Diamond Sutra Commentary: Why Should Bodhisattvas Not Abide in Marks When Generating Bodhicitta?

Original text of the Chapter on Leaving Marks and Cessation, Fourteen: 是故须菩提。菩萨应离一切相。发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心。不应住色生心。不应住声香味触法生心。应生无所住心。若心有住。则为非住。是故佛说。菩萨心不应住色布施。须菩提。菩萨为利益一切众生。应如是布施。

Explanation: Therefore, Subhūti, a bodhisattva should leave behind all marks and give rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, giving rise to the mind to attain buddhahood and to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings. One should not give rise to the mind dwelling on material form, and should not give rise to the mind dwelling on sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. When giving rise to the bodhi mind, one should give rise to a mind that dwells nowhere. If the bodhisattva's resolve dwells on these dharma-marks, all such so-called dwelling is improper dwelling, not dwelling in accordance with the Dharma; the results are all empty illusions that cannot be obtained—one cannot dwell there at all. Therefore the Buddha said that a bodhisattva's mind should not dwell on material form when practicing generosity. Subhūti, in order to benefit all sentient beings, a bodhisattva should practice generosity in this way, without dwelling anywhere.

Why should a bodhisattva leave behind all marks when giving rise to the bodhi mind? Because giving rise to the bodhi mind is for the sake of benefiting oneself and benefiting others, together with sentient beings attaining the buddha path, reaching the farther shore of nirvāṇa, obtaining tranquility and coolness, and abiding in a state of empty stillness. To reach such a state and realize such a state, one must personally realize the ultimate reality of the vajra mind, and at the same time realize the empty mark of all dharmas manifested by the vajra mind. Since all dharma-marks are empty and unobtainable, giving rise to the mind with dwelling on marks, cultivating with dwelling on marks, and practicing generosity with dwelling on marks all run contrary to the buddha path, and one cannot realize bodhi. Therefore, when a bodhisattva gives rise to the bodhi mind, one should not do so for the sake of various unobtainable worldly benefits—for example, to obtain an adorned appearance, to obtain wealth and glory, to be reborn in the heavens to enjoy blessings, to acquire supernatural powers, to obtain immortality, to gain the worship of sentient beings, to defeat others, to become a wheel-turning sage king, to become a lord of the heavens, and so on. All of these are dwelling on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas, and none of them can fulfill the great vow of bodhi or accomplish the great path of bodhi.

If the mind has dwelling, dwelling on the marks of the six sense objects and clinging to the marks of the six sense objects, that is improper dwelling, not in accord with unsurpassed bodhi. Therefore the Buddha said that when a bodhisattva gives rise to the mind and cultivates generosity, one should not practice generosity dwelling on form, and should not practice generosity for the sake of benefits in material form. One should not dwell on sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas, and should not practice the perfection of generosity for the sake of the benefits of sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas; one should give rise to the mind without dwelling on any dharma, just like the vajra mind.

Why should a bodhisattva not give rise to the mind dwelling on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas? First, because the prajñā mind of vajra is a bodhi mind that does not dwell on marks; He Himself does not dwell on a single dharma. Only when the conscious mind is consistent in nature with the bodhi mind can one attain buddhahood. If the conscious mind dwells on the marks of the six sense objects, there is no emptiness, it runs contrary to the nature of the vajra mind, and it does not accord with the vajra prajñā mind; then one cannot accomplish the buddha path. Second, because the marks of the six sense objects are dharmas of arising, ceasing, and change, dharmas that cannot long endure; cultivating with dwelling on marks will waste one's effort, and one will not attain bodhi. Third, when practicing generosity with dwelling on marks, there are marks in the mind, and thus there is obstruction and there is ignorance; one cannot thoroughly see the ultimate reality of the dharma realm. If the mind is not empty and pure, one cannot reach the farther shore of nirvāṇa; if there are dharmas in the mind, one cannot attain the fruit of buddhahood. Therefore, when cultivating the buddha path, a bodhisattva should give rise to the mind and cultivate without dwelling anywhere.

If a bodhisattva's mind has dwelling while practicing generosity, the sentient beings who receive benefit will be few, and one cannot universally benefit all sentient beings. Because the mind is limited, merit is limited, and wisdom is also limited, one cannot universally and extensively benefit all sentient beings.

Original text: 如来说一切诸相。即是非相。又说一切众生。即非众生。须菩提。如来是真语者。实语者。如语者。不诳语者。不异语者。

Explanation: The Tathāgata said that all marks in the world of the three realms are not truly existent marks; the Tathāgata also said that all sentient beings are not truly sentient beings—there is no substantial mark of sentient beings. Subhūti, the Tathāgata is one who speaks true words, never speaking false words; the Tathāgata is one who speaks real words, never speaking falsely; the Tathāgata is one who does not speak deceitful words, never deceiving sentient beings; the Tathāgata is also one who does not speak two-faced words, never speaking two kinds of words.

