The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)
Chapter Fifteen Free from Marks and Quiescent, Fourteen
"Marks" refers to all dharmas of the three-realm world, all worldly marks. In the Diamond Sutra, this "mark" first refers to the four marks: the mark of self, the mark of person, the mark of sentient being, and the mark of life span; second, it refers to the Buddha's thirty-two marks; third, it refers to the marks of the six sense objects—form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas—as well as all marks of the three-realm world. "Free from" means to leave behind, not to correspond to, not to possess, not to have. Then who can be free from these marks, not correspond to these marks, and not have these marks? Clearly, only the vajra-prajñā mind and the Buddhas can.
Because the vajra mind can be free from these marks and does not correspond to these marks, it is quiescent and extinguished. If it did not leave these marks, there would be the duality of subject and object, there would be the knower and the known, there would be feeling and perception toward the states of the six sense objects, and it would be like the seven consciousnesses, dwelling in clamorous states, the mind unable to become still; it would not be a quiescent and extinguished mind, and it could not be called the nirvāṇa mind.
"Quiescent and extinguished" means that it itself has no form and does not see form, so the mind is quiescent and extinguished; it itself does not emit sounds and does not listen to sounds, so the mind is quiescent and extinguished; it itself does not emit fragrances and does not smell scents, so it is quiescent and extinguished; it itself has no taste objects and does not taste flavors, so the mind is quiescent and extinguished; it itself has no touch objects and does not receive touch objects, so the mind is quiescent and extinguished; it itself has no dharma objects and does not discriminate or receive dharma objects, so the mind is quiescent and extinguished. No matter how clamorous the six sense objects are, the vajra mind itself remains in a quiescent state, the same quiescent state as an arhat dwelling in the state of nirvāṇa without remainder. So this chapter title is meant to reveal the essential nature of the vajra mind.
Original text:尔时须菩提。闻说是经。深解义趣。涕泪悲泣。而白佛言。希有世尊。佛说如是。甚深经典。我从昔来。所得慧眼。未曾得闻。如是之经。
Explanation: At this time, after Subhūti heard the Buddha expound this Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sutra, he deeply comprehended all the dharma principles and purports of this Diamond Sutra. Because Subhūti had already deeply realized and understood the principles of this sutra, overwhelmed with both sorrow and joy, with tears of gratitude, he said to the World-Honored One: Rare and precious World-Honored One, You are able to expound such a sutra of profoundly deep purport; since ancient times, the wisdom eye I have attained has never heard such a sutra.
Since it says "deeply comprehended the purport," this shows that Subhūti's understanding of the principles of the Diamond Sutra was not merely intellectual understanding, but a deep realization. Realization and enlightenment have many levels, some shallow and some deep. The shallow one is the content of realization at the stage of the ten abodes, attaining the general-characteristic wisdom of the tathāgatagarbha; somewhat deeper is attaining the specific-characteristic wisdom of the tathāgatagarbha, when the bodhisattva is at the stages of the ten practices and the ten dedications; realizing even more deeply, one possesses the wisdom of the varieties of paths. The text does not indicate whether Subhūti realized the specific-characteristic wisdom of the ten practices or of the ten dedications, but it has already shown that Subhūti deeply realized and understood the purport of the tathāgatagarbha in the Diamond Sutra, so it was not a shallow awakening.
