Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Causes and Conditions of the Dharma Assembly, Section One

Original Text: Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was in Śrāvastī, at the Jeta Grove in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary, together with a great assembly of twelve hundred fifty great bhikṣus.

Explanation: The Diamond Sūtra was narrated by Ānanda, recounting the Prajñāpāramitā sūtra he once heard the Buddha preach. It begins with "Thus have I heard" to indicate that Ānanda personally heard the Buddha proclaim it and is now relaying it. The Buddha possesses the thirty-two marks of a great being. His cousin Nanda has thirty-one marks, and Ānanda's appearance closely resembles the World-Honored One. When Ānanda was compiling the scriptures, if he did not say "Thus have I heard," the assembly might suspect that the World-Honored One had returned to preach personally or that Ānanda was speaking the Dharma himself. To avoid such misunderstandings, he used "Thus have I heard." The assembly, knowing that Ānanda was recounting the Dharma proclaimed by the Buddha during his lifetime, would then accept it without doubt. At the Dharma assembly before the World-Honored One's parinirvāṇa, Ānanda asked the Buddha what should begin the compilation of the scriptures in the future. The World-Honored One said, "Begin with 'Thus have I heard.'"

The Buddha, when preaching sūtras, only states "at one time" without specifying a particular time. This is because a specific time in India corresponds to different times in other countries, different times in various heavenly realms, and different times on other celestial bodies, all varying. Thus, the time is not specified concretely. The location was the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary in Śrāvastī. The audience consisted of the Buddha's constant followers: 1,255 great bhikṣus.

These "great bhikṣus," except for Ānanda, were all Arhats who had attained the fourth fruition. They practiced the Śrāvaka vehicle (Hīnayāna) of the Four Noble Truths—suffering, its origin, cessation, and the path—as well as the Middle Vehicle's (Pratyekabuddhayāna) twelve links of dependent origination: ignorance conditions volitional formations; formations condition consciousness; consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions the six sense bases; the six sense bases condition contact; contact conditions feeling; feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging; clinging conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth; birth conditions aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair. They practiced the Śrāvaka and Middle Vehicle Dharma contained within the four Āgamas, attaining fruitions from the first to the fourth and the Pratyekabuddha fruition of the Solitary Realizer.

The first fruition (Sotāpanna) entails severing the view of self, recognizing the five aggregates and eighteen realms (six sense faculties, six sense objects, six consciousnesses) as suffering, empty, impermanent, and devoid of self. This severs the three fetters binding one: self-view, skeptical doubt, and adherence to rites and rituals. It extinguishes the karmic retribution leading to the three evil destinies (hell, hungry ghost, animal realms), preventing rebirth there. After a maximum of seven more rebirths among humans and devas, one enters parinirvāṇa without residue. Progressing beyond the first fruition, as greed, hatred, and delusion diminish, one attains the second fruition (Sakṛdāgāmin), entering parinirvāṇa without residue after only one more rebirth among humans and devas. Further cultivation leads to attaining the first dhyāna, eradicating greed for sensual desires and hatred, thus attaining the third fruition (Anāgāmin). In the next life, one is reborn in the Pure Abodes (Śuddhāvāsa heavens), attains the fourth fruition (Arhat), and enters parinirvāṇa without residue, or attains the fourth fruition during the intermediate state (antarābhava) and enters parinirvāṇa without residue. The third fruition practitioner who deeply cultivates further eradicates the conceit of self (the sense of "I am" or "I possess," which are forms of conceit), severs subtle attachments to the three realms, including even attachment to dhyāna states and heavenly bodies. When the view of self is completely severed, the seventh consciousness (manas) no longer clings to the five aggregates, eighteen realms, or the world of the three realms. At death, one extinguishes oneself entirely, no longer taking birth, leaving only the Tathāgatagarbha. This is called entering parinirvāṇa without residue. All suffering is thus extinguished; there is no more suffering to depend upon. This is called the extinction of suffering. Ānanda, however, to serve as the Buddha's attendant, was capable of attaining the fourth fruition but did not, because the Buddha did not use Arhats as his personal attendants.

Original Text: At that time, when it was time for the World-Honored One to take his meal, he put on his robe, took up his bowl, and entered the great city of Śrāvastī to beg for food. In that city, he begged for food successively from house to house. Having finished, he returned to his original place. After eating the meal, he put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, arranged his seat, and sat down.

