The Profound Consciousness-only Meaning of the Diamond Sutra (111)

Regarding the non-authenticity of merit in worldly dharmas, from another perspective, all merit is a dharma produced by causes and conditions. Giving (dāna) is the cause of obtaining the fruit of merit, and within this so-called cause, there is, moreover, the true cause of the tathāgatagarbha. When giving is performed as a cause, the tathāgatagarbha manifests the five-aggregate body to concretely carry out the act of giving, and at the same time the tathāgatagarbha stores the karmic seeds of that giving. Afterwards, the tathāgatagarbha relies on various conditions—for example, if this person is to become wealthy, the conditions for wealth must manifest; if he is to gain power and influence, the conditions for power and influence must manifest; if he is to gain retinue and family, the conditions for retinue must manifest; if he is to gain longevity, the conditions for longevity must manifest; if he is to gain fame, the conditions for fame must manifest. When these conditions are complete and manifest, the tathāgatagarbha outputs the karmic seeds, and this person will obtain the corresponding retribution of merit.

These retributions are likewise obtained by the five-aggregate body that manifests in cooperation with the tathāgatagarbha, and are enjoyed by the five-aggregate body. Every minute link involves the assistance of the tathāgatagarbha; all are conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha, and every link is illusory and unreal. So, speaking of the whole, all the actions of giving, the entire process of obtaining merit—these causes and effects—are all conjured and manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, and therefore are entirely illusory and unreal. It is precisely because of this that the Buddha said that when sentient beings cultivate merit through giving, the merit they obtain is great—only in illusory dharmas is there such a notion of quantity, of more and less; in the dharma of ultimate reality, there is no number, no more or less, no great or small, no long or short, no square or round... This merit appears on the surface to exist, but its existence is false existence, merely dazzling people's eyes; in its essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha.

Then, as for the merit obtained from the dharma-giving—is it real? Does it possess the nature of merit? Can it ever be exhausted by enjoyment? What merit does dharma-giving yield? The merit obtained from dharma-giving includes two aspects: one is that one will obtain merit within worldly dharmas, gaining excellent forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas; the other is that one will obtain the merit of supramundane dharmas. And the merit of supramundane dharmas will continuously accumulate until buddhahood is attained; that merit will never disappear and can never be exhausted by enjoyment. Dharma-giving enables one to obtain supramundane wisdom, to realize the supramundane dharma of ultimate reality, the tathāgatagarbha, whereby one's wisdom is continuously enhanced, advancing from bhūmi to bhūmi, and ultimately one can perfect the fruit of bodhi. Therefore, a great portion of the merit obtained from dharma-giving possesses the nature of merit and has authenticity, being far more excellent than the giving of the seven treasures of the three-thousandfold great world system.