Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Why Is the True Mark Also No-Mark?

Original text of Section Fourteen, "Leaving Marks and Extinction":世尊。是实相者。即是非相。是故如来。说名实相。

Explanation: Subhūti said again to the World-Honored One: World-Honored One, the true reality of which the Tathāgata speaks has no dharma-mark whatsoever; He possesses no dharma-mark of the three realms of the world. Therefore the Tathāgata names Him the true reality (dharmatā).

"True" means real, not false or illusory; it means genuinely existent. Because He genuinely exists and can be realized, the immeasurable and boundless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have all already realized Him, and they have all been endowed with immeasurable and boundless merit and wisdom. If He were not truly existent, being merely a noun, a concept, a mere name and mark, then realizing Him would be meaningless, and one could not give birth to the great wisdom of prajñā, much less accomplish the Buddha Way. Because the vajra prajñā mind (Vajracitta) genuinely exists, is a true existence, with an ever-enduring nature and real functions, sentient beings can investigate Chan and realize Him, and from then on become the great wealthy elders within the Buddha's Dharma.

Although the essence of the vajra prajñā mind is the true reality, with a genuinely real nature, if one wishes to match Him against worldly phenomena and seek His worldly marks, that is utterly unobtainable. Because He is not a worldly dharma, not a worldly mark, He has no form-mark, no sound-mark, no scent-mark, no taste-mark, no touch-mark, and no mark of any dharma of the six sense objects. Therefore, the true reality is precisely no-mark. To seek and realize Him, one must leave behind these worldly marks of the six sense objects, leave behind the mark of the knowing mind of the seven consciousnesses, and leave behind the marks of the five aggregates, in order to recognize that mind-essence which possesses none of these marks.

Yet to realize Him, one must also investigate within these worldly marks of the five aggregates. The true reality and the worldly marks are closely connected, mutually dependent, never separating from each other. The true reality relies on the worldly marks to manifest its own virtues, capacities, and functions; the worldly marks rely on the true reality in order to exist and operate, and to have their superficial, illusory functions. The two are like a bundle of reeds, leaning on each other.

Original text:世尊。我今得闻。如是经典。信解受持。不足为难。若当来世。后五百岁。其有众生。得闻是经。信解受持。是人则为。第一希有。何以故。此人无我相无人相。无众生相。无寿者相。

Explanation: Subhūti said: World-Honored One, I am now able to hear such a profound sūtra, not only giving rise to pure faith, realizing the true reality, deeply understanding the Dharma principles and purports within it, deeply savoring the flavor of its prajñā meaning, but also resolving to uphold and circulate this sūtra. For me to accomplish this now is not difficult, because the World-Honored One, you, personally teach and bless us. If in the future, in the last five hundred years of the Dharma-ending age, there are sentient beings who encounter this sūtra and hear the true-reality Dharma gate of the tathāgatagarbha, they will be rare and precious beings of great merit. Moreover, if they possess pure faith, correctly understand the vajra mind, and uphold the Diamond Sūtra, such a person is the foremost rare one. Why is this person the foremost rare one? Because this person has already no mark of self, no mark of person, no mark of sentient being, and no mark of life span.

In the last five hundred years when the Buddha's Dharma is about to perish, the world will be even more turbid and evil, and sentient beings' afflictions heavier and their good roots even scarcer. At such a time, for sentient beings to still be able to hear the Diamond Sūtra shows their good roots and merit are very deep. Having heard it, they believe and accept it deeply, realize and understand the vajra mind, and protect and circulate the Diamond Sūtra—such a person is one of extremely deep good roots, a very rare, long-cultivating Bodhisattva. After realizing the vajra mind and understanding the principle of the emptiness of the five aggregates, this person's mind no longer holds the marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span. These marks exist dependent on the five aggregates; once the five aggregates are seen as empty, the four marks vanish, the marks of virtue manifest, and one becomes a rare sage.

In that age when everyone universally grasps at marks, this person is able to realize the markless vajra prajñā mind, with the mind free of the four marks; therefore this person is rare and precious. After this person realizes the true reality, the mind no longer holds the mark of the self of the five aggregates, no longer taking the five aggregates as self—such a person has eliminated self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi). At the same time, in his mind the mark of person, which resembles the mark of self, also fades away, no longer taking the mark of person as real. Then this person will know that the marks of the aggregates of sentient beings, similar to the marks of self and person, are also false and unreal, and the mind thereby abandons the mark of sentient being. Going further, he will observe that the mark of life span, which exists dependent on the aggregates of sentient beings, is also false and unreal. The successive lifetimes of sentient beings exist dependent on the illusory five aggregates; since the five aggregates are illusory, the life span is even more illusory and unreal, and therefore the mark of life span also fades away. One who can be free of these four marks is, in that Dharma-ending age, truly exceedingly rare and precious.