The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Transformation Manifestations Are Not Real, Thirty-Two
Original text: 须菩提。若有人以满无量阿僧祗世界七宝。持用布施。若有善男子善女人。发菩提心者。持于此经。乃至四句偈等。受持读诵。为人演说。其福胜彼。
Explanation: Subhūti, if someone uses the seven treasures filling immeasurable, countless (asaṃkhyeya) worlds all for giving (dāna), the merit thus obtained is extremely vast. But if a wholesome man or wholesome woman has given rise to the bodhi mind of the Mahāyāna, and upholds this sūtra, or even a four-line verse of it, not only receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting it themselves, but also expounding it for sentient beings, then the merit obtained by this wholesome man or wholesome woman will far surpass that of the person who gives away the seven treasures of immeasurable, countless worlds.
Asaṃkhyeya is an Indian word meaning extremely many, beyond counting. Asaṃkhyeya worlds means countless, uncountable trichiliocosms. If someone gives away the seven treasures of a single small world, their merit would already be inconceivable; how much more so giving away the seven treasures of a trichiliocosm—the merit would be even more inconceivable. Then what of giving away the seven treasures of countless trichiliocosms—could such merit even be imagined or conceived? It is simply beyond conception. Yet there is another wholesome man or wholesome woman who has given rise to the great bodhi mind, wishing to perfect and accomplish the Buddha Way and to vastly benefit boundless sentient beings. Such a wholesome man or wholesome woman receives, upholds, reads, and recites the Diamond Sūtra, studies and cultivates the dharma of attaining buddhahood through the tathāgatagarbha, is able to fully receive, uphold, and realize this sūtra's tathāgatagarbha, and can also expound and teach it to other karmically connected sentient beings. The merit they obtain is far superior to that of the person who gives away the seven treasures of immeasurable, countless worlds.
Why is this said? Because wholesome men and wholesome women who can truly receive, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sūtra are already great bodhisattvas who have realized the prajñā ultimate reality; they are people truly endowed with merit and wisdom. Not only do they themselves possess abundant merit and wisdom, they also teach other sentient beings to obtain the great merit and great wisdom of receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sūtra, and thus their own merit and wisdom will further grow. When their wisdom and merit grow to the utmost and reach perfection, they become the Honored One Perfect in Both Merit and Wisdom, the Teacher of Gods and Humans, the Buddha, the World-Honored One.
Since this is so, what then is the merit obtained from giving the seven treasures of asaṃkhyeya worlds worth? These worlds and seven treasures are all conditioned, marked dharmas subject to arising and ceasing; they are all things within the mind of the vajra mind (vajra-citta), all just a small portion within the self-nature maṇi jewel. And the wholesome men and wholesome women who receive, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sūtra have realized this maṇi jewel and thus possess it, which is equivalent to possessing the seven treasures of asaṃkhyeya worlds, and at the same time possessing the immeasurable asaṃkhyeya worlds of the future. Such merit, of course, far surpasses that of the person who gives away the seven treasures of asaṃkhyeya worlds.
Original text: 云何为人演说。不取于相。如如不动。
Explanation: How should the wholesome men and wholesome women who expound the Diamond Sūtra and its four-line verses, who proclaim the wondrous dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, expound it for others? They should be free of the four marks, expounding the dharma without mentally grasping at any dharma-mark. Moreover, toward all dharma-marks they should remain suchness-immovable (tathatā-acalita), not seeing dharma-marks as truly existent, the mind not turning or moving along with external states and dharma-marks—pure and undefiled like the tathāgatagarbha, not grasping at marks, nor giving rise to mental thoughts, no mind toward objects, suchness-immovable.
After bodhisattvas realize the tathāgatagarbha, they will increasingly observe the pure, unconditioned nature of the tathāgatagarbha, and at the same time increasingly perceive the illusory, impermanent nature of all conditioned dharmas. Their minds will gradually no longer generate interest in conditioned dharmas and will incline toward the pure, unconditioned nature of the tathāgatagarbha. The bodhisattvas gradually observe that all conditioned dharma-marks in the threefold world are born and conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha, and thus they gradually cease to grasp at all worldly dharma-marks; toward all dharmas, the mind gradually ceases to turn and move along with them, until finally they can attain suchness-immovability, resembling the unconditioned nature of the tathāgatagarbha.
