Chapter 25: The Incomparable Merit and Wisdom (Part 24)

Original Text: “Subhūti, if someone were to take the seven precious jewels gathered in quantities as immense as all the Sumeru Kings within a trichiliocosm and use them for charity, and if another person were to receive, uphold, read, recite, and expound to others this Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, even just a four-line verse from it, the merit attained by the latter would surpass that of the former by a hundredfold, a thousandfold, a hundred thousand myriad fold, indeed, beyond all calculation and analogy.”

Explanation: Subhūti, if someone were to gather all the seven precious jewels as numerous as the Sumeru Mountains within a trichiliocosm and give them away in charity, the merit from such an act would be immense. However, if another person receives, upholds, reads, recites this Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, or even just a four-line verse from it, and expounds it to others, the merit attained by the latter far surpasses that of the former. The merit from upholding the sutra exceeds that of giving away jewels as numerous as Sumeru by a hundredfold, a hundred thousand myriad fold, indeed, by immeasurable and incalculable folds. The disparity between them cannot be calculated by any human means of reckoning, nor adequately expressed by any analogy in human language—the difference is far too vast.

A trichiliocosm contains billions or hundreds of billions of Sumeru Mountains. A single Sumeru Mountain is immeasurably larger than Earth, and Earth itself holds countless hills and vast expanses of land. If a person were to give away even just the seven jewels equivalent to a small hill, the merit would already be incalculable—how much more so for giving away jewels equivalent to the entire Earth, or jewels as numerous as Sumeru, or even hundreds of billions of jewels equivalent to Sumeru? The merit attained by such a person could not be calculated even by countless computers. Yet, the Buddha states that even merit this immense is not truly great; it pales in comparison to the merit from receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sutra, falling short by an incomparable and inexpressible margin. Even upholding and reciting just a four-line verse from the Diamond Sutra yields merit surpassing that of giving away jewels as numerous as all the Sumeru Mountains within a trichiliocosm by uncountable multiples. How immense, then, must the merit from upholding and reciting the entire Diamond Sutra be?

As previously explained, only those who have genuinely realized the mind and awakened to the prajñā of true reality possess the capacity to receive and uphold the Diamond Sutra. Only they can truly read and recite it, knowing how to read and recite it correctly. The Diamond Sutra entirely expounds the wisdom and virtues of the prajñā of the true reality mind—its principles are profoundly deep and profound.

Only after realizing the vajra mind, the tathāgatagarbha, can one comprehend the Dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, articulate its intrinsic meaning, accept all its doctrinal principles, and gradually practice according to the principles of the tathāgatagarbha, thereby transforming all mental activities of the deluded consciousness of the seven vijñānas. From then on, the afflictions of the deluded seven consciousnesses gradually diminish, their habitual tendencies gradually fade, and ignorance gradually weakens. Practicing based on the tathāgatagarbha, one comes to understand more profound Dharma principles and all the seed-natures within the tathāgatagarbha. Thus, the ignorance as countless as grains of sand (尘沙无明惑) progressively decreases until it is ultimately exhausted.

The merit from receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sutra is truly difficult to articulate or describe. To offer a small illustration of its vastness: once a bodhisattva realizes the prajñā of true reality and cultivates the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis, they manifest hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of mind-made bodies (意生身) to benefit and bring joy to countless sentient beings, liberating them from the suffering of birth and death. This merit is truly priceless, beyond compare, incalculable, eternally inexhaustible, and infinitely increasing.

In contrast, the merit from giving away jewels as numerous as Sumeru within a great chiliocosm, though immense and incalculable, is still finite and can be exhausted. This merit also cannot counteract negative karma. Moreover, due to ignorance, one might use the blessings of such merit to commit grave misdeeds while enjoying its fruits, thereby incurring retribution according to those misdeeds. When committing misdeeds, the merit itself is diminished and consumed, eventually exhausted through various means. However, the merit a bodhisattva gains from reading, reciting, and upholding the Diamond Sutra not only remains undiminished but increases, accumulating ever more and growing ever greater.

