Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Freedom from Form and Marks, Twenty

The true Tathāgata is without form and without marks. If one wishes to see the true Tathāgata by awakening to the true mind and seeing one's true nature, one must not look for the Tathāgata's form and marks; form and marks are not the Tathāgata. Only by departing from form and departing from marks can one see the true Tathāgata.

Original text: 须菩提。于意云何。佛可以具足色身见不。不也。世尊。如来不应以具足色身见。何以故。如来说具足色身。即非具足色身。是名具足色身。须菩提。于意云何。如来可以具足诸相见不。不也。世尊。如来不应以具足诸相见。何以故。如来说诸相具足。即非具足。是名诸相具足。

Explanation: The World-Honored One said to Subhūti: Subhūti, what do you think? If sentient beings wish to see the true Buddha, should they see a Buddha with marks, one who is completely endowed with a bodily form? Should one see the Buddha by means of his bodily form? Subhūti replied: No, World-Honored One. One who wishes to see the true Tathāgata should not see the Tathāgata by means of a form endowed with a complete body; one should see the true Tathāgata. Why is this said? Because, according to what You have taught, the form of a complete body is not truly a complete body that exists; it is merely provisionally named "a complete body."

The World-Honored One continued: Subhūti, what do you think—if sentient beings wish to see the Tathāgata, should they see a Tathāgata endowed with all marks? By seeing a Tathāgata endowed with all marks, can one see the true Tathāgata? Subhūti replied: No, World-Honored One. When sentient beings see the Tathāgata, they should not see the Tathāgata by means of the endowment of all marks. Why is this said? Because, according to what You have taught, the endowment of all marks is not truly something endowed with all marks; it is merely provisionally named "the endowment of all marks." Since the endowment of all marks is only a provisional name, without real substance, one cannot thereby see the true Tathāgata.

Because sentient beings are habituated to grasping at marks, they always discriminate the Tathāgata on the basis of various marks of conditioned phenomena, not knowing that the true Tathāgata is without marks. Out of compassion for sentient beings, the World-Honored One engaged in this dialogue with Subhūti to reveal to them that the true Buddha is without marks, and that one should not cling to a Tathāgata endowed with all marks; otherwise one would see only the marks and not the true Tathāgata. The true Tathāgata is apart from all material form, apart from all marks, formless and markless—only this is the true Tathāgata.

The Tathāgata can be divided into the Tathāgata with a bodily form and the Tathāgata without a bodily form. The Tathāgata without a bodily form is the Dharmakāya Buddha (dharma-kāya-buddha), the true Tathāgata, because He is the origin of all dharmas, forever unchanging, neither arising nor ceasing, truly real, enduring and ever-present. He can manifest boundless, immeasurable Tathāgatas with bodily forms. Since all Tathāgatas with bodily forms are conjured forth by the markless Dharmakāya Tathāgata, what is illusorily born can be illusorily extinguished; therefore they are not the truly real Tathāgata.

Therefore the World-Honored One asked Subhūti: if one wishes to see the true Tathāgata, must one see a Tathāgata endowed with all bodily forms? Can one see the Tathāgata by means of his bodily form? Subhūti immediately knew the Buddha's intent and answered at once that it is not so. Why is it not so? Because the marks of a complete body are not real marks, nor does a truly existing complete body with its marks exist; all these marks are illusory transformations, merely given a provisional name for such illusory marks.

All the marks of bodily form—the bodily form in which all bodily marks are complete—are conjured forth by the Dharmakāya Tathāgata, who possesses not the slightest mark of bodily form. On the surface there appears to be existence, and He also has the various activities of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha). Yet the marks that appear to exist and the activities of the five aggregates are not real; they are all illusory false marks, marks of emptiness. The existence is false existence, and the activities of the five aggregates are also illusory, false appearances—mere illusions. In their essence they are all the Dharmakāya Tathāgata. It is only by relying on the superficial appearance of the body of the five aggregates that these illusory phenomena are given a provisional name, for the convenience of sentient beings in distinguishing and addressing them, for the convenience of sentient beings in revering and making offerings, and for the convenience of sentient beings in practicing generosity (dāna) and cultivating merit.

The World-Honored One further asked Subhūti: if sentient beings wish to see the true Tathāgata, should they see the Tathāgata by means of the endowment of all dharmic marks? Subhūti immediately knew the World-Honored One's intent and answered at once: No, one should not see the Tathāgata as one endowed with all marks; one should not consider that only a Tathāgata endowed with all marks is the true Tathāgata, and one should not cling to any illusory forms and marks. A Tathāgata endowed with all marks is certainly a Tathāgata endowed with the Buddha's thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics—that would be a Tathāgata with marks.

All of these are the karmic retribution obtained by the World-Honored One through his cultivation over three immeasurable great kalpas, and all marks are the markless Dharmakāya Tathāgata conjured forth in accordance with various conditions. Whatever arises must cease; therefore one who possesses the thirty-two marks is not the true Tathāgata, and the thirty-two marks are not real marks either. These thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics appear on the surface to exist, but in truth they are only a name; all are manifested by the Dharmakāya Tathāgata, and in essence they are the Dharmakāya Tathāgata. They are merely given provisional names for the convenience of sentient beings in recognizing, revering, and making offerings.

Then, in the Tathāgata endowed with bodily form, endowed with the thirty-two marks, and endowed with the eighty excellent characteristics, can one see the true Tathāgata who is not endowed with bodily form, not endowed with the thirty-two marks, and not endowed with the eighty excellent characteristics? This is certain; otherwise the Tathāgata's bodily form would not manifest, the thirty-two marks would not manifest, much less be complete. One may ask: within the five aggregates endowed with bodily form, where is the true Tathāgata? To seek the true Tathāgata, listen to this verse: Within the body of the five aggregates a dragon hides its form; though the dragon hides, it often roars. If you wish to find the true dragon within the five aggregates, listen at the six cave mouths for the dragon's roar. The dragon constantly comes and goes at the six cave mouths, but sentient beings, grasping at marks, do not recognize the dragon. To recognize the dragon, remove the forms and marks; when forms and marks are removed, the true dragon appears.