Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: The Transformation of No Transformation, Chapter Twenty-Five

Original Text: Subhuti, what do you think? Do not say that the Tathagata has the thought: 'I shall liberate sentient beings.' Subhuti, do not think thus. Why? Because in truth, there are no sentient beings for the Tathagata to liberate. If there were sentient beings for the Tathagata to liberate, then the Tathagata would have the notion of a self, a person, a being, and a life span.

Explanation: The World-Honored One said to Subhuti: Subhuti, regarding the matter of the Tathagata liberating sentient beings, what do you think? Do you believe that the Tathagata is constantly mindful and thinking, 'I shall liberate sentient beings'? You should not hold such a view, thinking that the Tathagata has the thought of liberating sentient beings. Subhuti, do not think this way in your minds, and do not say that the Tathagata is constantly mindful of liberating sentient beings. Why are you not allowed to think this way? Because in the ultimate reality, there are indeed no sentient beings for the Tathagata to liberate. If the Tathagata truly believed there were sentient beings to be liberated, then the Tathagata would have the notion of a self, a person, a being, and a life span. With these notions, the Tathagata would no longer be the Tathagata.

The Dharmakaya Tathagata is formless, thoughtless, and without any object of thought. It never thinks of sentient beings, nor does it liberate them. It does not even know what is called a sentient being, and it does not give rise to thoughts. Therefore, the Dharmakaya Buddha does not think of sentient beings and does not liberate them. Why? Because the Dharmakaya Buddha lacks any means or instruments; it has no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind. Without eyes, it does not see the forms of sentient beings; without ears, it does not hear their sounds; without a body, it does not face them; without a mouth, it cannot teach the Dharma to them; without a mind, it does not conditionally think of them. Thus, the Dharmakaya Buddha is incapable of the task of liberating sentient beings.

However, when the Sambhogakaya Buddha and the Nirmanakaya Buddha wish to liberate sentient beings, they indeed require the assistance of the Dharmakaya Buddha. The Dharmakaya Buddha must manifest the Buddha-land, manifest the locations and environments, manifest the forms of sentient beings, manifest the Dharma, and prepare all the means and provisions for liberating sentient beings. All dharmas must be bestowed by the Dharmakaya Buddha before the Sambhogakaya Buddha and the Nirmanakaya Buddha can liberate sentient beings; not a single element can be missing. From this perspective, the work of liberating sentient beings is a dharma arising from causes and conditions, requiring the cooperation of the true Buddha and the manifested Buddha to be accomplished; it is by no means a simple matter.

Since the Nirmanakaya Buddha liberates sentient beings, and the Dharmakaya Buddha must manifest the forms of sentient beings before they can be liberated, are these sentient beings truly existent? Of course not. The World-Honored One said: 'In truth, there are no sentient beings for the Tathagata to liberate.' This statement has its reasoning. 'In truth, there are no sentient beings' means that there are indeed no sentient beings, because the sentient beings liberated by the Buddha are manifested by the Dharmakaya Buddha. The Dharmakaya must first manifest them before the Nirmanakaya Buddha can liberate them.

Then, does the Dharmakaya Buddha manifest sentient beings before the Nirmanakaya Buddha or within the mind of the Nirmanakaya Buddha? Naturally, it is within the mind of the Nirmanakaya Buddha. Sentient beings are sentient beings within the Buddha's mind, and the Buddha is also the Buddha within the minds of sentient beings. There is no dharma outside the mind. Because there is no dharma outside the mind, what is before one is within the mind, and what is within the mind is before one; all are illusory false appearances, arising based on conditions and ceasing when conditions disperse. Moreover, sentient beings' own original five aggregates body is also their own Tathagatagarbha, manifested through various karmic conditions, and is not truly existent; it also disperses when conditions cease.

Therefore, in the Tathagata's mind, there are no sentient beings to be liberated. Although the Tathagata has liberated countless and immeasurable illusory sentient beings, there are indeed no real sentient beings to be liberated. The sentient beings within the mind are all images, and thus the Tathagata has never liberated a single sentient being. If the Tathagata had the thought, 'I shall liberate sentient beings,' then the Tathagata would regard sentient beings as real and regard the illusory five aggregates of sentient beings as real. In that case, the Tathagata could not be called the true Tathagata, nor could he be called a true Bodhisattva; it would merely be the view of an ordinary person.

The true Tathagata, however, has no notion of a self within his mind, does not act as a master over any dharma, has no form of the five aggregates, and has no mental form that perceives the six sense objects. Thus, he has no human form, no form of a being, and likewise no form of a life span, because the Tathagata has no beginning and no end, has never been extinguished, and has never ceased. His lifespan is infinitely long, so the Tathagata is free from the four notions. In the minds of the Sambhogakaya Buddha and the Nirmanakaya Buddha, there are also no four notions. Their minds are utterly devoid of any dharma-form, completely empty and pure, having relinquished all dharmas, and thus they have attained the ultimate and perfect Buddhahood.