Explanation: At that time, as the midday meal approached, the World-Honored One put on his saṅghāṭi robe, took up his alms bowl, and entered the great city of Śrāvastī to beg for food. In Śrāvastī, he begged successively from house to house. After finishing, he returned to his original dwelling place. After eating the meal, he put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, and sat down cross-legged.

These were the mundane daily activities of the World-Honored One, occurring every day, utterly ordinary. Since he performed alms rounds, ate, and washed his feet daily, why were they written into the sūtra, and placed right at the beginning? Other sūtras do not describe such things. Why specifically in the Diamond Sūtra, proclaimed during the great Prajñāpāramitā assembly, and being the essence of the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, is this described? Moreover, the World-Honored One never spoke meaningless trivialities unless for special reasons; he did not even smile lightly.

This description of daily activities holds esoteric meaning, revealing a truth, illuminating the true nature of all dharmas. Those of the sharpest faculties and highest wisdom need only read this far to comprehend the truth and the true nature, penetrating the entire essence of the Diamond Sūtra and the six hundred volumes of the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. Such a person becomes a Bodhisattva of true meaning. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra states that all dharmas are mind-only, meaning created solely by the Tathāgatagarbha mind. Are the World-Honored One's daily activities not part of all dharmas? Is there not the functioning of the World-Honored One's true suchness mind there? The answer is affirmative. All dharmas arise from the union of the true and the false minds. The true mind alone can accomplish nothing; the false mind alone is also untenable. It must be the union of the true and false minds that together manifest all dharmas. Therefore, within our impermanent, arising-ceasing, empty, illusory phenomenal world, the true mind of prajñā is always functioning. For example, in our daily activities of eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, speaking, laughing, walking, standing, sitting, lying down, etc., the true mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, must simultaneously participate. Otherwise, not a single dharma could be established.

The 1,700 kōans of the Chan (Zen) school all point to this truth. Therefore, Chan masters skillfully set up devices, using various methods, hints, gestures, glances, laughter, scolding, raising and lowering the whisk, to guide students towards awakening. For instance, Deshan's stick (hitting back and forth), Linji's shout (great shouts and small shouts)—all are acts of compassion. If someone came to me, I would kick them. A student, after being kicked, if conditions were ripe, could realize the diamond prajñā mind. Yunmen had his foot crushed by his master with a door; after crying out in pain, he attained enlightenment. These examples are too numerous to mention. Upon awakening, one attains the patience of non-arising (anutpattikadharmakṣānti), and the wisdom of the true nature manifests. One understands the emptiness of self, person, and sentient beings—that they are not truly born. The Tathāgatagarbha itself is also unborn. Accepting this principle is the patience of non-arising—it's just very hard to "endure"!

The first Chan kōan in the Buddhist history of our Sahā world was personally demonstrated by the World-Honored One. At the Vulture Peak assembly, after the devas had offered flowers, the World-Honored One, amidst the assembly of humans and devas, held up a flower and smiled silently, brightly revealing his own true suchness mind to everyone. Yet, no one in the assembly of humans and devas understood what the World-Honored One was conveying. Mahākāśyapa alone, upon seeing it, immediately awakened. With his wisdom eye, he perceived the World-Honored One's true suchness mind, understood what medicine the World-Honored One had in his gourd, and broke into a smile. The World-Honored One, knowing Mahākāśyapa had awakened to the Bodhisattva Dharma and become an Arhat Bodhisattva, proclaimed to the assembly: "I possess the wondrous mind of Nirvāṇa, the true nature which is formless, a special transmission outside the scriptures, not established upon words and letters. I entrust it to Mahākāśyapa." Thus, Kāśyapa became the First Patriarch of the Chan school in the Sahā world.

What is the wondrous mind of Nirvāṇa? Nirvāṇa refers to the state of the Tathāgatagarbha—unborn and unceasing. "Wondrous mind" means the subtle diamond mind. Although the diamond mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, is empty of mind, containing not a single dharma, it can manifest all dharmas. Though smaller than a speck of dust, it can manifest the entire universe and empty space. This is supremely wondrous, hence called the "wondrous mind." The true nature (实相, *dharmatā*) means this diamond prajñā mind is the truly existent, ultimate reality, eternally indestructible. "Formless" means this mind has no characteristics: no form can be seen, no sound heard, no scent smelled, no taste savored, no touch felt, and no dharmas can be conceptually grasped by it. The Heart Sūtra states it has no five aggregates, no six sense faculties, six sense objects, six consciousnesses, no Four Noble Truths, no twelve links of dependent origination (from ignorance to old age and death), no... In short, it has not a single dharma, yet all dharmas depend upon it to arise and exist.

