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

Chapter Thirty-Two: Non-Arising of Views

Original Text: “Subhuti, if someone says, ‘The Buddha speaks of the view of self, the view of person, the view of sentient beings, and the view of life.’ Subhuti, what do you think? Does this person understand the meaning of what I have taught?” “No, World-Honored One. This person does not understand the meaning of what the Tathagata has taught.”

Explanation: Subhuti, if someone claims that the Buddha also speaks of the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life, thereby implying that these views truly exist, then what do you think? Does this person understand the meaning of what I have said? Subhuti replied: This person does not truly comprehend the meaning of what you, World-Honored One, have taught.

When the World-Honored One expounds the Dharma, he must adapt to the psychological understanding of sentient beings, using the terminology and concepts familiar to them. Only in this way can the teaching communicate with sentient beings, enabling them to comprehend it, so that the Buddha may guide them toward the true meaning of the Dharma, ultimately leading them to the same state as the Buddha. Because sentient beings possess the view of the five aggregates as self, as well as concepts and views of person, sentient beings, and life—and because their understanding and notions regarding these concepts are erroneous and inverted—the World-Honored One must accommodate sentient beings, using terminology and concepts aligned with their cognition, to dispel their erroneous perceptions and correct their mistaken views.

Therefore, when the World-Honored One teaches the Dharma, he also uses terms such as the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life, and he specifically explains why the view of self is a wrong view, why the view of person is a wrong view, why the view of sentient beings is a wrong view, and why the view of life is a wrong view. Only in this way can he dispel sentient beings’ four inverted wrong views, thereby enabling them to sever the bonds of birth and death within their minds, cut the fetters that bind them, and ultimately attain liberation. If not done this way, how could the World-Honored One widely liberate sentient beings, enabling them to understand the true Dharma, thereby benefiting themselves and others? Therefore, although the Buddha uses terms like the view of self and view of person, it does not mean that sentient beings’ views of self, person, sentient beings, and life are truly existent views. These views are also false, illusory, and subject to cessation; they should not be grasped as real.

Original Text: “Why? The view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life spoken of by the World-Honored One are not the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, or view of life. They are merely termed the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life.”

Explanation: Why is this so? Because the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life spoken of by the World-Honored One do not truly exist. The so-called view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life are not truly existent; they lack true dharma characteristics. They are merely conventionally designated as the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life—nothing more than names.

Subhuti’s words negate the reality of the existence of these views—the view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life—thus perfectly aligning with the meaning of prajna (wisdom) presented earlier in the sutra. Because these views are not true dharmas, they can be eliminated through cultivation, thereby eradicating the four marks. Applying the formula: “What is called… is not… but is merely termed…”, the principle of this formula negates the true existence of all phenomena in the world. There are no truly existent phenomena in the world; all are illusory. Because all are produced and manifested by the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature), all are functions of the seed-nature of the Tathagatagarbha, and in essence, all are the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, all phenomena in the world are merely conventional names, lacking true substance.

The four wrong views—view of self, view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life—are also among the dharmas of principle within worldly phenomena. They are dharmas that arise subsequently and can be extinguished; they are non-existent before, arise later, and after arising, return to non-existence. In fact, when they appear to exist, they are arising and ceasing instantaneously. Because this arising and ceasing occurs too rapidly for sentient beings to perceive, they mistakenly regard them as truly existent, thus forming various erroneous and wrong views. These wrong views are all illusory and false appearances, not real. If they were real, sentient beings could not eliminate them through cultivation and thereby attain correct knowledge and insight. These wrong views lack inherent nature and autonomy; they depend on external conditions to arise and are produced by the Tathagatagarbha.

So what is the view of self, and how does it arise? The view of self is the perception regarding the mark of self. The correct view is to perceive the mark of self as empty; the wrong view is to perceive the mark of self as existent. First, regarding the “self” that sentient beings perceive: it refers firstly to the physical body, secondly to the six consciousnesses, thirdly to the seventh consciousness (manas), or the combined self of the five aggregates and the self of the eighteen elements. All these “selves” are false selves, not real; they lack substantiality, are produced by causes and conditions, arise illusorily, disperse when conditions cease, and cannot be relied upon.