All marks in the world are illusory marks of arising, ceasing, and change conjured up by the tathāgatagarbha; they have no autonomy or self-sufficiency, no substantial existence of their own; their essence is the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. All marks of sentient beings are also illusory marks conjured up by the tathāgatagarbha, without autonomy or self-sufficiency, without a real self-nature. On the surface they seem to have the attributes of sentient beings, with the activities of the five aggregates of sentient beings, but in reality they are all manifested and conjured by the tathāgatagarbha; there is no mark of sentient beings in any true sense.

The word "Tathāgata" explicitly refers to the Buddha of the five-aggregate body, and implicitly refers to the Dharmakāya Buddha. The Dharmakāya Buddha is without form and without mark; He is the Buddha's undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna) and the tathāgatagarbha of sentient beings. The Tathāgata of the Dharmakāya Buddha refers to the true-suchness mind substance, referring to the tathāgatagarbha. After attaining buddhahood, the Buddha's seven consciousnesses and the Dharmakāya's undefiled consciousness have similar nature-virtues; having extinguished all ignorance, their mind-nature is very close to true suchness, and their mental factors are the same: the five universal mental factors, the five particular mental factors, and the eleven wholesome mental factors—all eight consciousnesses have twenty-one mental factors.

True words are words of correctness and truth. They are words of direct perception, meaning that the tathāgatagarbha can manifest realms of direct perception, without inference or non-valid cognition. All conform to reality and facts, and also conform to sentient beings' karmic seeds, always faithfully presenting the original appearance of sentient beings' karmic actions. Real words are words of truthfulness. Whatever karma sentient beings create—wholesome, unwholesome, or neutral (avyākṛta)—the tathāgatagarbha faithfully records, stores, and outputs it, faithfully actualizing the karmic results of sentient beings, never altering or omitting sentient beings' karmic actions, karmic seeds, and karmic retribution. Whatever karma it is, that karma is recorded; whatever retribution it is, that retribution is actualized.

Words of suchness refer, on the one hand, to truthful words, true words, and on the other hand, to the immovable suchness of the mind substance—unmoved in thought, without mental activity. When the tathāgatagarbha creates all dharmas, His inner mind abides in immovable suchness, without arising thoughts or mental activity. There are no emotions, no sentiments, entirely neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā). One who does not speak deceitful words: deceit means to dupe, to deceive, to defraud. The tathāgatagarbha has never deceived sentient beings, has never cheated sentient beings. But sentient beings' six consciousnesses are always unwholesome in verbal karma, with deceptive speech, not speaking true words, not speaking truthful words, with false speech, divisive speech, frivolous speech, and harsh speech unceasing. They often feint east while attacking west, point at the mulberry to curse the locust tree, conceal the truth of facts, fabricate lies, habitually speak untruthful words and falsehoods, lie, cover up faults, envy the talented and resent the able—committing every kind of verbal karma.

One who does not speak divergent words: divergent means change, difference, alteration, another kind, dissimilarity. Divergent words are saying one thing to one's face and another behind one's back, saying one thing to A and another to B, or saying one thing at one time and changing to another at another time—these are two kinds of words—or changing what was said right after saying it, not keeping one's word. These mental activities are the mental activities of ordinary beings' six consciousnesses; such is the unwholesome verbal karma created by the six consciousnesses, lacking virtue of speech. Moreover, they do not know repentance or remorse, without shame and without dread of shame—these are afflictive bad habits. But the tathāgatagarbha never speaks two kinds of words, never speaks divergent words, will not change back and forth, and will not be incoherent. He will not store sentient beings' wholesome karmic seeds and output unwholesome karmic seeds, making sentient beings suffer unwholesome retribution; conversely, He will not store unwholesome karmic seeds and output wholesome karmic seeds, making sentient beings receive wholesome retribution. He will not say one thing to one's face and another behind one's back, will not undergo any variation, and will not be unfaithful to karmic seeds and cause and effect.

And the Sambhogakāya Buddha, Nirmāṇakāya Buddha, and the Buddha with the five-aggregate body, like the Dharmakāya Buddha, are forever speakers of true words, forever speakers of real words, forever speakers of words of suchness, forever non-speakers of deceitful words, forever non-speakers of divergent words. Because the Buddha's seven consciousnesses have extinguished all afflictive obstructions of ignorance and the habitual tendencies of afflictions, and have perfectly transformed consciousness into wisdom, His virtue is incomparable and unsurpassed, His verbal karma is perfect and flawless without a single blemish, harmonious and unobstructed, causing all sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions to admire and venerate Him beyond measure.