广目天王) in the west, and Vaiśravaṇa (多闻天王) in the north. Their heavens are situated on the four sides of Mount Sumeru's midsection. At the summit of Mount Sumeru is Trāyastriṃśa Heaven (忉利天), where Śakra (释提桓因), Lord of the Devas, resides with his thirty-three gods. Above this are the other four heavens of the desire realm. Above the four desire realm heavens is the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm. Together, these form one unit-world.
Within a unit-world, every component is itself a composite phenomenon. For example, the Earth is composed of mountains, rivers, land, as well as trees, flowers, plants, houses, and the like; it is also composed of various lands, the territories of each country. An individual country is also a composite phenomenon, formed by the combination of mountains, rivers, trees, houses, land, and other such phenomena. Furthermore, a country is composed of various provinces, prefectures, and counties. Each province, each prefecture and county is also composite. Down to each specific household, each dwelling is composite. Even all the items within a single household are composite. Matter can be further subdivided, ultimately dividing into particles of dust (微尘).
Therefore, the entire trichiliocosm is fundamentally composite. The smallest parts of every component are also composite; all are composite phenomena. A unit-world is a composite phenomenon, an intermediate chiliocosm is a composite phenomenon, a great chiliocosm is even more so a composite phenomenon. This entire trichiliocosm is a composite phenomenon; all is combined. Since it is combined, this world is not real; it is merely a provisional designation, a concept. All material phenomena are formed by the Tathāgatagarbha (如来藏) projecting the seeds of the four great elements (地水火风四大种子), initially forming the smallest particles of dust. These dust particles aggregate to form various substances; substances aggregate to form larger material divisions; these divisions combine to form individual unit-worlds, individual mountains, rivers, lands, palaces, and so forth. All these are composite phenomena. As long as it is a composite phenomenon, it is non-phenomenal; it is illusory, not a real phenomenon.
Original Text: “Subhūti, if a virtuous man or virtuous woman were to grind the trichiliocosm into particles of dust, what do you think? Would that multitude of dust particles be numerous?” “Extremely numerous, World-Honored One.” “Why? If that multitude of dust particles truly existed, the Buddha would not speak of it as a multitude of dust particles.”
Explanation: The World-Honored One said to Subhūti: If a virtuous man or virtuous woman were to pulverize the trichiliocosm into numerous particles of dust, what should you think? Is the number of these dust particles very large? Subhūti replied: Extremely large, World-Honored One. Why is the number of dust particles extremely large? Because if this number of dust particles truly existed, were real and substantial, the Buddha would not speak of them as numerous dust particles.
How large is a trichiliocosm? Calculated, it seems to include one billion Earths, one billion Mount Sumerus, one billion Trāyastriṃśa Heavens, one billion desire realm heavens, one billion first dhyāna heavens, one billion sets of the four great oceans, one billion sets of the seven golden mountains, one billion first dhyāna heavens, and so on—it is immensely vast. A single trichiliocosm is boundlessly vast, immeasurably vast. If ground into dust particles, how many would there be? It would be utterly incalculable, for the trichiliocosm itself is immense. When this immense entity is broken into fragments, with space added between them, the volume occupied by these resulting dust particles would be even greater than that of the original trichiliocosm. Therefore, once the trichiliocosm is ground into dust, the number of those dust particles need not be counted; it is fundamentally beyond counting. Even grinding a single human body into dust particles results in a number that cannot be counted. Grinding the body of a small animal into dust particles also yields an uncountable number.
What is called a dust particle? It means dispersing an object, dividing it into the finest, most minute particles, so small they are invisible to the naked eye, ultimately becoming the smallest unit particles; this is what is called dust. At that time, they are still small particles composed of the four great elements, extremely minute, almost approaching nothingness, yet still belonging to material form (色法).
Is this number of dust particles not too numerous? Subhūti said, it is too numerous. Why is it so numerous? Why is it called numerous? The Buddha said: If the multitude of dust particles truly existed, the Buddha would not speak of it as a multitude of dust particles. Because Subhūti had listened to the World-Honored One expound this Diamond Sutra, he had long understood the true meaning within the Dharma taught by the World-Honored One. Thus, he said: If this multitude of dust particles were truly real, were indestructible, were a truly existing number of dust particles, then the Buddha would not call it a "multitude" of dust particles ("multitude" signifies many, an extremely large number).
Original Text: “Why? The Buddha speaks of the multitude of dust particles as not being a multitude of dust particles. Therefore, it is called a multitude of dust particles. World-Honored One, the Tathāgata speaks of the trichiliocosm as not being a world. Therefore, it is called a world.”
