The Tathāgata with Marks and the Tathāgata without Marks

Original text of the sūtra: 须菩提。若有人言。如来若来若去。若坐若卧。是人不解我所说义。何以故。如来者。无所从来。亦无所去。故名如来。

Explanation:  The World-Honored One said: Subhūti, if someone says that the Tathāgata comes like this, the Tathāgata goes like this, the Tathāgata sits like this, the Tathāgata lies down like this—seeing the Tathāgata in terms of coming, going, stopping, and moving within these outward marks—this person has not truly understood the great meaning of the Buddha-dharma that I have been expounding for so long; thus he is deluded by the outward marks of the Tathāgata and does not see the true Tathāgata. Why do I say this? Because the true Tathāgata has no place from which He comes—there is no place of coming—and no place to which He goes—there is no place of going. That which neither comes nor goes, neither arises nor ceases, is called the true Tathāgata.

How compassionate the World-Honored One is! For the sake of sentient beings, He donned tattered, soiled garments and humbly came to this turbid and evil world, to reveal to sentient beings the Buddha's knowledge and vision, expounding the sūtras and teaching the Dharma without ever knowing weariness.  

Here the World-Honored One repeatedly adds the finishing touch to the painted dragon, sparing no saliva; His eyebrows have already dragged along the ground for a very, very long time, and the corner of His saṃghāṭī robe has been soaked in mud and water—all just to drag sentient beings out of the mire of wrong views, to have them awaken and enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision, and then to see and act together with the Buddha, never again traveling the narrow bypaths of the wilderness, the desolate outskirts and wild ridges, the perilous places.

Sentient beings' habit of clinging to marks has long since penetrated deep into the marrow of their bones; the poisonous thorn of wrong views is truly hard to pull out. Helplessly, the World-Honored One must labor on, breaking through marks again and again, using all kinds of parables and words to reveal to sentient beings the mind of ultimate reality, which has not a single trace of any mark. Yet there are still extremely many people who do not see the true markless Tathāgata, but only see the Tathāgata with marks, coming and going, moving and stopping. But as for the Tathāgata with marks—will His marks of coming and going, sitting and lying down vanish and disappear from sight? After the marks of coming and going, sitting and lying down have vanished, where would one go to see the Tathāgata? And from where did His marks of coming and going, sitting and lying down come, and to where do they cease? And why is there coming and going, sitting and lying down at all? Those with a discerning mind should draw a great big question mark here, doubt deeply, and not let it pass.

The Tathāgata's mark of coming appears based on the five aggregates' material body and manifests based on the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses; it is fundamentally the aggregate of volitional formations among the five aggregates. If there were no five aggregates and seven consciousnesses, there would be no mark of coming for sentient beings to behold. And before this mark of coming arrived, where was it? On account of what did it come? Because this mark of coming is a conditioned dharma subject to arising and ceasing, and all dharmas subject to arising and ceasing are born of causes and conditions—the mark of coming has the gathering of various conditions and is born from a cause; with cause and conditions present, the mark of coming manifests. When sentient beings behold it, they see only the mark of coming, not knowing whence the mark of coming comes, not knowing the cause of the mark of coming—this is the deluded person clinging to marks, not recognizing the true principle. Because sentient beings cling to marks and are deluded about the principle, they unite with sense objects and turn away from awakening; hence they give rise to the wearisome agitation of sense objects, worldly marks never cease, and birth and death are unending. If one wishes to escape the marks of birth and death, what should one do? Of course one must seek the cause that gives rise to the marks, recognize the principle of true suchness, remove delusion and karma, and return to the original state.

The Tathāgata's mark of going appears based on the five aggregates and manifests based on the seven consciousnesses; it is fundamentally the aggregate of volitional formations among the five aggregates. On account of what cause do the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses manifest? Before going, there was coming and abiding; before coming and abiding there was a cause, and even when going, it does not depart from the cause—otherwise it could not go. And after going? The mark vanishes without a trace, yet the cause of going does not perish; because of this, it can go again and again, and come again and again—arising, abiding, changing, ceasing—thus cycling without end. This is vibrant vitality, with conditions for arising everywhere, just like a splendid springtime. As for the Tathāgata's marks of sitting and lying down, they too are fundamentally the aggregate of volitional formations among the five aggregates, appearing based on the material body and the seven consciousnesses, and the material body and the seven consciousnesses also have their causes for manifesting marks. By means of this cause, marks arise and marks cease; sentient beings see only the marks and their arising and ceasing, and never see the originating cause of the marks' arising and ceasing—deluded by outward appearances, they do not recognize the true principle. Therefore they are born again and again without end, die again and again without cease, drifting and wandering in transmigration, lost on the wrong path and never returning.

Sentient beings' accumulated delusions are hard to reverse. Helplessly, the World-Honored One, that venerable elder, has labored more than eight thousand times to come to this Sahā world, with one hand pointing to heaven and one hand pointing to earth, revealing to sentient beings: "Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am the honored one!" Greatly manifesting the Tathāgata's wisdom, virtues, and marks, He unties the bonds and removes the fetters for sentient beings, washing away the grime of wearisome afflictions. Were He not a father of great compassion, who could act thus! If we are the filial children of the Tathāgata, then at the moment the World-Honored One pointed to heaven and earth, we should bare the right shoulder, place the right knee on the ground, press the palms together in salutation, and call out: "My Buddha, supremely honored Tathāgata, I now behold the true Tathāgata." From then on we can gradually continue the Buddha's work, proclaiming the teaching on His behalf, guiding sentient beings, dispelling delusion and revealing wisdom, and entering the Buddha's knowledge and vision. If there can be many such filial children, then my Buddha's work will have successors, the Buddha-dharma will shine forth greatly, the ship of compassion will universally ferry all, the whole world will celebrate together, and the ten directions will all enter together the ocean of sarvājña (omniscient wisdom).