The aggregate of form is produced by the Tathagatagarbha’s four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) as seeds, undergoing birth, abiding, change, and extinction. It is impermanent and changing; in appearance it seems to exist, but in essence it is non-existent; its nature is the Tathagatagarbha. The aggregate of sensation is the feeling of the six consciousnesses, generated by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the six consciousnesses. It undergoes birth, abiding, change, and extinction; illusory and unreal, it disperses when conditions cease and cannot be relied upon. The aggregate of perception is the six consciousnesses’ grasping and cognizing of the appearances of the six sense objects, generated by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the six consciousnesses. It arises illusorily, disperses when conditions cease, and cannot be relied upon. The aggregate of mental formations is the continuous flow and change of bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses, as well as alterations and movements of the physical body, generated by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the seven great elements. It undergoes birth, abiding, change, and extinction; illusory and unreal, it disperses when conditions cease and cannot be relied upon. The aggregate of consciousness is the discerning nature of the six consciousnesses, generated by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the six consciousnesses. It is illusory and unreal, disperses when conditions cease, and cannot be relied upon. These four aggregates also lack substantiality and autonomy; in appearance they seem to exist, but in essence they are non-existent; their nature is the Tathagatagarbha.

The “self” perceived by sentient beings also includes the eighteen elements: the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses. These dharmas are also generated by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the seven great elements. They undergo birth, death, and change; in appearance they seem to exist, but in essence they are non-existent; their nature is the Tathagatagarbha. Who perceives the five aggregates and eighteen elements as self, thus giving rise to the view of self? It is the sixth consciousness and the seventh consciousness. The sixth consciousness is called the intermittent view of self, while the seventh consciousness is called the innate view of self. Because the existence of the sixth consciousness is intermittent—it does not continue into future lifetimes, disappearing at the end of a life and arising when life appears—it is discontinuous. The seventh consciousness has existed since beginningless kalpas past, continuing into future lifetimes. Only when one attains the fourth fruition of Arhatship and exhausts all attachments is one capable of extinguishing the seventh consciousness. Therefore, it is called the innate view of self and innate self-attachment.

The view of self primarily arises from these two consciousnesses. These two consciousnesses can only arise, exist, and function because the Tathagatagarbha projects consciousness seeds. Therefore, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses lack autonomy, substantiality, and independence. They undergo birth, death, change, and are illusory and impermanent, arising and ceasing instantaneously. Thus, the view of self held by the sixth consciousness and the view of self held by the seventh consciousness are not truly existent views of self; they are not views of self with substantiality. They are illusory views of self, whose essence is the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, the view of self held by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses is merely termed the view of self—it is nothing but a conventional name.

The view of person, view of sentient beings, and view of life, corresponding to the view of self, follow the same principle. They are all erroneous wrong views arising from the illusory sixth and seventh consciousness minds produced by the Tathagatagarbha. These wrong views and erroneous understandings are also not truly existent; they are like a mirage—empty and illusory, without reality. Superficially they appear to exist, but in essence they are non-existent; their nature is the Tathagatagarbha. There are no truly existent such wrong understandings. Just as afflictions are themselves bodhi (awakening)—the essence of afflictions is the bodhi-mind, the Tathagatagarbha—so too wrong views are functions of the bodhi-mind, the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, their essence is also the Tathagatagarbha; there is nothing else besides this.

Original Text: “Subhuti, those who have set their minds on attaining Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi should know all dharmas thus, see all dharmas thus, and have faith and understanding thus, without giving rise to the marks of dharmas.”

Explanation: The World-Honored One said: Those who have set their minds on attaining Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi (Supreme Perfect Enlightenment) should know all dharmas in this manner, should regard all dharmas thus, should give rise to faith and understanding thus, and should no longer generate any dharma marks within their minds, nor grasp at any dharma marks—remaining empty, pure, open, and unobstructed.

