The Profound Meaning of Consciousness-Only in the Diamond Sutra (55)

Section 8: Born from the Dharma

Original Text: Subhuti, what do you think? If a person filled the three thousand great thousand worlds with the seven treasures and used them for almsgiving, would the merit attained by this person not be great? Subhuti said: Very great, World-Honored One. Why is that? This merit is not the nature of merit. Therefore, the Tathagata speaks of it as great merit. If, further, a person receives, upholds, reads, recites, and expounds to others even a four-line verse from this sutra, the merit attained surpasses that of the former. Why is that, Subhuti? All Buddhas and their Dharma of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi arise from this sutra. Subhuti, what is called the Buddha-Dharma is not the Buddha-Dharma.

Explanation: The Buddha said: Subhuti, what do you think? If someone were to offer the seven treasures filling the three thousand great thousand worlds as alms, would the merit attained by this person not be great? Subhuti said: It would be exceedingly great, World-Honored One. Why is this so? Because such almsgiving yields merit, not the nature of merit. The nature of merit has no distinction of quantity; therefore, the Tathagata speaks of it as great merit. The Buddha said: If someone receives, upholds, and practices even a four-line verse from this Diamond Sutra and expounds it to others, the merit attained would surpass that of offering the seven treasures. Why is that? Subhuti, all Buddhas and the Dharma by which they attain Buddhahood arise from this sutra. Subhuti, what is called the Dharma spoken by the Buddha is not the Dharma in the true sense. The Dharma in the true sense refers to the Suchness Buddha-nature.