The "wisdom eye" in the text refers to the eye endowed with wisdom, the wisdom eye possessed by pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas and by arhats and pratyekabuddhas, who have not yet cultivated to the dharma eye of those who have attained the bhūmis. Wisdom includes the wisdom of the Small Vehicle and the wisdom of the Mahāyāna prajñā and Yogācāra. In the Small Vehicle, one has the wisdom eye from the eradication of the view of self onward; in the Mahāyāna, one has the wisdom eye from seeing the mind onward, up to the tenth dedication stage, after which one has the dharma eye. That Subhūti already had the wisdom eye in past lives shows that in previous lives he had at least attained the fruits of the Small Vehicle; in this life, while in his mother's womb, he already knew that all dharmas are empty and quiescent, without the mystery of the intervening birth. He was foremost in understanding emptiness among the Buddha's disciples, so Subhūti must have cultivated on the Buddha path for at least countless kalpas, with extremely deep roots of goodness. That even with Subhūti's roots of goodness cultivated over long kalpas, he had never heard such a profoundly deep sutra as the Diamond Sutra shows that the Diamond Sutra is a rare and hard-to-encounter, profoundly deep dharma treasure. If one's roots of goodness and merit are insufficient, one cannot encounter such a profound prajñā sutra. With shallow roots of goodness and meager merit, one certainly cannot, upon hearing it, realize the vajra-prajñā mind.
Original text:世尊。若复有人。得闻是经。信心清净。则生实相。当知是人。成就第一。希有功德。
Explanation: Subhūti said: World-Honored One, if there are other people who, after hearing this sutra, believe without doubt and give rise to pure faith, able to accept that sentient beings have this indestructible vajra mind dwelling in the world, they can realize this indestructible vajra mind and give rise to the wisdom of ultimate reality, knowing that the source of all dharmas is the indestructible vajra mind, knowing that the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, is the ultimate reality of the dharma realm, real and not false, while all other dharmas are illusory marks. Then one should know that this person has accomplished the foremost, rare merit.
This person's merit and wisdom are both foremost, rare, and hard to obtain in the world. From then on, this person's merit will gradually increase and grow, the wisdom will become ever deeper, broader, and boundless, and he will be able to vastly benefit immeasurable sentient beings, ultimately attaining complete buddhahood. Therefore, realizing the prajñā mind of ultimate reality—its merit is inconceivable, its wisdom is inconceivable; no dharma in the world can compare. Even possessing immeasurable worldly treasures cannot compare with this merit; even being skilled and clever in all worldly arts and crafts cannot compare with this wisdom of prajñā ultimate reality. These worldly, mundane merits and wisdoms are all dharmas of arising, ceasing, and change, unreliable, and even while enjoying them, afflictions are complete. Because of these afflictions, sentient beings drift through the six realms, still living like beggars, wandering and begging, with suffering without end. Only by realizing the prajñā mind of ultimate reality, which does not arise and does not cease, can one gradually extinguish all afflictions, the mind gain coolness, and the mind-ground become ever purer and ever more abundant.
Clearly, this so-called ultimate reality is the wisdom-cognition that arises in those who hear the sutra after their faith has become pure; it is realized wisdom. The wisdom that realizes ultimate reality is not ultimate reality itself. The wisdom of ultimate reality itself does not arise or cease, does not increase or decrease, does not change, whereas the wisdom that cognizes ultimate reality does arise, cease, increase, and decrease; therefore it is not ultimate reality, not the originally existing true mark; it is provisionally named "ultimate reality" and should be called the wisdom of ultimate reality, the wisdom that arises from realizing ultimate reality.
As for the originally existing ultimate reality, it is formless and without marks, without any worldly dharma marks, without any marks of the states of the six sense objects; it has always revealed itself to people as markless, and therefore it is also non-mark. This markless vajra mind is also given the name "ultimate reality," using this name to display the true reality of the vajra mind, its non-arising and non-ceasing nature, so that sentient beings may recognize and proclaim it.
After hearing this Diamond Sutra, to have pure faith, purely believe in this sutra, purely believe in the vajra mind, and moreover be able to realize the vajra mind—this is indeed accomplishing the foremost rare merit, and it is indeed rare and hard to obtain; this person's roots of goodness are extremely deep. When even the marks of realizing the vajra mind are broken through, and the marks of giving rise to the wisdom of ultimate reality are broken through, then one does not cling to the cultivation and realization of the Buddha dharma as real, does not give rise to arrogance, dispels all marks, the mind becomes empty, pure, and tranquil, and one will quickly reach the other shore of nirvāṇa.