"A special transmission outside the scriptures" means that the Chan method of realizing the mind and seeing one's nature is outside the Tripitaka and the twelve divisions of the scriptures. It transcends the characteristics of words and letters and can be transmitted separately, enabling people to awaken without the use of language. The World-Honored One did not utter a single word yet enabled Mahākāśyapa to awaken, whereas the scriptural teachings must use words and language to instruct and guide. In the Buddha-land of Fragrant Accumulation, the Buddha and Bodhisattvas sat together eating. The Buddha simply smelled the fragrance of the food, and the Bodhisattvas, upon seeing this, awakened instantly, without any Dharma talk. However, although Chan does not establish words, it does not mean it never uses language. Chan also uses words and language to guide, and some people awaken through studying the scriptures.

Some say Mahākāśyapa saw the Buddha's true suchness mind on the flower and thus awakened. But if the true suchness mind were on the flower, that flower would be animated, leaping for joy—it would be a sentient being with emotions, capable of becoming a Buddha. In reality, it is not. If the true suchness mind were on the flower, it would have nothing to do with the World-Honored One; the World-Honored One would not be a Buddha nor a sentient being, and could not hold the flower and smile. So where is the true mind, the Tathāgatagarbha? This is a secret, requiring personal effort in investigation. A ready-made answer is of no help for developing wisdom. Nevertheless, one can still skillfully set up devices to help people awaken. The World-Honored One himself set up many such devices during his lifetime to help his disciples awaken and transmit them to future generations.

Once, the World-Honored One led his disciples to a mound of earth and stopped. Then he bowed towards the mound. He was setting up a device. Ānanda, perhaps genuinely not knowing or pretending not to know, asked, "World-Honored One, why do you bow to that mound of earth?" The World-Honored One pointed to the mound and said, "All Buddhas of the three periods (past, present, future) are buried within that mound of earth." World-Honored One, what medicine are you peddling in your gourd! We are future Buddhas, but we haven't become Buddhas yet. How can we be buried? Present Buddhas are in their respective Buddha-lands teaching sentient beings, not buried! As for ancient Buddhas, they wouldn't be buried here! But where is "here"? When one's Bodhisattva practice of the six pāramitās is complete and conditions are ripe, one can investigate and find out.

Another time, the World-Honored One had just sat down on the Dharma seat when Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva walked over, struck the lecture table with a wooden gavel, and said, "The World-Honored One has finished preaching the Dharma." As soon as he finished speaking, the World-Honored One descended from the seat. The Dharma teaching on the Tathāgatagarbha was indeed complete. In fact, the Dharma was finished the moment the World-Honored One entered the lecture hall and opened the door. He could have simply turned around and left the hall, leaving the disciples dumbfounded. Great Master Fu of Emperor Wu of Liang's time and Tang dynasty Chan masters played similar tricks, but ordinary people cannot see through these devices. Only Bodhisattvas with profound good roots can comprehend them.

The Second Patriarch of the Chan school was Ānanda. After the World-Honored One's parinirvāṇa, Ānanda asked Mahākāśyapa, "Besides the golden-embroidered robe, what else did the World-Honored One transmit to you?" He was asking about the Tathāgatagarbha. Kāśyapa called out, "Ānanda!" (That's the transmission!). Ānanda didn't understand and instinctively replied, "Yes?" Having replied, he should have understood, but still did not. Kāśyapa, helpless, then said, "Go take down the flagpole in front of the gate." Ānanda thought, "I ask about the esoteric meaning, and you tell me to take down the flagpole?" Then his mind turned—"Ah, so that's it!"—and he experienced great awakening, becoming the Second Patriarch of the Chan school. From then on, the Twenty-Eight Patriarchs of India transmitted the Dharma generation after generation until the Sixth Patriarch in Tang Dynasty China, continuing until the end of the Ming Dynasty. Since then, those who awaken have been extremely rare, but they still exist now. The Buddha will not abandon the sentient beings of this world.

This first chapter of the Diamond Sūtra is itself a Chan kōan. The World-Honored One transmitted the Dharma without opening his mouth to speak. It is just too difficult to grasp; only those of the sharpest faculties can understand it. The sole object of Chan investigation is the Tathāgatagarbha. In all ten directions, regardless of the Buddha-land, awakening to this mind is the same. Where is it? How does it function? How does it produce all dharmas? How does it give rise to the five aggregates and eighteen realms? Anything else deviates from the true direction.