Original text: 何以故。一切有为法。如梦幻泡影。如露亦如电。应作如是观。佛说是经已。长老须菩提。及诸比丘。比丘尼。优婆塞。优婆夷。一切世间天人阿修罗。闻佛所说。皆大欢喜。信受奉行。
Explanation: Why, when expounding the Diamond Sūtra for others, should one not grasp at marks and remain suchness-immovable? Because all conditioned, fabricated dharmas are like a dream, like an illusion, like a bubble, like a shadow, like dew, like a flash of lightning in the sky. Every bodhisattva, when facing all conditioned dharmas in the world, should contemplate them in this way, should regard all conditioned dharmas thus. After the World-Honored One finished teaching this Diamond Sūtra, the vessel of the teaching, Elder Subhūti, together with all the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās—the fourfold assembly—and all the devas and asuras of the entire world, having heard what the Buddha taught, all rejoiced greatly, received it with faith, and put it into practice.
As the assembly was about to end, the World-Honored One revealed the superb four-line verse to illustrate the illusory, unreal nature of all conditioned dharmas. Since they are all illusory and unreal, bodhisattvas have no need to be attached to or grasp at any conditioned dharma, nor to turn and move along with conditioned dharmas. It is like being in a dream: no matter how we grasp at all the people, affairs, and things in the dream, no matter how we turn, waver, and create karmic actions along with them, in the end there is ultimately nothing at all—not half a hair can be grasped. No one has ever obtained anything from a dream; so what benefit is there in vainly toiling the mind!
All conditioned dharmas are conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha in dependence on conditions, like a magician conjuring all people, affairs, and things from his thoughts, suddenly manifesting them in empty space; yet when the magician withdraws his thoughts, all people, affairs, and things ultimately return to emptiness. Why labor to seize them, vainly enslaving the mind—what benefit is there! All conditioned dharmas are bubbles born from the great ocean of the tathāgatagarbha, arising and bursting within the ocean of the tathāgatagarbha. All the people, affairs, and things in the threefold world are like foam in the seawater—arising and ceasing, ceasing and arising again; all arising and ceasing returns to the great ocean. Why vainly labor to grasp at the foam without seeing the great ocean?
All conditioned dharmas are like the moon's reflection falling into thousands of rivers and seas—seemingly there yet seemingly not; appearing to exist, yet impossible to scoop up. Only ordinary beings, like foolish monkeys, reach out their hands to scoop it up and find nothing at all. Bodhisattvas and the wise, with the eye of wisdom, contemplate this reflection—what is there to seize? All conditioned dharmas are like morning dew: when the morning sun rises, they vanish in an instant, swiftly arising and swiftly ceasing—what is there to grasp? All conditioned dharmas are also like lightning and thunder in the rain, streaking across the sky in an instant, vanishing without a trace in a moment. No matter how shaken your soul, no matter how terrified you are, it has already disappeared, leaving no shadow or trace.
The World-Honored One taught that after enlightenment, bodhisattvas should constantly contemplate in this way; then their own minds will be pure, without grasping or seizing, untainted by a single speck of dust, not clinging to a single dharma. In this way they will accord with the true mind, suchness (tathatā), and follow along with suchness, and will be able to attain supreme bodhi. With this non-grasping, non-seizing mind, they expound the Diamond Sūtra for sentient beings, delivering all sentient beings to escape the illusory dust together, to extinguish the illusory shadows together, to enter together the great ocean of wisdom of all buddhas, and to perfect together the omniscience (sarvākārajñatā) of all buddhas.
To receive, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sūtra in this way, and to expound the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha—among worldly sentient beings, whose merit and wisdom could compare, who could surpass it! To benefit oneself and benefit others thus—how marvelous! How joyous! Finally, when the World-Honored One finished expounding this sūtra, there was none among the fourfold assembly and the great assembly of humans and devas who did not believe, none who did not receive, none who did not honor, none who did not practice—this is called believing, receiving, honoring, and practicing the Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra expounded by the Tathāgata.