Why is ultimate reality also non-mark?
Original text:世尊。是实相者。即是非相。是故如来。说名实相。
Explanation: Subhūti again said to the World-Honored One: World-Honored One, the ultimate reality of which the Tathāgata speaks has no dharma mark; it has no dharma mark whatsoever of the three-realm world; therefore the Tathāgata names it "ultimate reality."
"Ultimate" means real, not false, truly existing. Because it truly exists and can be realized, immeasurable, boundless Buddhas and bodhisattvas have all realized it, and they have all been endowed with immeasurable, boundless merit and wisdom. If it did not truly exist but were merely a noun, a concept, merely a name and mark, then realizing it would have no meaning, one could not give birth to the great wisdom of prajñā, and still less could one accomplish the Buddha path. Because the vajra-prajñā mind truly exists, is a true existence, its essential nature ever-enduring, its functions real, sentient beings can investigate Chan and realize it, and from then on become wealthy elders within the Buddha dharma.
Although the vajra-prajñā mind is the ultimate reality, its essential nature real, if one tries to match it up with worldly phenomena and seek its worldly marks, that is utterly unattainable. Because it is not a worldly dharma, not a worldly mark, it has no form mark, no sound mark, no smell mark, no taste mark, no touch mark, no marks of the six sense objects; therefore, ultimate reality is precisely non-mark. To seek and realize it, one must leave behind these worldly marks of the six sense objects, leave behind the mark of the perceiving mind of the seven consciousnesses, leave behind the marks of the five aggregates, and recognize that mind which does not have these marks.
And to realize it, one must also investigate within these worldly marks of the five aggregates; ultimate reality and worldly marks are closely connected, mutually dependent, never separating from each other. Ultimate reality relies on worldly marks to display its own virtues, capacities, and functions; worldly marks rely on ultimate reality to exist and operate, to have their superficial, false functions; the two are like a bundle of reeds, leaning on each other.
Original text:世尊。我今得闻。如是经典。信解受持。不足为难。若当来世。后五百岁。其有众生。得闻是经。信解受持。是人则为。第一希有。何以故。此人无我相无人相。无众生相。无寿者相。
Explanation: Subhūti said: World-Honored One, that I can now hear such a profoundly deep sutra, not only give rise to pure faith, realize ultimate reality, deeply comprehend its dharma principles and purports, deeply savor its prajñā flavor, and moreover resolve to uphold and circulate this sutra—this is not difficult for me now, because the World-Honored One Yourself personally teach and bless. If in the future, in the last five hundred years of the Dharma-ending age, there are sentient beings who encounter this sutra and hear the dharma gate of the ultimate reality of the tathāgatagarbha, they are rare, hard-to-obtain people of great merit. And if they can have pure faith, correctly understand the vajra mind, and uphold the Diamond Sutra, such a person is the foremost rare person. Why is this person the foremost rare person? Because this person already has no mark of self, no mark of person, no mark of sentient being, and no mark of life span.
In the last five hundred years, when the Buddha dharma is about to perish, the world will be even more turbid and evil, sentient beings' afflictions heavier and their roots of goodness scarcer. If at that time there are still sentient beings who hear the Diamond Sutra, their roots of goodness and merit are very deep; after hearing it they believe and accept it deeply, and moreover realize and understand the vajra mind, protecting and circulating the Diamond Sutra—such a person is one of extremely deep roots of goodness, a very rare, long-cultivating bodhisattva. After realizing the vajra mind and understanding the principle of the emptiness of the five aggregates, this person's mind no longer has the mark of self, the mark of person, the mark of sentient being, and the mark of life span; these marks exist dependent on the five aggregates, and once the five aggregates are seen as empty, the four marks vanish, the marks of virtue manifest, and one becomes a rare sage.