Here, the World-Honored One exhorts Bodhisattvas who have aroused the great bodhi mind that regarding all dharmas, they should thoroughly investigate their roots and essence, deeply perceive their source and true nature. Profoundly understanding the essence of all dharmas, they should not cling to illusory false appearances nor grasp at false names. They should contemplate and investigate all dharmas again and again, reflect upon them repeatedly, like peeling a banana plant—stripping away layer after layer of its outer skin until they see its innermost core and realize that the banana plant is originally empty, without any substantial form.

By contemplating all dharmas in this way, they will know that all are originally empty, without any substantial dharmas; all are the empty appearance of the Tathagatagarbha. Then the mind becomes still, all deluded thoughts cease. They no longer hope to seek or grasp any dharma marks, no longer search outwardly or beg externally. Thus, they return to the source of their own mind, return to the home of their self-nature. In this way, no dharma marks will arise within their minds; they regard all dharmas as dreams, illusions, mirages, reflections in a mirror, or the moon in water, never again taking them as real dharmas to grasp or cling to. Thus, they eliminate the causes for creating birth and death, extinguish the karmic results of birth and death, exhaust all ignorance, empty the ripening of karmic retribution, and manifest the Great Mirror Wisdom. They establish their place of enlightenment throughout the ten directions, widely benefiting immeasurable and boundless sentient beings with whom they have affinities.

Original Text: “Subhuti, what is called the mark of dharmas, the Tathagata says is not the mark of dharmas, but is merely termed the mark of dharmas.”

Explanation: Subhuti, the so-called mark of dharmas spoken of by sentient beings—the Tathagata says these are not truly existent marks of dharmas, not marks that truly exist. They are merely names; therefore, they are conventionally designated as the mark of dharmas.

The mark of dharmas includes the marks of form dharmas and mind dharmas within the three realms. The mark of form dharmas refers to the five sense faculties and the objects of the six faculties: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas (mental objects). Whether it is the outer-appearing portion (external objects) or the inner-appearing portion (mental images) of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas, they are not truly existent dharma marks. Superficially they appear to exist, but in essence they are empty. These marks of form dharmas are all constructed by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the four great elements; therefore, they are illusory, like flowers in the sky, like a mirage, like light and shadow, like the moon reflected in water. Their essence is the dharma mark of the Tathagatagarbha. And since the dharma mark of the Tathagatagarbha is also empty, then forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, dharmas, and the five sense faculties are all empty marks. Therefore, they are not dharma marks; they have only names, no substance.

The mark of mind dharmas refers to the marks of the seven consciousness minds and the accompanying marks of the mental factors (caittas). The mark of the seven consciousnesses is formed by the Tathagatagarbha projecting seeds of the seven consciousnesses. These consciousness seeds arise instantaneously and cease instantaneously; they undergo birth, death, and change, illusory and unreal. The functioning appearances of the seven consciousnesses seem to exist superficially, but in essence they are empty, like a mirage that merely deceives the eye. Therefore, the seven consciousnesses are also not truly existent; they lack true dharma marks, and their essence is the empty appearance of the Tathagatagarbha.

The functioning appearances of the seven consciousnesses manifest in the form of mental factors, including the five universal mental factors: attention, contact, sensation, perception, and volition, as well as all other mental factors. When the seven consciousnesses function, these five universal mental factors accompany them as they manifest. Other mental factors may also manifest alongside the seven consciousnesses. When the consciousnesses arise, the mental factors manifest accordingly; when the consciousnesses cease, the mental factors cease accordingly. The consciousness minds are arising, ceasing, empty, and false—not real. The mental factors are even more so—arising, ceasing, empty, and false—not real. Their apparent functioning seems to exist superficially, but in essence it is empty and illusory, ultimately unobtainable. Their essence is the empty appearance of the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, the mark of mind dharmas is also empty, merely a name. Thus, the Buddha says the mark of dharmas is not the mark of dharmas; it is not a truly existent mark of dharmas. It is merely a name; it should not be taken as real, nor should it be grasped.