The Profound Meaning of Consciousness-Only in the Diamond Sutra (9)

The first Chan (Zen) kōan in the history of Buddhism in our Saha World was personally demonstrated by the World-Honored One. At the Vulture Peak assembly, after the heavenly beings had offered flowers, the World-Honored One held up a single flower amidst the assembly of humans and devas, smiling silently. He was vividly revealing his own true suchness mind to the multitude. Yet, none among the humans and devas understood what the Buddha was conveying. Only Mahākāśyapa instantly comprehended. With his wisdom eye, he perceived the World-Honored One's true suchness mind and simultaneously realized his own Tathāgatagarbha mind, understanding what the Buddha was conveying. He then broke into a smile. Knowing that Mahākāśyapa had awakened to the Bodhisattva Dharma and become an Arhat Bodhisattva, the World-Honored One proclaimed: "I possess the wondrous mind of Nirvāṇa, the true reality which is without characteristics, not established upon words or letters, a special transmission outside the scriptural teachings. I entrust it to Mahākāśyapa." Thus, Kāśyapa became the First Patriarch of Chan.

What is the wondrous mind of Nirvāṇa? Nirvāṇa means neither arising nor ceasing. The wondrous mind means that within the emptiness-nature mind, there is not a single dharma; it is utterly devoid of anything, yet it is able to manifest all dharmas. Not a single dharma fails to manifest. Though it lacks even the size of a speck of dust, it can manifest the universe and empty space. This is truly wondrous, hence it is called the wondrous mind. True reality refers to the fact that the vajra-prajñā (diamond wisdom) mind is the truly existent, genuine principle-body, eternally indestructible. Without characteristics means this mind has no characteristics whatsoever: without form, it cannot be seen; without sound, it cannot be heard; without scent, it cannot be smelled; without taste, it cannot be savored; without touch, it cannot be felt; without dharmas (mental objects), it cannot be discerned. The Heart Sūtra states it has no five aggregates, no six sense faculties, six sense objects, or six consciousnesses, no Four Noble Truths, no Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (from ignorance to aging and death), no... In short, it possesses not a single dharma, yet all dharmas rely upon it to arise and exist.