In that age when everyone universally grasps at marks, this person can realize the markless vajra-prajñā mind, the mind free from the four marks, so this person is rare and hard to obtain. After this person realizes ultimate reality, the mind no longer has the mark of the aggregate-self, no longer takes the five aggregates as self—this is one who has eradicated the view of self; at the same time, in his mind the mark of person, which resembles the mark of self, will also be dissolved, no longer taking the mark of person as real. Then this person will know that the marks of the aggregates of sentient beings, similar to the marks of self and person, are also false and unreal, and the mind will thereby abandon the mark of sentient being. Going further, he will observe that the mark of life span, which exists dependent on the aggregates of sentient beings, is also false and unreal. Sentient beings' lifespans, one after another, exist dependent on the illusory five aggregates; since the five aggregates are false, the lifespan is even more false and unreal, and therefore the mark of life span is also extinguished. A person who can be free from these four marks is, in that Dharma-ending age, truly extremely rare and hard to obtain.
Why are the mark of self, the mark of person, the mark of sentient being, and the mark of life span precisely non-marks?
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。
Explanation: Subhūti said: Why is it said that this person can be without the four marks? Because the mark of self is not a truly existing mark, the mark of person is not a truly existing mark, the mark of sentient being is not a truly existing mark, and the mark of life span is also not a truly existing mark; since they are not truly existing marks, the four marks can be severed. Why is this said? Because every Buddha is free from all marks; only one who is free from all marks is named a Buddha.
Why, after realizing the prajñā mind of ultimate reality, does the mind no longer have the four marks and become free from the four marks? Because the mark of self is not a real mark; on the surface it seems to exist, but in fact it is not real. One who has realized ultimate reality will observe the operation of the tathāgatagarbha, observe how the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to the aggregate-self, why it is conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha. When the wisdom deepens further, one will observe that all activities of the five aggregates are the functions of the tathāgatagarbha; the five aggregates themselves have never truly done anything; the dharma of the five aggregates is illusory and unreal, and in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha.
For example, a magician conjures up a five-aggregate body, and this five-aggregate body will have certain capacities and functions, but this five-aggregate body has no reality, and its capacities and functions are not truly existent; it is all the magician's doing. Or again, like a wooden puppet going on stage to perform a play: no matter how the puppet performs on stage, it is not its own doing. Therefore all the puppet's activities are conjured; there is no such thing; in essence it is all the doing of the manipulator 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 person, which resembles the self in the commonality of sentient beings, is also like this; there is no real five-aggregate mark of the commonality of persons. No matter how humans live and act in the world, undertaking various enterprises, there are no real activities of the five aggregates; in essence it is all the tathāgatagarbha nature; therefore the mark of person is a non-mark.
By further analogy, the mark of sentient being, which resembles the mark of 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 five-aggregate activities of sentient beings are like a robot doing work: the robot itself is not autonomous, has no self-mastery, and still requires human assembly and manipulation; therefore the robot cannot truly do any work—it is all the doing of the designer, manufacturer, and operator; the robot merely presents a false appearance to deceive people's eyes. That is why the boss would absolutely never pay wages to a robot, nor reward or punish a 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 enterprises are not done by the five aggregates; the five aggregates are merely a tool. Therefore the mark of sentient being is a non-mark, not real, and not truly existent.
Then the mark of life, the mark of life span, which manifests dependent on the five aggregates of sentient beings, is also a non-mark, not truly existent. The life activities of sentient beings within a period of time, such as breathing, metabolism, eating, drinking, excreting, and so on, on the surface seem truly existent and seem to have real meaning, but in fact they are also false appearances manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, bestowed by the tathāgatagarbha, and in essence also the tathāgatagarbha. No matter how long this lifespan lasts, the essence of the life is the tathāgatagarbha; sentient beings have no real mark of life; therefore the mark of life span is a non-mark.