Original Text: Subhuti, when the Tathagata speaks of a self, it is not truly a self. Yet ordinary people think there is a self. Subhuti, as for ordinary people, the Tathagata says they are not truly ordinary people.

Explanation: Subhuti, the self that the Tathagata speaks of is not a truly existing self, yet ordinary people all believe there is a self, thinking that the activities of their five aggregates are so real. Subhuti, as for so-called ordinary sentient beings, the Tathagata says that there is no truly existing ordinary sentient being; it is merely a provisional name for an ordinary person.

When each Buddha teaches the Dharma to sentient beings, he sometimes uses the word 'I' to narrate events. This is actually a skillful means of the Buddhas. If the word 'I' were not used, sentient beings would not know what the World-Honored One was saying and could not correctly understand the content of his teachings. Therefore, the Buddhas use the word 'I' in speech to facilitate communication and teaching, enabling sentient beings to understand the teachings well. Although the Buddhas use the word 'I' in speech, their minds are completely devoid of self. They never regard their five aggregates as self, nor do they cling to their immaculate consciousness or Buddha-nature. Thus, all Buddhas and Tathagatas are utterly selfless.

Ordinary sentient beings all believe in their minds that there is a self and that this self is real. They commonly believe that the physical body-self is real; the body's sense organs, bones, muscles, skin, internal organs, and all its components have real functions and utilities, which they consider to be 'me' or 'mine.' Consequently, they develop attachment and clinging, not allowing others to infringe upon them. Ordinary sentient beings believe that the functions of the six consciousnesses—seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling scents, tasting flavors, feeling touches, and knowing dharmas—arising from the physical body are real, and they consider these to be 'me' or 'mine.' Thus, they develop attachment and clinging, refusing to overlook them.

Ordinary people believe that the various feelings arising from the six consciousnesses on the physical body are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine.' Consequently, they firmly grasp and pursue sensory stimulation. When encountering adverse conditions, their minds become extremely pained and resentful. Ordinary people believe that the various cognitive functions, such as discernment, analysis, judgment, and reasoning, arising from the physical body, are 'me' or 'mine.' Thus, they develop attachment and clinging, never willing to rest their thoughts, always seeking to perceive all dharmas.

Ordinary people believe that the various tactile sensations arising from the physical body are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine.' Thus, they become attached to all tactile objects, seeking to live comfortably and at ease, pursuing enjoyment at any cost. Ordinary people believe that the various actions and activities arising from the physical body are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine.' Thus, they constantly toil and labor, building all kinds of enterprises, continuously engaging in physical, verbal, and mental actions, never resting.

Since beginningless eons, ordinary sentient beings have been thus mistaken and deluded, thus continuously clinging and toiling through the six realms without fatigue. They are truly pitiable. The Tathagata, out of compassion for the ignorance and suffering of sentient beings, appears in the world to teach them that all dharmas of the five aggregates are originally not the self, nor are they owned by the self. The five aggregates arise depending on conditions, are subject to birth, change, and cessation. Although they have functions, they are illusory and unreal. For example, sand and water combine to form mud. Using mud to mold a body of five aggregates, and with mantra power acting upon the mud body, the mud figure then engages in various actions. Ignorant ordinary people, not understanding this principle, cling to the false appearance of the mud figure, not knowing that the mud figure is not a person. The wise understand and do not grasp the false appearance of the mud figure, but only recognize the mud and the act of using the mud.

The World-Honored One further said that ordinary people who cling to the five aggregates as self are not truly existing ordinary people. They are merely illusory forms of the five aggregates, whose essence is emptiness. They are only provisionally named 'ordinary people' for the sake of verbal communication. Their essence is also the Tathagatagarbha of that person. Just as when gold is used to make vessels, every vessel is gold; when mud is used to mold people, every person is mud. The Tathagatagarbha manifests all dharmas, and all dharmas are the Tathagatagarbha. This is called the One True Dharma Realm, with nothing else beside it. If a person sees all dharmas as truly existent, it is called having diseased eyes. If a person sees everything as True Suchness, it is called having the wisdom eye, the dharma eye, and the Buddha eye—all are eyes of great wisdom.

Ordinary sentient beings consider the five aggregates to be the self and to be owned by the self. To whom does this 'self' refer? This 'self' refers to the seventh consciousness, the manas. The seventh consciousness regards everything as 'me' and 'mine,' insatiably greedy. In reality, the seventh consciousness is mistaken and deluded; it does not know that these are not itself, nor are they its own functions. The primary functions belong to the eighth consciousness, along with the functions of the six consciousnesses. The functions of the six consciousnesses are essentially also the functions of the eighth consciousness. After awakening to the mind and attaining enlightenment, the seventh consciousness, the manas, will awaken, realizing that these are not the self. Upon entering the stage of a Bodhisattva, it will begin to let go of certain dharmas, ceasing to cling to and grasp the five aggregates and the world.