Explanation: Why is this so? Because the multitude of dust particles spoken of by the Buddha is not a real multitude of dust particles; it is merely called by the name "multitude of dust particles." World-Honored One, the trichiliocosm spoken of by the Tathāgata is not a truly real trichiliocosm; the false appearance exists, but in reality, it is empty. Therefore, it is provisionally named the trichiliocosm.
These multitudes of dust particles are not real phenomena. The multitude of dust particles formed by dust, the number of dust particles, is also not a real phenomenon. So-called dust particles merely refer to material form divided into tiny particles, called dust. These dust particles are also material form, and matter is composed of the combination of the seeds of the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind). Dust particles are composed of the seeds of the four great elements; it is just that larger matter contains a very large number of the seeds of the four great elements, while dust particles contain a very small number. Large matter divided into small matter: each small piece still consists of the same proportional composition of the four great elements; only the number of seeds of the four great elements decreases, the volume of the matter decreases, and reduced to the smallest degree, it is called dust.
The seeds of the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) are projected by the Tathāgatagarbha moment by moment. Only then can these dust particles arise, abide, change, and cease, performing certain illusory functions. If the Tathāgatagarbha did not project the seeds of the four great elements, these dust particles would vanish and cease to exist, becoming empty nothingness. Therefore, the multitude of dust particles is an illusory, unreal, false dharma. Dust particles combine to form larger matter; larger matter is still formed by the seeds of the four great elements, so it is all illusory, subject to birth, death, and change. When causes and conditions disperse, and the Tathāgatagarbha ceases to project the seeds of the four great elements, all dust particles and matter will cease, disappearing without a trace.
This material form further combines to form a celestial body; multiple celestial bodies combine to form a unit-world; unit-worlds combine to form a minor chiliocosm; minor chiliocosms combine to form an intermediate chiliocosm; intermediate chiliocosms combine to form a great chiliocosm. Inside and out, this trichiliocosm is composed of dust particles forming a false composite body of the four great elements, subject to birth, death, change, and impermanence. Therefore, the trichiliocosm is likewise illusory, not real; it is provisionally named the trichiliocosm. Hence, the Buddha says the trichiliocosm is not a world; it is called a world.
Original Text: “Why? If a world truly existed, it would be a composite phenomenon. The Tathāgata speaks of the composite phenomenon as not being a composite phenomenon. Therefore, it is called a composite phenomenon. Subhūti, the composite phenomenon is inexpressible. However, ordinary people are attached to such things.”
Explanation: Why is it said that the world is not a world? Because if the world truly existed as real, then this world would also be a composite phenomenon. The composite phenomenon spoken of by the Tathāgata is likewise not a real phenomenon; there is no truly existing composite phenomenon; it is merely called by the name "composite phenomenon." Subhūti, the composite phenomenon is an inexpressible dharma, but ordinary people (凡夫) are attached to these dharmic phenomena.
If this world truly existed, it would ultimately be a composite phenomenon formed by countless dust particles. The Tathāgata says this composite phenomenon is not a truly existing composite phenomenon, nor is there anything truly called a composite phenomenon; it is all illusory; its essence is the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha. For this composite phenomenon, a provisional name is given, called "composite phenomenon." Therefore, the final conclusion is that the world is not real; it is illusory.
The Buddha says that the composite phenomenon formed by material particles, dust, has nothing to speak of, because it is all a false composite body of the four great elements, without real existence; it is not real; it is all projected by the Tathāgatagarbha. Since this is so, there is no composite phenomenon to speak of; thus, the composite phenomenon is inexpressible and need not be clung to. However, regarding these illusory phenomena of birth and death, ordinary people, since beginningless kalpas (无始劫), have always been attached, believing them to be real and substantial. In reality, their existence is false existence, not real existence; it is merely a name.
Since beginningless kalpas, ordinary people have always been attached to the lands and worldly environments in which they live. In truth, these are also formed by material particles; they are merely composite phenomena—subject to birth, death, change, and illusion—all formed and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha projecting the seeds of the four great elements. They are like phenomena in a dream or flowers in the sky, not real. But ordinary people, unaware of this fact, regard all phenomena they encounter as real. Then they become attached, cling, and constantly calculate, bound by these false appearances, unable to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death in the six paths (六道).
Therefore, the Buddha says that ordinary people (that is, ignorant people) do not know the true nature of all dharmas (诸法实相). They merely indulge in clinging to illusory false appearances. Only by learning the true Mahāyāna doctrine of true reality can one realize that the entire world—people, events, and physical phenomena—are all illusory appearances formed by the Tathāgatagarbha projecting seeds; they are not real. Realizing this true reality, the clinging nature of sentient beings can be reduced and extinguished. The cause of sentient beings' birth and death can then be extinguished, enabling liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