Why is it said that the four marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span are precisely non-marks, unreal marks? Because the ultimate reality of the dharma realm is free from all marks; having the four marks means being illusory marks, false marks, marks of arising and ceasing, and thus not the ultimate reality of the dharma realm, not the true mark. The ultimate-reality vajra-prajñā indestructible mind, which is the Dharmakāya of all Buddhas, is free from all marks, without the four marks and without any marks whatsoever; therefore the true Buddha is without marks, and the true Buddha also does not preach the dharma. The Buddha free from all marks is the Dharmakāya Buddha of all Buddhas, the Buddha in the true sense; a Buddha with the marks of the five aggregates is the Sambhogakāya Buddha, the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha, and the manifested transformation body Buddha—a Buddha conjured forth by the Dharmakāya Buddha, not the true Buddha.
Why can the four marks vanish? Because the four marks were never truly existing marks in the first place; they are false marks conjured forth by the vajra mind, and therefore they are of a nature of arising and ceasing, empty, unattainable. If they were truly existent marks, they could not be emptied; no matter how hard one strives, one could not make these marks disappear. After realizing and understanding the vajra mind, when encountering conditions and facing objects, one observes in the present that the mark of self arises from the vajra mind, the mark of person arises from the vajra mind, the mark of sentient being arises from the vajra mind, and the mark of life span also arises from the vajra mind; in this way the four marks are gradually extinguished completely, and the wisdom of the empty mark penetrates ever more deeply. Then gradually emptying the other dharma marks as well, when all dharma marks are completely emptied, the Buddha path is accomplished.
Therefore the Buddha said: "Free from all marks—this is named all Buddhas." Here "all Buddhas" has two meanings: one refers to the manifested transformation body Buddhas with five-aggregate bodies; the other refers to the Dharmakāya Buddha. The Dharmakāya Buddha itself, since beginningless kalpas, has always been free from all marks, empty without a single mark, formless and without marks, without the marks of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas; with the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, the true countenance cannot be seen. At this time, the manifested transformation body Buddha is also free from all marks, empties all marks, and does not abide in any marks; only when the manifested transformation body Buddha and the Dharmakāya Buddha are of one mind-nature, equally pure and non-active, are they the Buddhas of perfect merit and virtue.
Original text: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: The World-Honored One told Subhūti: It is so, it is indeed so. If there are people who, after hearing this Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sutra, are not astonished, not terrified, and not afraid, one should know that this person is truly hard to obtain and very rare; he is a person whose roots of goodness and merit are extremely deep.
Why did the World-Honored One speak this way? Because the Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sutra is entirely about the Mahāyāna principle of emptiness, teaching sentient beings to be free from the four marks, free from all marks, and not to grasp at any marks. But sentient beings, since beginningless kalpas, have always been attached to the four marks, grasping at all marks, unwilling to let go. In sentient beings' minds, the attachment to self is deep and heavy, the view of self is deep and heavy; they see all marks as existent and do not see all marks as empty.
Because sentient beings, since beginningless kalpas, have always deeply relied on existence, when they hear the Diamond Sutra speak of emptiness and nonexistence, their minds will certainly be very fearful and terrified, afraid of falling into emptiness and becoming empty and nonexistent, unwilling to throw away the crutch they have relied on since beginningless kalpas, unwilling to become without support or reliance; thus they fear becoming empty and hollow, fear that they will no longer exist. Therefore fear and terror arise in the mind—this is how those with insufficient roots of goodness and merit are, because the kalpas of their cultivation in past lives were short. Conversely, one who hears this sutra speak of being without the four marks and free from the four marks, yet whose mind is not terrified, is one who has already cultivated for a very long time, one whose planted roots of goodness are already very deep. Such a person, upon hearing the Diamond Sutra, is not only unafraid but can also give rise to pure faith, and moreover can realize the vajra-prajñā mind that is free from the four marks. Clearly, such a person is indeed rare and hard to obtain.