As the bodhisattva’s wisdom continuously increases, their merit multiplies countless times over. When a bodhisattva reaches the eighth bhūmi (八地菩萨), merely by a single thought, they can manifest an entire trichiliocosm filled with seven jewels—far exceeding Sumeru by countless multiples—and give it all away to sentient beings. The merit from this is beyond calculation. The bodhisattva can also manifest countless other material necessities for sentient beings, bestowing them in charity to benefit and bring joy to beings—this merit too is incalculable. Furthermore, the bodhisattva manifests countless分身 (emanations) to liberate immeasurable sentient beings throughout the ten directions. The merit from this need not even be calculated, for it is fundamentally beyond calculation, beyond conception, and inconceivable.

This is the merit attained by an eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva, or even by bodhisattvas before the eighth bhūmi—merit that remains incalculable. When a bodhisattva advances to the stage of an equal enlightenment bodhisattva (等觉菩萨), over a hundred kalpas, they manifest countless great-bodied beings to feed countless sentient beings, relieving their hunger. The merit gained from this is even more unimaginable. Advancing further to Buddhahood, liberating immeasurable sentient beings throughout the ten directions, the merit attained defies calculation even by all sentient beings combined; all words fail to express it. Therefore, the World-Honored One declares that the merit of one who receives, upholds, reads, recites the Diamond Sutra, or even a four-line verse from it, surpasses the merit of one who gives away the seven jewels by immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of folds—far beyond that, truly beyond comparison.

Since receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sutra yields such immense merit, can we then read and recite the Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra? Can we read and recite even a single four-line verse from it? If one can read it, the profound meaning of vajra prajñā will fully manifest. If one cannot read it, can one listen? If one can listen, the profound meaning of vajra prajñā can also be discerned. Why might someone be unable to read it? Because sentient beings regard the act of reading sutras as utterly ordinary, thinking it nothing special—merely producing sounds with the mouth, opening and closing the lips. What is there to it? Those who know how to read it do not think so. Those who know how to read can unveil its profound mysteries; this is the supreme offering to the Buddha. Those who know how to read the sutra can also reveal its profound meaning to sentient beings, guiding them toward correct understanding and dispelling their confusion and darkness. Those who know how to read and recite the sutra are ever-aware in all daily activities, free from delusion and inversion.

For those who do not yet know how to read the Diamond Sutra, I shall now teach you how to read and recite it. Read and recite it thus: D-i-a-m-o-n-d P-r-a-j-ñ-ā P-a-r-a-m-i-t-ā S-ū-t-r-a... Pronounce each word deliberately, with cadence and rhythm, the voice rising and falling, the flow of sound now long, now short. Simultaneously, turn the light of awareness inward to observe the very faculty of reading; seek the source from which the sound arises and falls, and firmly cast upon it a great question mark. If one still cannot read it this way, then train oneself to listen: A-l-l c-o-m-p-o-u-n-d-e-d p-h-e-n-o-m-e-n-a... a-r-e l-i-k-e... a d-r-e-a-m... a m-a-g-i-c-a-l i-l-l-u-s-i-o-n... a b-u-b-b-l-e... a s-h-a-d-o-w... Imagine someone beside you reciting it precisely this way. Then contemplate how they produce the sound—how their tongue, teeth, and lips coordinate, how the sound emerges, and from where it originates.

Then reflect inwardly: D-r-e-a-m... Is all this a dream? Are these sounds a dream? Is the person reciting the sutra before me a dream? Is the very act of reciting and listening to the sutra a dream? I-l-l-u-s-i-o-n... Are all these phenomena illusory? How are the words, the speech, the people, the mind that hears, the sound that is heard—how are they all illusory? B-u-b-b-l-e... Are all these phenomena like a bubble? From where do they emerge? When the bubble bursts, where does it vanish? S-h-a-d-o-w... Are all these phenomena like a shadow? How is this illusory shadow conjured? Who conjured this shadow? How can one seize the master who conjures the shadow?

Once the preliminary groundwork is thoroughly prepared, when conditions are ripe, the truth will naturally be unveiled, the mystery laid bare. One will seize that vajra prajñā true reality mind and realize the tathāgatagarbha. From then on, one will truly know how to read and recite the Diamond Sutra and will be able to receive and uphold it. That will be truly excellent!