Chapter Twenty-Three: No Dharma Attained, Part Twenty-Two

Original Text: Subhuti addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, has the Tathagata attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi? Is it that he has actually attained nothing?" The Buddha replied: "So it is, so it is, Subhuti. As to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, there is not even the slightest dharma that I could attain. Therefore, it is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi."

Explanation: Subhuti said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, you have attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, becoming the Unsurpassed, Right and Perfect Enlightenment, yet even so, it is actually non-attainment. Is this so?" The World-Honored One said: "It is so, truly so, Subhuti. As you have said, although I have accomplished anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I have indeed not attained even the slightest, most minute dharma—not a single dharma. I have only exhausted all ignorance. Only when there is no dharma to attain can one become the Unsurpassed, Right and Perfect Enlightenment. Yet this is merely nominally called the realization of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi; this fruition is but a name.

Such a conclusion, if not spoken by the Buddha himself, would leave sentient beings filled with doubt and disbelief, even leading to slander. For sentient beings all believe that since the Buddha has already become a Buddha, he must have attained immeasurable, boundless, and countless dharmas to achieve Buddhahood—that he must have attained all dharmas, worldly and transcendental, to become a Buddha; otherwise, he could not have become one. Even when becoming a bodhisattva, one must attain many dharmas to become a bodhisattva; otherwise, one remains an ordinary being. Even ordinary beings constantly waver between gain and loss; it is not that they attain nothing at all.

In what aspects do sentient beings perceive the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and themselves as having attained something? Naturally, sentient beings know the Buddha has attained something in terms of appearances, know that bodhisattvas have attained something, and know the gains and losses of ordinary sentient beings. So, what dharmas do sentient beings believe the Buddha attained upon enlightenment in terms of appearances? First, observing the Buddha's physical body: upon attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha obtained the perfect Reward Body, Response Body, and immeasurable, countless Transformation Bodies. He attained the majestic and wondrous form adorned with the thirty-two major marks and eighty minor characteristics. Thus, the Buddha manifests whatever form is suitable to liberate beings and expounds the Dharma accordingly.

In terms of lands, the Buddha attained countless pure and majestic, supremely wondrous Buddha-lands, with immeasurable, boundless disciples following and studying with him. Through arduous cultivation over three great asamkhyeya kalpas, the Buddha cultivated immeasurable samadhis, acquired immeasurable spiritual powers and abilities, and subdued all celestial demons and non-Buddhist paths. Most importantly, the Buddha attained the Wisdom of All Modes (sarvajñā-jñāna), obtaining the supreme and wondrous great wisdom. Not a single dharma, worldly or transcendental, remains unknown to him. Thus, he can expound the Tripitaka and the twelve divisions of the scriptures according to his own will at any time, revealing the entirety of the Buddha Dharma.

These dharmas and merits attained by the Buddha are spoken of in the most general terms; elaborating in detail would take a hundred great kalpas and still remain incomplete. However, these merits, these dharmas, were not possessed by the Buddha when he was an ordinary being. They were gradually accumulated bit by bit, starting from the state of an ordinary being. That is to say, these dharmas and merits attained by the Buddha arose from nothing, growing from little to much, progressing from incompleteness to perfect completeness. What does this illustrate? It illustrates that these dharmas, arising from nothing, are produced. Since they are produced, they are not originally existent. Not being originally existent means they are illusory; being illusory, they are unreal. Since they are illusory and unreal, they cannot be truly attained. It is like ice obtained by a stove—utterly unobtainable; like flowers in the sky—utterly unobtainable; like the heat haze in summer—utterly unobtainable; like objects in a dream—utterly unobtainable; like the son of a barren woman—utterly unobtainable; like foam on water—utterly unobtainable...

These dharma appearances can be known in terms of their characteristics; they all have forms. But where do these forms come from? They all arise from the Buddha's reality-mark mind, the immaculate consciousness (amala-vijñāna). They are all manifested and illusorily produced by the immaculate consciousness. The Buddha's cultivation over three great asamkhyeya kalpas stored every bit of merit as seeds within his causal-ground mind, the Tathagatagarbha, without any omission. When conditions matured, the karmic retribution continuously manifested. What manifested were appearances, produced by the Tathagatagarbha. Thus, these appearances are all false, subject to arising and ceasing, illusory—not real dharmas. The real dharma is only the Tathagatagarbha, which is neither born nor extinguished, or called the Buddha's immaculate consciousness—eternally true, blissful, self, and pure. All else is unreal, being illusory manifestations and appearances of the true.

