Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: No Dharma to Attain, Section 22

Original Text: Subhuti said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, when the Buddha attains Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, is it that there is nothing attained?" The Buddha said: "Thus, thus. Subhuti, with regard to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I do not attain even the slightest dharma. This is called Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi."

Explanation: Subhuti said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, you have attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and become the supreme perfect enlightenment, but even so, is it that there is nothing attained?" The World-Honored One said: "Thus, indeed thus. Subhuti, as you have said, although I have already accomplished Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I truly have not attained even the slightest dharma; not a single dharma is attained. I have merely extinguished all ignorance. Only when there is no dharma to be attained can one become the supreme perfect enlightenment, and even then, it is only in name that one attains Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi; this fruit is merely a name."

If this conclusion were not spoken personally by the Buddha, sentient beings would be full of doubt and disbelief, and might even slander it. This is because sentient beings all believe that since the Buddha has already become a Buddha, he must have attained immeasurable, boundless, and countless dharmas in order to become a Buddha; that he must have attained all dharmas of the mundane and supramundane realms to become a Buddha; otherwise, he could not become a Buddha. Even to become a Bodhisattva, one must attain many dharmas to become a Bodhisattva; otherwise, one remains an ordinary person. Even ordinary people constantly oscillate between gain and loss, not being without any attainment whatsoever.

In what aspects do sentient beings perceive the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and themselves as having attainments? Naturally, sentient beings, based on appearances, know that the Buddha has attainments, that Bodhisattvas have attainments, and that ordinary beings have gains and losses. So, what dharmas do sentient beings think the Buddha has attained in terms of appearances upon becoming a Buddha? First, from the perspective of the Buddha's physical body, when he became a Buddha, he attained the perfect reward body, the response body, and countless transformation bodies; he attained the thirty-two major marks and eighty minor marks of a sublime and majestic body. Thus, the Buddha can manifest in whatever form is appropriate to save beings and expound the Dharma for them.

In terms of the land, the Buddha attained countless pure, majestic, and sublime Buddha lands, with immeasurable and boundless disciples following him in study and practice. Through three immeasurable kalpas of arduous cultivation, the Buddha attained countless samadhis and obtained immeasurable spiritual powers and penetrations, enabling him to subdue all heavenly demons and heretics. Most importantly, the Buddha attained omniscience, acquiring the most sublime and great wisdom, knowing all dharmas of the mundane and supramundane realms without exception. Thus, he could, according to his own intention and at any time, expound the twelve divisions of the Tripitaka scriptures and the entirety of the Buddha's teachings for sentient beings.

These dharmas and merits attained by the Buddha are described only in the most general terms; to describe them in detail would be inexhaustible even after a hundred kalpas. However, these merits and dharmas were not possessed by the Buddha when he was an ordinary person. They were gradually accumulated, bit by bit, starting from the stage of an ordinary person. That is to say, these dharmas and merits attained by the Buddha went from non-existence to existence, from few to many, from incomplete to perfect and complete. What does this indicate? It indicates that these dharmas, coming from non-existence into existence, are produced. What is produced is not originally existent; what is not originally existent is illusory and transformed; what is illusory and transformed is not real. Since they are illusory and unreal, they cannot be truly attained. It is like obtaining ice from a furnace—utterly unattainable; like flowers in the sky—utterly unattainable; like a mirage in summer—utterly unattainable; like objects in a dream—utterly unattainable; like a barren woman's child—utterly unattainable; like bubbles on water—utterly unattainable...

These dharmas and appearances can all be known through their characteristics; they all have forms. But where do these forms come from? They all come from the Buddha's true mind, the immaculate consciousness; they are all manifested and transformed by the immaculate consciousness. Throughout the three immeasurable kalpas of cultivation, the Buddha's merits were stored, bit by bit, without omission, within his causal mind, the Tathagata-garbha, as seeds. When conditions mature, their retributions continuously manifest. What manifests are forms, transformed by the Tathagata-garbha. Therefore, these forms are all false, impermanent, and illusory; they are not real dharmas. The only real dharma is the Tathagata-garbha itself, which is unborn and imperishable, also called the Buddha's immaculate consciousness—true permanence, true bliss, true self, true purity. Everything else is not true; it is all manifested and transformed by the true.

