Diamond Sutra: The Profound Meaning of Consciousness-Only (126)

Original text: Subhuti, when the Tathagata speaks of 'self', it is not that there is a self. Yet ordinary people believe there is a self. Subhuti, as for ordinary people, the Tathagata says they are not ordinary people.

Explanation: The World-Honored One then said to Subhuti: When the Tathagata speaks of 'me', it is not that there truly exists a 'me'. However, ordinary people all believe there is a 'me', thinking that the activities of this 'me's' five aggregates are so real. Subhuti, so-called ordinary sentient beings, the Tathagata says, are not truly existing ordinary sentient beings; they are merely provisionally designated as ordinary people.

When each Buddha expounds the Dharma to sentient beings, sometimes they verbally say "I" in narrating events. In reality, this is the expedient means of all Buddhas. If they did not use the word "I", sentient beings would not understand what the World-Honored One is saying, nor could they correctly comprehend the content of his teaching. Therefore, when Buddhas verbally say "I", it is for the convenience of communication with sentient beings and for the expediency of teaching, enabling sentient beings to understand the content being expounded. Although Buddhas verbally say "I", their minds are completely without self. They never regard their five aggregates as self, nor do they cling to their immaculate consciousness or Buddha-nature. Thus, all Tathagatas are utterly without self.

Ordinary sentient beings mentally believe there is a 'me', considering this 'me' to be real. They generally believe the physical body is real, thinking the body's five sense organs, bones, muscles, skin, internal organs, and all its components possess real functional utility—this is 'me' or 'mine'. Consequently, they generate greed and attachment, refusing to allow others to violate it. Ordinary sentient beings believe the functions of the six consciousnesses arising from the body—seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling scents, tasting flavors, feeling tactile sensations, and knowing mental objects—are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine'. Thus, they generate greed and attachment, refusing to disregard them.

Ordinary people believe the various feelings arising from the six consciousnesses on the body are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine'. Consequently, they grasp firmly, pursuing sensory stimulations. When encountering adversity, their minds become very distressed and resentful. Ordinary people believe the various cognitive functions arising from the body—knowing, thinking, analyzing, judging, reasoning—are 'me' or 'mine'. Thus, they also generate greed and attachment, constantly refusing to rest their thoughts, always wanting to perceive all phenomena.

Ordinary people believe the various tactile sensations arising from the body are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine'. Consequently, they greedily cling to various tactile objects, striving to live comfortably and freely, pursuing enjoyment, sparing no cost. Ordinary people believe the various actions and creations arising from the body are real, considering them to be 'me' or 'mine'. Thus, they ceaselessly rush about, laboring to build all undertakings, continuously creating bodily, verbal, and mental actions, refusing to rest.

Since beginningless kalpas, ordinary sentient beings have thus misunderstood and mistaken, thus continuously grasping and clinging, toiling and rushing about in the six paths without weariness, truly pitiable beings. The Tathagata, pitying sentient beings' ignorance and suffering, appears in the world to proclaim that all phenomena of the five aggregates are not self nor belong to self; the five aggregates arise dependent on conditions, subject to birth, cessation, and change—while functions exist, they are illusory and unreal. It is like soil and water combining to form clay. When clay is molded into a body of the five aggregates, and a spell acts upon this clay body, the clay man then exhibits various actions and creations. Ignorant ordinary people, unaware of this principle, grasp the false appearance of the clay man, not knowing the clay man is not a person. The wise know immediately, not grasping the false appearance of the clay man, but only recognizing the clay and its use.

The World-Honored One further said that ordinary people who grasp the five aggregates as self are also not truly existing ordinary people, but are illusory appearances of the five aggregates, empty in essence. It is merely for linguistic communication that a provisional name is given—provisionally named 'ordinary people'—their essence being their own Tathagatagarbha. Gold made into vessels, each vessel is gold; clay molded into people, each person is clay. The Tathagatagarbha illusorily manifests all phenomena; all phenomena are the Tathagatagarbha, called the One True Dharma Realm, beside which there is nothing else. If a person sees all phenomena as truly existent, it is called diseased vision. If a person sees all as Suchness, it is called the Wisdom Eye, the Dharma Eye, and the Buddha Eye—all are eyes of great wisdom.

Ordinary sentient beings believe the five aggregates are self or belong to self. Who is this 'I'? This 'I' refers to the seventh consciousness, the manas. The seventh consciousness regards everything as self or belonging to self, insatiably greedy. Actually, the seventh consciousness misunderstands and mistakes; it does not know that none of these are itself nor its own functions. The most crucial among these are the functions of the eighth consciousness, which also include the functions of the six consciousnesses; and the functions of the six consciousnesses are essentially the functions of the eighth consciousness. After realizing the mind and attaining enlightenment, the seventh consciousness, the manas, will awaken, realizing that none of these were originally 'me'. Upon reaching the first bhūmi (ground), it will begin to let go of some phenomena, no longer grasping or clinging to the world of the five aggregates.

All samādhis involve a combination of meditative concentration and wisdom; lacking either, it is not samādhi in the true sense. However, some states of concentration lack wisdom and can only be called concentration states; some states of concentration contain or embody wisdom and are called samādhi. The scope and connotation of concentration states are relatively shallow and narrow, while the connotation of samādhi is deeper and broader. That is, samādhi necessarily includes meditative concentration; without concentration, it is not called samādhi. Without wisdom, it is neither called samādhi nor a concentration state.