Furthermore, from another perspective, who attains these illusory dharma appearances? Let us examine what constitutes the Buddha. The Buddha is also composed of body and mind. The Buddha's body is likewise formed by the four great elements. Although adorned with immeasurable marks and characteristics, it is without perception or knowledge. When conditions are exhausted, the four great elements disperse, and the physical body vanishes. Since the physical body itself is not even self-sovereign, how could it obtain dharmas from outside? Moreover, it is not the mind; how could it obtain dharmas? The Buddha's mind has eight consciousnesses: Great Mirror Wisdom (the eighth consciousness), Equality Wisdom (the seventh consciousness), Wonderful Observing Wisdom (the sixth consciousness), and Accomplishing Wisdom (the first five consciousnesses). The Buddha's Great Mirror Wisdom, the eighth consciousness, is a mind of non-attainment; it attains no dharmas whatsoever. Because it inherently possesses all dharmas in full, lacking nothing at all, and all dharmas arise from itself, originating from itself, it does not "attain" itself again. Moreover, since everything originally belongs to itself, what is there to attain?

The Buddha's seven consciousnesses, although minds capable of attainment, have reached complete non-action (unconditioned state). The inner mind is utterly empty and pure, no longer craving to attain any dharma, nor perceiving that the mind itself has attained anything. Furthermore, although the Buddha's seven consciousnesses have transformed into wisdom, with seeds thoroughly purified and not a trace of ignorance remaining, they are still generated by the outflow of seeds from the Buddha's immaculate consciousness. Therefore, they are illusory and subject to birth and cessation. Since they are subject to birth and cessation, they are non-self-sovereign dharmas. Thus, since the seven consciousnesses themselves are not even self-sovereign or attainable, how much less can they attain other dharmas? If the Buddha's seven consciousnesses perceived any dharma as attainable, the mind would not be empty and pure. If the mind is not empty and pure, one cannot attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the Buddha's seven consciousnesses also attain no dharmas whatsoever.

Although the Buddha accomplished anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and attained immeasurable, supremely wondrous dharmas, in terms of dharmas, he truly attained nothing. Regarding the dharma of accomplishing the Buddha Way, both the process and the result are perfectly accomplished by the Buddha's Tathagatagarbha, the immaculate consciousness. Every dharma is illusorily manifested through the cooperation of the Tathagatagarbha immaculate consciousness and the seven consciousnesses. All are accomplished by the Tathagatagarbha immaculate consciousness; all are of the nature of Tathagatagarbha, inherently non-existent as real entities. Therefore, the accomplishment of the Buddha Way is merely named anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Thus, anuttara-samyak-sambodhi is merely a name; in essence, it is an illusory manifestation of the immaculate consciousness.

In summary, the Buddha became a Buddha precisely because of non-attainment; only by attaining not a single dharma could he become a Buddha. If one believes there is a dharma to be attained, one cannot become a Buddha. Why is this said? The Buddha became a Buddha through great wisdom, unsurpassed wisdom. How did the Buddha's wisdom arise? Starting as an ordinary being, the Buddha cultivated over three great asamkhyeya kalpas, gradually exhausting all ignorance. Each time a type of ignorance was eliminated, a kind of clarity manifested. As darkness in the mind vanished partially, a portion of light appeared—this light is wisdom. When all ignorance is extinguished, the Wisdom of All Modes appears. Therefore, the Buddha's unsurpassed wisdom, unequalled wisdom, was not acquired or obtained; it manifested through the exhaustion of ignorance and the removal of obscurations. That is to say, becoming a Buddha is not about attaining some dharma, but rather attaining no dharmas at all. By removing all obscurations, the light of the mind naturally manifests. Therefore, when each of us studies the Buddha and practices, our aim is to eliminate ignorance, not necessarily to attain something. The mind that seeks attainment is itself ignorance, an obscuration that hinders the manifestation of wisdom.