The Tathagata with Attributes and the Tathagata without Attributes

Original Text: Subhuti, if someone says, "The Tathagata comes or goes, sits or lies down," such a person does not understand the meaning of what I have taught. Why? The Tathagata has not come from anywhere, nor does he go anywhere. Therefore, he is called the Tathagata.

Explanation:  The World-Honored One said: Subhuti, if someone says, "The Tathagata comes like this, the Tathagata goes like this, the Tathagata sits like this, the Tathagata lies down like this," and perceives the Tathagata in the manifested forms of coming, going, sitting, and lying down, such a person has not truly understood the profound meaning of the Dharma I have expounded over such a long time. Thus, they are deluded by the manifested forms of the Tathagata and fail to perceive the true Tathagata. Why do I say this? Because the true Tathagata has no place from which he comes, no origin, and no place to which he goes, no destination. He who neither comes nor goes, neither arises nor ceases, is named the true Tathagata.

How infinitely compassionate is the World-Honored One! For the sake of sentient beings, he wore coarse and soiled robes, humbly descending into this turbid and evil world to reveal the Buddha's knowledge and vision to sentient beings, expounding the sutras and teaching the Dharma, never wearying.  

Here, the World-Honored One repeatedly emphasizes the essential point, sparing no effort, with eyebrows grown long enough to sweep the ground, and the hem of his robe soaked in muddy water, all to pull sentient beings out of the mire of erroneous views, awaken them to the Buddha's knowledge and vision, so that they may see and walk the same path as the Buddha, never again treading the desolate bypaths, wildernesses, or perilous places.

Sentient beings' habit of clinging to forms has long penetrated to the marrow; the poisonous thorns of erroneous views are truly hard to extract. Helplessly, it falls only to the World-Honored One to ceaselessly shatter form after form, using all manner of similes and words to reveal to sentient beings the true mind, devoid of any form. Yet, there are still very many people who do not perceive the true formless Tathagata, seeing only the Tathagata with forms who comes and goes, moves and rests. However, will the forms of the Tathagata's coming and going, sitting and lying down, disappear and cease to be seen? After the forms of coming and going, sitting and lying down vanish, where then can one see the Tathagata? Where do these forms of coming and going, sitting and lying down come from, and where do they cease and go? And why are there coming and going, sitting and lying down? Those with discerning minds should raise a great question mark here, deeply doubting and not letting it pass.

The form of the Tathagata's coming manifests dependent on the five aggregates' material body and appears dependent on the mind of the seven consciousnesses within the five aggregates. It fundamentally belongs to the volitional formation aggregate among the five aggregates. Without the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses, there would be no form of coming for sentient beings to witness. And this form of coming—where was it before it came? What caused it to come? Because this form of coming is a conditioned dharma subject to arising and ceasing, all conditioned dharmas arise due to causes and conditions. The form of coming arises from the convergence of various conditions; it is born from causes, with causes and conditions present, the form of coming appears. When sentient beings witness it, they see only the form of coming, not knowing where it comes from, not knowing the cause of the form of coming. This is the delusion of clinging to forms, failing to recognize the true principle. Sentient beings, due to clinging to forms and being deluded about the principle, align with defilements and turn away from enlightenment, thus generating worldly toil, perpetuating worldly appearances, and revolving endlessly in birth and death. If one wishes to transcend the appearances 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, eliminate deluded karma, and return to the original state.

The form of the Tathagata's going manifests dependent on the five aggregates and appears dependent on the seven consciousnesses. It fundamentally belongs to the volitional formation aggregate among the five aggregates. On what causes and conditions do the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses depend to 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, its form vanishes without a trace, yet the cause of going does not cease. Therefore, it can continuously go, then continuously come again—arising, abiding, changing, ceasing—thus cycling endlessly. This is vibrant vitality, causes for birth everywhere, like a splendid spring. As for the Tathagata's forms of sitting and lying down, they also fundamentally belong to the volitional formation aggregate within the five aggregates, manifesting dependent on the material body and the seven consciousnesses. The material body and the seven consciousnesses also have their causes for manifestation. Due to these causes, forms arise and cease. Sentient beings see only the forms and their arising and ceasing, never seeing the causes giving rise to the forms' arising and ceasing. Deluded by the manifested forms, they fail to recognize the true principle. Therefore, they give rise to continuous births, unceasing deaths, wandering and drifting, lost without return.

Sentient beings, deeply entrenched in delusion and hard to turn back, helplessly compel the aged World-Honored One to come to this Saha world over eight thousand times. Pointing with one hand to the heavens and with the other to the earth, he reveals to sentient beings: "In the heavens above and the earth below, I alone am the Honored One!" Greatly manifesting the Tathagata's wisdom and virtuous marks, he releases sentient beings from entanglements and bonds, washing away the dust of toil and afflictions. If not the Great Compassionate Father, who could be like this! If we are the Tathagata's filial children, 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 proclaim, "My Buddha! The Tathagata, the Most Venerable One! I now perceive the true Tathagata." From then on, gradually we will be able to inherit the Buddha's work, propagate the Dharma on his behalf, guide sentient beings, dispel their delusions to reveal wisdom, and enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision. If there are many such filial children, the work of my Buddha will have successors, the Buddha Dharma will shine brightly, the compassionate vessel will ferry all universally, the whole heaven will rejoice together, all ten directions will enter together the Sarvajña Sea.