The Diamond Sutra Explained: Why Bodhisattvas Give Without Dwelling on Appearances, Making Their Blessings and Virtues Immeasurable

The "appearance" here refers to the realm of appearances, specifically the six dust realms of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharma. When a bodhisattva practices giving, they do not abide in the appearances of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharma, nor do they cling to them. They eliminate these appearances, achieving the emptiness of the three aspects during giving. They do not discriminate based on the recipient's gender, age, nobility or lowliness, wealth or poverty, power or status; nor do they discriminate based on appearance, whether the recipient is an enemy or a relative, giving equally to all. They also do not calculate or dwell on thoughts about which individuals' giving might bring them the benefits they desire; they do not seek recompense in the form of the realm-appearances of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, dharma, wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, or sleep. Moreover, they do not consider the value or worthiness of the items being given. Wherever there is a need, they give unconditionally, without making calculations or distinctions.

One who can abandon all appearances, cling to no appearances, and practice giving with the emptiness of the three aspects has a vast mind. A person whose mind is empty is no longer an ordinary person; they are a truly great-minded bodhisattva in the genuine sense, possessing the profound wisdom of the empty nature of appearances, and are a person of great merit and virtue. After great giving, wisdom and merit increase yet another level. The merit derived from the wisdom of emptiness is not bound by quantity; the merit thus obtained is immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable. The size of the mind determines the amount of merit obtained; merit is directly proportional to the capacity of the mind, the two complementing each other. However, one who gives while clinging to appearances finds their mind constrained by appearances. Their mind is small, so the merit obtained is little. How can a small vessel contain many or large things? Merit arrives according to the vessel's capacity: a large vessel receives great merit, a small vessel receives little merit—this is inevitable. Therefore, a bodhisattva practices giving without abiding in appearances; their capacity is vast, their mind like the void, and the merit they obtain is like the void itself—immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable.

Original Text: Subhuti, what do you think? Can the void in the eastern direction be measured? No, World-Honored One. Subhuti, can the void in the southern, western, northern directions, the four intermediate directions, above and below, be measured? No, World-Honored One. Subhuti, the merit of a bodhisattva who practices giving without abiding in appearances is also like this—inconceivable. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should abide just as taught.

Explanation: The World-Honored One asked: "Subhuti, what do you think? Can the void in the eastern direction be measured to determine its size?" Subhuti answered: "Its size cannot be measured, World-Honored One." The World-Honored One then asked: "Subhuti, can the void in the southern, western, and northern directions, the void in the four intermediate directions, above and below, be measured?" Subhuti said: "It cannot be measured, World-Honored One." The World-Honored One said: "Subhuti, the merit of a bodhisattva who practices giving without abiding in appearances is also like this—inconceivable. Subhuti, a bodhisattva should simply abide as the Buddha has taught."

In the void, taking any single point as the center, extending outward encompasses ten directions. Each direction is endless, boundless, without limit, inconceivably vast. No one can reach its edge. If the void had boundaries, what would lie beyond? To say there is nothing is the void; to say there is something, everything is within the void. The void is not a truly existent dharma; it is a provisional dharma, relative to form. Where there is no matter is the void; where there is matter is not the void. Matter and void are opposing dharmas; where one exists, the other does not. They can also be said to be mutually dependent; the void can contain material form, and within material form, there are also spatial gaps.

For example, placing a box in a location. That location was originally empty, containing nothing. After placing the box, it is no longer empty. Where did the original emptiness go? Where did the extra emptiness come from? When people dig a well in the ground and remove a cubic foot of earth, a cubic foot of void appears in that place. Where did this void come from? It has no origin. If the earth is filled back into the original place, the void disappears. Where did the void go? It has no destination. In reality, the void arises from the tathagatagarbha and later ceases back into the tathagatagarbha.

The void has no boundaries, so the worlds of the ten directions can all be established within it. Each Buddha, upon attaining Buddhahood, establishes a Buddha-land in the void—a three-thousandfold great chiliocosm. If all sentient beings were to become Buddhas, they would establish immeasurable worlds in the void, and it could still accommodate them all. Can such a void be measured? Who can measure it? Why is the merit of a bodhisattva who practices giving without abiding in appearances inconceivable? Because they do not abide in appearances, their mind grasps at nothing, and thus they attain liberation, transcending birth and death, exiting the three realms. But bodhisattvas do not leave the three realms; they do not enter nirvana without residue. Life after life, within the three realms, they benefit themselves and others until they attain Buddhahood.

Can the merit of a Buddha be measured? Consider just the merit of an eighth-stage bodhisattva: in a single thought-moment, without deliberate effort or preparatory action, they can manifest a three-thousandfold great chiliocosm, with countless jewels, mountains of fish, rice, and meat, saving countless sentient beings. They can transport beings from Earth to other planets, the beings unaware. A bodhisattva can open their mouth and swallow the four great oceans, the beings within unaware. A bodhisattva can say "become a Buddha" and instantly manifest as one, and moreover, manifest countless emanations, extensively guiding those with affinities. How much more so the merit of a Buddha, even more vast and boundless! The merit of giving without abiding in appearances is precisely this immeasurably vast. We must expand our mind's capacity again and again; we must never be small-minded or constrict ourselves. Bodhisattvas should abide like this, abiding in non-abiding, not grasping at any dharma, for if they abide anywhere, they cannot attain Buddhahood. Bodhisattvas should follow the World-Honored One's teaching like this, practicing giving accordingly.