Explanation of the Diamond Sutra. Why Are the Marks of Self, Person, Sentient Being, and Life Span Actually Non-Marks?

Original text of the Section on Leaving Marks and Quiescent Cessation, Fourteen: 所以者何。我相即是非相。人相众生相寿者相。即是非相。何以故。离一切诸相。则名诸佛。

Explanation: Subhūti said: Why is it said that this person can be without the four marks? Because the mark of self is not a real mark, the mark of person is not a real mark, the mark of sentient beings is not a real mark, and the mark of life span is also not a real mark. Since they are not real marks, the four marks can be eradicated. Why is this said? Because every Buddha is free from all marks, and only one who is free from all marks is named a Buddha.

Why is it that after realizing the prajñā mind of ultimate reality, one's mind no longer has the four marks and departs from the four marks? Because the mark of self is not a real mark; on the surface it seems to exist, but in fact it is not real. A person who has realized ultimate reality will observe the operation of the tathāgatagarbha, observing how the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to the five-aggregate self, and why it is something conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha. When one's wisdom deepens further, one will observe that all activities of the five aggregates are the functions of the tathāgatagarbha; the five aggregates themselves have never truly done anything. The dharmas of the five aggregates are illusory and unreal; in essence they are all the tathāgatagarbha.

For example, a magician conjures up a five-aggregate body, and this five-aggregate body will have certain functions and utilities, but this five-aggregate body has no reality, and its functions and utilities are not truly existent either—all are the doing of the magician. Another example is a wooden puppet that goes on stage to perform a play; no matter how the puppet performs on stage, none of it is its own doing. Therefore all the activities of the wooden puppet are conjured and unreal—there is no such thing; in essence it is all the doing of the manipulator behind the scenes. The activities of my five aggregates are just like this. Therefore the mark of self of the five aggregates is a non-mark, not a real mark. By the same reasoning, the mark of person, which resembles my own commonality of persons, is also like this—there is no real five-aggregate mark of the commonality of persons. No matter how humans live and act in the world, undertaking all kinds of endeavors, there are no real five-aggregate activities; in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha nature. Therefore the mark of person is a non-mark.

By the same reasoning again, the mark of sentient beings, which resembles the mark of person, is also false and unreal; on the surface it seems to exist, but in essence it does not—in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha nature of sentient beings. The five-aggregate activities of sentient beings are like a robot doing work: the robot itself is not autonomous and has no self-mastery; it still requires human assembly and manipulation, so the robot cannot truly do any work—all is the doing of the designer, manufacturer, and operator. The robot merely presents a false appearance to deceive people's eyes. That is why the boss would absolutely never pay wages to a robot, nor reward or punish a robot. Because the boss clearly knows that the robot is not a person, has no human wisdom or ability—it is merely a tool used by people; the work is not done by it. The five aggregates of sentient beings are just like this: all endeavors are not done by the five aggregates; the five aggregates are merely a tool. Therefore the mark of sentient beings is a non-mark—not real, and not truly existent.

Then, the mark of life and the mark of life span that manifest in dependence on the five aggregates of sentient beings are also non-marks, not truly existent. The life activities of sentient beings within a period of time—such as breathing, metabolism, eating, drinking, excreting, and so forth—on the surface seem truly existent and seem to have real meaning, but in fact they are also false appearances manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, bestowed by the tathāgatagarbha; their essence is also the tathāgatagarbha. No matter how long this period of life lasts, the essence of that life is the tathāgatagarbha; sentient beings have no real mark of life. Therefore the mark of life span is a non-mark.

Why is it said that the four marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span are non-marks, unreal marks? Because the ultimate reality of the dharmadhātu is free from all marks. Having the four marks means being false marks, fake marks, marks of arising and ceasing (utpāda-nirodha-lakṣaṇa)—then it is not the ultimate reality of the dharmadhātu, nor a real mark. The vajra mind of ultimate reality, the indestructible prajñā—that is, the Dharmakāya of all Buddhas—is free from all marks, without the four marks, and without any marks at all. Therefore it is said that the true Buddha is without marks, and the true Buddha also does not preach the Dharma. The Buddha free from all marks is the Dharmakāya Buddha of all Buddhas, the Buddha in the true sense. A Buddha with the marks of the five aggregates is the Sambhogakāya Buddha, the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha, and the manifested Buddha—Buddhas conjured forth by the Dharmakāya Buddha, not the true Buddha.

Why can the four marks disappear? Because the four marks were never truly existent marks in the first place; they are false marks conjured forth by the vajra mind. Therefore they are of a nature of arising and ceasing, are empty, and unobtainable. If they were truly existent marks, they could not be emptied away; no matter how hard one strives, one could not make these marks disappear. After realizing and understanding the vajra mind, when encountering conditions and facing objects, one observes in the present that the mark of self arises from the vajra mind, the mark of person arises from the vajra mind, the mark of sentient beings arises from the vajra mind, and the mark of life span also arises from the vajra mind. In this way the four marks are gradually extinguished completely, and the wisdom of the empty mark penetrates ever more deeply. Then one gradually empties the other dharma-marks as well; when all dharma-marks are completely emptied, Buddhahood is accomplished.

Therefore the Buddha said: one who is free from all marks is named a Buddha. Here "all Buddhas" has two meanings: one refers to the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha with a five-aggregate body, and the other refers to the Dharmakāya Buddha. The Dharmakāya Buddha itself has been free from all marks since beginningless kalpas, empty without a single mark, formless and markless, without the marks of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas; with the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind one cannot behold His true countenance. At this time the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha is also free from all marks, empties all marks, and does not abide in any mark. When the mind-nature of the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha accords with that of the Dharmakāya Buddha, equally pure and non-active, then it is the Buddha of perfect merit and virtue.

Original text: 佛告须菩提。如是如是。若复有人。得闻是经。不惊不怖不畏。当知是人。甚为希有。

Explanation: The World-Honored One told Subhūti: It is so, it is indeed so. If there is a person who hears this sutra and is not startled, not terrified, and not afraid, you should know that this person is indeed very rare and exceptional—he is a person whose good roots and merit are extremely deep and profound.

Why did the World-Honored One say this? Because the Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra entirely expounds the empty principle of the Mahāyāna, teaching sentient beings to depart from the four marks, depart from all marks, and not grasp at any mark. Yet sentient beings, from beginningless kalpas until now, have always been attached to the four marks, grasping at all marks and refusing to let go. Within the minds of sentient beings, the grasping on self is deep and heavy, the view of self is deep and heavy; they see all marks as existent and do not see all marks as empty.

Because sentient beings have, since beginningless kalpas, been deeply dependent on existence, when they hear the Vajra Sutra speak of emptiness and nonexistence, their minds will certainly be very fearful and alarmed, afraid that they will fall into emptiness and become empty and nonexistent, unwilling to throw away the crutch they have depended on since beginningless kalpas, unwilling to become without support or reliance. Thus they fear becoming empty and hollow, fear that they will cease to exist. Therefore their minds give rise to fear and terror. Such are people whose good roots and merit are insufficient, whose kalpas of practice in past lives were short—that is why they are like this. Conversely, a person who hears this sutra speak of the nonexistence of the four marks and the departure from the four marks, yet whose mind is not terrified, is one who has already cultivated for a very long time, one whose planted good roots are already very deep. Such a person, upon hearing the Vajra Sutra, not only is not startled or terrified, but can also give rise to pure faith, and can even realize the vajra prajñā mind that is free from the four marks. It is evident that such a person is indeed rare and hard to come by.