Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: The Twenty-Eighth Section on Neither Receiving nor Coveting

In this chapter, the World-Honored One, by describing the merit and virtue obtained by a Bodhisattva who practices giving with the seven treasures, provides a profound explanation of the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, the mind of true reality. Regarding the merit and virtue obtained by the five aggregates through the practice of the perfection of giving, the Tathāgatagarbha is fundamentally in a state of equanimity. It does not experience even the slightest enjoyment, nor is it concerned with merit or misfortune, blessing or calamity, nor does it have any knowledge of blessing or calamity. Furthermore, because the Tathāgatagarbha lacks the mental factor of greed, it does not cling to merit, virtue, or any other phenomena. It is without desire or seeking toward all phenomena, neither delighting in nor abhorring them. After enlightenment, a Bodhisattva, having broken through conceptual attachments and realized the emptiness of mind, also does not generate thoughts of craving or seeking toward merit, virtue, or any phenomena. He neither delights in nor abhors them, abiding in the equanimity of the Middle Way. This is the true conduct of a Bodhisattva.

Original Text: Subhūti, if a Bodhisattva were to fill worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River with the seven treasures and use them for giving, and if another person were to understand that all dharmas are without a self and thereby attain patience [kṣānti], this Bodhisattva would surpass the former Bodhisattva in the merit and virtue obtained.

Explanation: The World-Honored One said to Subhūti: If there is a Bodhisattva who uses the seven treasures to fill worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River and practices giving, and if there is another Bodhisattva who realizes that within all worldly and transcendental dharmas there is no self, and thereby accomplishes the patience of non-arising [anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti] and the patience of the non-arising of dharmas, then the merit and virtue obtained by the Bodhisattva who has attained the wisdom of patience far surpasses that obtained by the Bodhisattva who practices giving with the seven treasures.

The World-Honored One has spoken many times about the merit and virtue obtained by a Bodhisattva who practices giving with the seven treasures; such merit and virtue are immeasurable and boundless, beyond enumeration. A Bodhisattva's practice of giving not only produces merit and virtue but also generates virtuous qualities. Because merit and virtue increase, the mind becomes purified, the nature becomes pliable, meditative concentration advances, wisdom grows, and the spiritual path progresses. The Bodhisattva himself experiences the true benefit of virtuous qualities. This is the reward of a Bodhisattva's practice of giving material wealth. The other Bodhisattva, however, has already cultivated to the stage of attaining patience, deeply realizing that all dharmas are without a self, and thus has realized the wisdom of the patience of the non-arising of dharmas.

What level of patience is it to be patient with the fact that within all dharmas there is no self? Patience includes the patience of non-arising attained by the Lesser Vehicle through eradicating the view of self, which is the patience regarding the selflessness of the five aggregates, as well as the patience of non-arising and the patience of the non-arising of dharmas of the Great Vehicle. The patience of non-arising of the Lesser Vehicle is divided into the four stages of stream-entry and the four fruits. Among these, the patience at the stage of approaching stream-entry, although not yet the true eradication of the view of self, involves mentally assenting to the false and unreal nature of the five aggregates and diligently cultivating insight toward the true eradication of the view of self. At this point, what is lacking is the approval of the mind-organ [manas] regarding the principle of the selflessness of the five aggregates. Once the mind-organ, through continuous contemplation and investigation in meditative concentration, clearly understands, the view of self is truly eradicated, and one becomes a stream-enterer.

After becoming a stream-enterer, one must continue to engage in profound and detailed contemplation of the principle of the selflessness of the five aggregates. This process involves the consciousness and the mind-organ attaining deeper wisdom of the patience of non-arising, gradually acquiring meditative stability to eradicate afflictions, and, more importantly, the mind-organ gradually cutting off attachment to the self and the five aggregates. Throughout this process, both the consciousness and the mind-organ must continuously endure, enduring on a deeper level, until the mind-organ completely eradicates the attachment to the person-self. This is the patience of non-arising attained by practitioners of the Lesser Vehicle.

The patience of non-arising of the Great Vehicle is attained by Bodhisattvas after realizing the eighth consciousness. Bodhisattvas must not only be patient with the principle of the selflessness of the five aggregates but also with the principle of the unborn and unceasing nature of the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha. They must deeply endure the unborn nature of the eighth consciousness, endure its nature of emptiness and existence, endure its nature of being neither defiled nor pure, endure all its Middle Way characteristics, and endure all its aspects and qualities. Then, the Bodhisattva's mind becomes increasingly pure, meditative stability grows stronger, afflictions become lighter, and wisdom becomes more profound and subtle. The inner benefit of virtuous qualities becomes increasingly vast, and the Bodhisattva's stage progresses from the seventh abode [saptama-bhūmi] to the tenth conduct [daśa-caryā], the tenth dedication [daśa-pariṇāmanā], and from breaking through the initial barrier to breaking through the intermediate barrier, and then to breaking through the final barrier, with meditative stability and wisdom becoming even more profound and subtle.

However, this is still within the scope of patience regarding the selflessness of the person within the five aggregates; the scope is not yet vast enough, and the depth of patience is not yet profound enough. One must reach the patience of the non-arising of dharmas at the stage of a Bodhisattva of the first ground [bhūmi] and above, where the scope of patience is broader and the wisdom of patience is deeper and more extensive. The patience of the non-arising of dharmas of a Bodhisattva on the grounds is to be patient with the fact that all dharmas are without a self. This involves not only realizing the selflessness of the person but also realizing the selflessness of dharmas. The wisdom of the selflessness of dharmas and the wisdom of the patience of the non-arising of dharmas progressively increase with each ground, becoming increasingly profound and subtle.