From another perspective, who is it that attains these false dharmas and appearances? Let us examine the components of the Buddha. The Buddha is also composed of two parts: mind and body. The Buddha's body is also formed by the four great elements. Although it possesses immeasurable excellent marks, it is without awareness or cognition. When conditions are exhausted, the four elements disperse, and the physical body disappears. The physical body itself is not even self-mastering, let alone capable of attaining dharmas from outside. Moreover, it is not the mind, so how can it attain dharmas? The Buddha's mind has eight aspects: the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom (eighth consciousness), the Wisdom of Equality (seventh consciousness), the Wisdom of Wonderful Contemplation (sixth consciousness), and the Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions (first five consciousnesses). The Buddha's Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, the eighth consciousness, is a mind that has nothing to attain; it does not attain any dharma whatsoever. Because it itself is inherently and completely endowed with all dharmas, lacking nothing, and all dharmas are produced from it and come from it, it cannot attain itself. Furthermore, since all dharmas originally belong to it, what is there to attain?

The Buddha's seventh consciousness mind, although it is a mind that can have attainments, has reached a state of pure non-action. The mind is already empty and pure, no longer coveting any dharma, nor does it perceive itself as having attained any dharma. Moreover, although the Buddha's seventh consciousness mind has been transformed into wisdom, with seeds completely purified and without a trace of ignorance, it is still generated by the flow of seeds from the Buddha's immaculate consciousness. Therefore, it is illusory and subject to arising and ceasing. Since it is subject to arising and ceasing, it is not a self-mastering dharma. Thus, the seventh consciousness itself is not self-mastering and unattainable, let alone capable of attaining other dharmas. If the Buddha's seventh consciousness mind were to think that there is a dharma to be attained, the mind would not be empty and pure. If the mind is not empty and pure, one cannot become a Buddha. Therefore, the Buddha's seventh consciousness mind also does not attain any dharma.

Although the Buddha has accomplished Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and attained immeasurable and sublime wonderful dharmas, with respect to dharmas, he truly has nothing attained. Regarding the dharma of accomplishing Buddhahood, the intermediate processes and the final result are all perfectly accomplished by the Buddha's Tathagata-garbha, the immaculate consciousness. Every dharma is manifested by the Tathagata-garbha, the immaculate consciousness, in conjunction with the seventh consciousness. They are all accomplished by the Tathagata-garbha, the immaculate consciousness, and are all of the nature of the Tathagata-garbha, originally not truly existent. Therefore, the dharma of accomplishing Buddhahood is named Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Thus, Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi is merely a name; its essence is what is manifested by the immaculate consciousness.

In summary, the Buddha became a Buddha because of having nothing attained. Only by not attaining a single dharma can one become a Buddha. Why is this said? The Buddha became a Buddha through great wisdom and unsurpassed wisdom. How was the Buddha's wisdom obtained? The Buddha, starting from the stage of an ordinary person, through three asamkhyeya kalpas, gradually eradicated all ignorance. Each time a kind of ignorance was eliminated, a kind of clarity was revealed. As a portion of the mind's darkness disappeared, a portion of light appeared. This light is wisdom. When all ignorance is completely extinguished, omniscience appears. Therefore, the Buddha's unsurpassed wisdom and unequaled wisdom are not acquired or attained; they are revealed by extinguishing ignorance and removing obstructions. That is to say, becoming a Buddha does not mean attaining some dharma; rather, it means not attaining a single dharma, removing all obstructions, and allowing the mind's inherent light to naturally manifest. Therefore, the purpose of each of us studying Buddhism and cultivating the path is to eradicate ignorance, not necessarily to attain something. A mind that seeks attainment is itself ignorance, an obstruction that hinders the manifestation of wisdom.