Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: The Characteristics of the Mark of Self

In the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuanyue Jing), the World-Honored One described the subtle mark of self: Suppose a person's whole body is harmonious and comfortable, all four limbs are relaxed, body and mind are tranquil, extremely tranquil, and suddenly one forgets the existence of the body, not even knowing where the body is located. At this moment, if a needle gently pricks the body, one immediately feels pain and involuntarily feels "I am in pain"—the mark of self in the mind then appears. Sentient beings all involuntarily take the body as the self, take awareness as the self, and take the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) as the self. This is a very subtle mark of self, universally present in sentient beings.

The mark of self spoken of in the Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) includes both coarse and subtle forms, with the coarse mark of self as the main focus. Sentient beings universally possess the relatively coarse and extremely coarse marks of self. The mark of self manifested in ordinary beings who have not eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) is present at all times and in all places, especially conspicuous, yet they are unaware of it and have no awakening—whether they study Buddhism or not. Among those who study and practice Buddhism, the view of self and the mark of self are also very serious. In order to highlight the self, they readily consider themselves extraordinary and superior to others, always deliberately or inadvertently mistaking themselves as having attained fruition or having seen the mind, propagating this everywhere without any evidence, hoping to gain others' reverence and special regard, feeling that they have finally surpassed others and finally held their heads high. Thereupon they become extremely proud, arrogant, and conceited, looking down on everyone, with vile conduct. These are all manifestations of possessing the complete mark of self, in which the mark of person and the mark of sentient being are also involved. As long as there are the mark of person, the mark of sentient being, and the mark of life span, there must be the mark of self; where there is the mark of self, there must be the other three marks—the four marks cannot be separated.

Very often the mark of self is closely connected with the mark of person, and hence there is mutual comparison and contrast, and hence there is jealousy, competition, disputes, quarrels, and even all kinds of wars. Wars between nations arise when the individual marks of self and person converge into collective marks of self and person; the competition and disputes among various groups are likewise. The small self becomes the big self, the mark of self becomes greater, and its force of action also becomes greater. It looks as though individuals have no self, but in fact it is all the mark of self.

The mark of self in the secular world is even more pronounced. People in the world generally take power, fame and gain, status, position, honor, class, wealth, and other such insignia as the mark of self, deeply mired in them, grasping (upādāna) without letting go. For the sake of false face, for the sake of being looked up to by others, they will pay any price, caring extremely about others' gazes and evaluations. Moreover, they do everything they can to display their advantages and uniqueness to others, in order to win others' envy and satisfy their own vanity. Such examples are too numerous to list—they are everywhere—so I will not cite them. In all this, the mark of person is involved; otherwise, one would not care about others' gazes and evaluations. Because of the mark of self, for the sake of that so-called self, there is endless greed, hatred, and delusion, indulging fully in the pleasures of the five desires; the six faculties and five sense organs never rest for a moment. Even when asleep, one is still thinking of wealth, sex, fame, and food. Ordinary beings are just like this, without the slightest lofty aspiration, craving the low-level five desires—making money and enjoying themselves, and that is all.

In short, because ordinary beings have the mark of self, all their bodily, verbal, and mental actions revolve around the mark of self and fully display the mark of self. If there were no mark of self, there would not be so much greed, life would be much simpler, there would not be so much contrivance, and many matters would cease automatically. Without mind, there are no affairs; without desire, there is no seeking. Bodily, verbal, and mental actions would be very low-key, no longer willing to show off, display the self, or take the self as the center. Whether or not a person has the mark of self in their mind will involuntarily show in their words and deeds—it cannot be concealed, and it cannot be faked, because the habitual tendencies in one's bones cannot be suppressed.