The Profound Meaning of Consciousness-Only in the Diamond Sutra (79)

Original text:所以者何。我相即是非相。人相众生相寿者相即是非相。何以故。离一切诸相。则名诸佛。何以故。离一切诸相。则名诸佛。佛告须菩提。如是如是。若复有人。得闻是经。不惊不怖不畏。当知是人甚为希有。

Explanation: Subhūti said, "World-Honored One, why is it that after one realizes the prajñā mind of ultimate reality, the mind no longer has the four marks and has departed from the four marks? It is because the mark of self is not a real mark; on the surface it seems to exist, but in fact it is not real. A person who has realized ultimate reality will observe the operation of the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, and observe how the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to the self of the five aggregates. He gradually observes that his own five aggregates are all conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha moment after moment.

All the activities of the five aggregates are the functions and operations of the tathāgatagarbha; the five aggregates themselves have never truly done anything. The dharma of the five aggregates is illusory and unreal; in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha. For example, a magician conjures up a body of the five aggregates, and this body of the five aggregates will have certain functions and utilities; but this body of the five aggregates has no reality, and its functions and utilities are not truly existent either—all are the doing of the magician. Or again, like a puppet that goes on stage to perform a play: no matter how the puppet performs on the stage, none of it is done by the puppet itself.

Therefore all the activities of the puppet are illusory; there is no such thing—in essence it is all the doing of the one manipulating behind the scenes. The activities of my five aggregates are just like this. Therefore the mark of self of the five aggregates is a non-mark, not a real mark. By the same reasoning, the mark of a person, which is similar to the self and shares commonality with it, is also like this—there is no real mark of the five aggregates of a person's commonality. No matter how humans live and act in the world, undertaking all kinds of endeavors, there are no real activities of the five aggregates; in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha nature. Therefore the mark of a person is a non-mark.

By the same reasoning again, the mark of sentient beings, which is similar to the mark of a person, is also false and unreal; on the surface it seems to exist, but in essence it is nonexistent—in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha nature of sentient beings. The activities of the five aggregates of sentient beings are just like a robot doing work: the robot itself is not autonomous and has no self-mastery; it still requires human assembly and manipulation. Thus the robot cannot truly do any work—all is the doing of the designer, manufacturer, and operator; the robot merely puts on a false appearance to deceive people's eyes.

Therefore the boss would absolutely never pay wages to a robot, nor would he reward or punish the robot. Because the boss clearly knows that the robot is not a person, has no human wisdom or ability, and is merely a tool used by people—the work is not done by it. The five aggregates of sentient beings are just like this: all endeavors are not done by the five aggregates; the five aggregates are merely a tool. Therefore the mark of sentient beings is a non-mark—not real, and not truly existent.