Lecture on the Diamond Sutra: Why Is There No Practitioner Who Attains the Supreme Enlightenment?

Chapter Seventeen: Ultimate Selflessness Original Text: Why is this so? Subhuti, if a bodhisattva clings to the notion of self, the notion of person, the notion of sentient being, or the notion of life span, then that is not a bodhisattva. Why? Subhuti, truly there is no such dharma as the arising of the mind set on anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Explanation: Why should such a mind arise? Subhuti, if a bodhisattva harbors the notion of self, person, sentient being, or life span—if they have not yet eradicated these four notions—they have not realized the true reality and are not a true bodhisattva. Why are they not a true bodhisattva? Subhuti, because in the mundane world, there truly is no such dharma as the arising of the mind set on anuttara-samyak-sambodhi; there is no being who gives rise to the bodhi mind. If a person clings to the notions of self, person, sentient being, or life span, they have not severed self-view and are not a bodhisattva.

A bodhisattva who realizes the mind of true reality eradicates the four notions and becomes a true bodhisattva, realizing that the notion of self is not real, the notion of person is not real, the notion of sentient being is not real, and the notion of life span, which depends on the five aggregates, is also not real. Internally, they no longer regard the illusory appearances of the five aggregates as real, gradually ceasing to cling to the various conditioned phenomena of the mundane five aggregates. When such a bodhisattva then delivers sentient beings, they know there are no beings to be delivered, no beings who are delivered, no "I" who delivers, no "I" who gives rise to the mind, and no dharma that causes "me" to give rise to the mind.

Why is there no dharma that gives rise to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi? This statement can be understood from three aspects. First, it means there is no bodhisattva capable of giving rise to the great bodhi mind, because bodhisattvas appear in the form of the five aggregates, and the five aggregates of a bodhisattva are also illusory and unreal—not a true bodhisattva. Second, it means there is no dharma upon which a bodhisattva relies to give rise to the great bodhi. The reasons for a bodhisattva to generate the mind aspiring to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of sentient beings are varied: some arise from seeing the suffering of sentient beings, some from experiencing their own suffering and realizing sentient beings suffer similarly, and some from admiring the immeasurable merits of the Buddhas. The causes for giving rise to this mind are numerous and diverse. However, all the contents upon which this mind relies are illusory and unreal.

Third, it means there is no such dharma as "giving rise to the great bodhi mind." The dharma of giving rise to the bodhi mind arises and manifests through the combination of the five aggregates and mundane phenomena. Since the five aggregates are illusory and unreal, and mundane phenomena are illusory and unreal, the act of giving rise to the great bodhi mind, which depends on both, is illusory and unreal—it is a conditioned, impermanent dharma.

With what mindset should a bodhisattva deliver sentient beings? A bodhisattva should deliver sentient beings with the emptiness of the three wheels and the absence of the four notions—with a mind empty of self, person, sentient being, and life span. Because the notion of self is empty, there is no real "I" to deliver sentient beings; the notions of person and sentient being are empty, so there are no sentient beings to be delivered. Thus, the act of "me delivering sentient beings" is empty and unreal. If a bodhisattva clings to the idea that "I have delivered sentient beings" or "sentient beings have been delivered by me," they have not realized selflessness, their mind is not empty, and they are not a true bodhisattva. Sentient beings are empty—how can they be delivered? The self is empty—how can it deliver? Therefore, although a bodhisattva liberates all sentient beings, in the ultimate truth, not a single sentient being has been delivered.

The one who gives rise to the bodhi mind is empty; the act of giving rise to the bodhi mind is empty and illusory. Phenomenal existence exists while the principle remains non-existent; existence is provisional existence. Yet, through practicing with this illusory matter, one can attain Buddhahood. The act of attaining Buddhahood is also empty and illusory. In the ultimate truth, there is no Buddhahood to attain, no ordinary being to be found. All is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow—illusory, insubstantial, neither real nor false, yet both real and false. Reality and illusion, truth and falsehood—there is no need to grasp at them. Actions must be performed, but the mind must remain empty. Not only must a bodhisattva deliver sentient beings with the emptiness of the three wheels, but they must also practice the six perfections and all other actions with the emptiness of the three wheels. Only by being empty to the very end can one reach the ultimate realization.