Because Bodhisattvas on the grounds can directly perceive the functioning of the Tathāgatagarbha within the five aggregates and can directly perceive its functioning within the eighteen realms and all phenomena, they deeply understand how the Tathāgatagarbha produces the five aggregates and how it produces the eighteen realms and all phenomena. Bodhisattvas observe the operational characteristics of the Tathāgatagarbha in all dharmas, knowing that each dharma is generated by the Tathāgatagarbha utilizing mental factors to emit seeds. No dharma can exist apart from the Tathāgatagarbha, having its own arising, abiding, change, and cessation. It is only because of the Tathāgatagarbha that all characteristics of dharmas can arise, temporarily remain, gradually change, and eventually disperse and disappear. Apart from the Tathāgatagarbha, no characteristic of a dharma can arise, abide, change, or cease. Therefore, all characteristics of dharmas are themselves false and unreal, like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, like flowers in the sky, ungraspable. Their essence is the Tathāgatagarbha. Since all dharmas are not real, have no self-nature, and are all of the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, they are naturally without a self.

Among these, "all dharmas" includes all worldly and transcendental dharmas, whatever is manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha, born later, and exists within the three realms. This includes all dharmas of the past, future, and present, as well as all dharmas in the ten directions. All of these are without a self. Specifically, all dharmas include material dharmas [rūpa] and mental dharmas [citta]. Material dharmas include the universe and the physical world, including the living environment required by sentient beings, primarily the material bodies of the five aggregates of sentient beings, namely the five faculties, the five objects, and the dharmas included in the mental domain. Mental dharmas include the seven consciousnesses and their associated mental factors. In summary, these are the eighteen realms [dhātus] of the six faculties, six objects, and six consciousnesses, the twelve bases [āyatanas], and the five aggregates [skandhas] of sentient beings.

These dharmas exist, arise and cease, change, and function within the Tathāgatagarbha, the single true dharma realm. They are all produced, manifested, and sustained by the true mind, the Tathāgatagarbha. Because they are produced and manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha, they are dharmas that arise and cease, are not independent or autonomous, cannot be self-mastering, and are of a selfless nature. Dharmas that possess a self-nature do not arise and cease, are not subject to change, can be self-mastering, can exist independently, can endure eternally without relying on other conditions, and are perfectly endowed with all functions and benefits.

Selfless dharmas do not possess these qualities. Selfless dharmas cannot exist independently; they rely on certain external conditions to exist and function, and they require the Tathāgatagarbha to continuously emit seeds to maintain their existence and operation; otherwise, they would cease. Therefore, all dharmas within the three realms are subject to arising, ceasing, and change, and are selfless. As for the transcendental dharma of the Tathāgatagarbha, although it possesses a certain degree of self-nature, being able to exist independently without relying on external conditions, not subject to arising or ceasing, and being independent and autonomous, it still contains within it the defiled karmic seeds of the seven consciousnesses. These seeds are subject to arising, ceasing, and change, which can affect the Tathāgatagarbha, causing it to undergo transformation and thereby somewhat limiting its functions and benefits.

At this stage, the seeds within the Tathāgatagarbha are subject to the influence and defilement of the seven consciousnesses. Since the seeds within it can be influenced, the Tathāgatagarbha as a whole is not entirely unchanging and therefore is not completely endowed with self-nature. From another perspective, the Tathāgatagarbha itself also has the flow of its own consciousness seeds. These consciousness seeds arise and cease momentarily, changing to maintain the existence and functioning of the Tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, the Tathāgatagarbha is also not completely endowed with self-nature; it still possesses a selfless nature. Only the Dharma-body of the Buddha, the undefiled consciousness [amala-vijñāna], is completely endowed with self-nature. At that stage, the arising, ceasing, and change of the karmic seeds of the seven consciousnesses have ended. The undefiled consciousness is no longer subject to influence, does not change, has no seeds subject to arising and ceasing, and the flow of its own consciousness seeds has ceased, with no phenomenon of momentary arising and ceasing. Therefore, the undefiled consciousness of the Buddha is completely and utterly the self, and its functions and benefits can be fully realized, no longer hindered or limited by the defiled karmic seeds of the seven consciousnesses.

Because the Bodhisattva has realized that all dharmas are without a self and is able to be patient with the fact that within all dharmas there is no self, he has attained the profound wisdom of the patience of the non-arising of dharmas. The benefit of his virtuous qualities is extremely vast, great, and profound, beyond the reach of calculation or metaphor. With this profound wisdom of consciousness-only and seed-knowledge, the Bodhisattva will gradually approach the stage of Buddhahood, where merit and wisdom are both perfectly complete. He becomes the most revered in the three realms, the teacher of gods and humans, endowed with the benefits and virtues of the ten epithets. He can establish Buddha-lands in the ten directions, manifest Buddhahood, and extensively liberate countless sentient beings. Therefore, the merit and virtue obtained by a Bodhisattva who realizes that all dharmas are without a self, along with the benefit of the wisdom of the patience of the non-arising of dharmas, far surpasses the merit, virtue, and blessings obtained by a Bodhisattva who practices giving with the seven treasures. The difference between them is incomparable and inexpressible.