Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Dharmakaya Transcends Form (Section Twenty-Six)

Original Text: “Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be perceived by means of the thirty-two marks?” Subhuti said, “So it is, so it is. The Tathagata can be perceived by the thirty-two marks.” The Buddha said, “Subhuti, if the Tathagata could be perceived by the thirty-two marks, then a Wheel-Turning Sacred King would be the Tathagata.” Subhuti said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, as I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has said, one should not perceive the Tathagata by the thirty-two marks.”

Explanation: Subhuti, what do you think? Should sentient beings perceive the Tathagata based on the thirty-two marks? Subhuti replied: Yes, that is so. Sentient beings perceive the Tathagata precisely by the thirty-two marks. If one possessing the thirty-two marks is the Tathagata, then one without them is not. The World-Honored One said: Subhuti, if the Tathagata could be perceived by the thirty-two marks, then a Wheel-Turning Sacred King, who also possesses the thirty-two marks, would be the Tathagata. Subhuti said to the World-Honored One: As I understand the Dharma meaning taught by you, World-Honored One, sentient beings should not perceive the Tathagata by the thirty-two marks. For those who have not yet attained Buddhahood, if they cultivate great blessings and virtues, they may also manifest the thirty-two marks. This could easily lead to mistaken understanding, mistaking the false for the true, and failing to recognize the true Buddha.

The true Buddha is formless; that which has form is not the true Buddha. With great compassion, the World-Honored One here not only once again dispels attachment to form for sentient beings but also reveals the formless Tathagata. Thus, sentient beings engaged in Chan practice will no longer mistakenly seek forms. As previously stated, the true Tathagata, the Dharmakaya Tathagata, possesses no mark whatsoever. The thirty-two marks cultivated over three great immeasurable kalpas are attained by the Sambhogakaya Buddha and the Nirmanakaya Buddha. The Dharmakaya Buddha remains utterly formless, attaining not a single dharma. Since the entire Diamond Sutra expounds upon the formless Vajra Mind Tathagatagarbha—the future Dharmakaya of sentient beings—the World-Honored One, from beginning to end, reveals to sentient beings how to realize the formless Dharmakaya. Therefore, the World-Honored One consistently explains the formless Dharmakaya Tathagata, guiding sentient beings to awaken to the true reality of all dharmas.

From the very beginning, the World-Honored One has continuously dispelled attachments to form for sentient beings, so that they may all turn towards the formless Dharmakaya Tathagata, become attuned to the reality-mind Dharmakaya Tathagata, and, through Chan practice, clearly realize their own utterly unadorned master, thereby finding the path home and attaining a place of rest. The World-Honored One deliberately asked Subhuti whether seeing the true Buddha depends on perceiving the thirty-two marks. Subhuti also deliberately replied that sentient beings indeed perceive the Tathagata based on the thirty-two marks. This prompted the World-Honored One to explain specifically why one cannot perceive the Tathagata through the thirty-two marks, and why the thirty-two marks are not true forms and do not correspond to the Dharmakaya Tathagata.

In fact, is he the Tathagata? Here the World-Honored One specifically explains that one possessing the thirty-two marks is not the true Tathagata. The thirty-two excellent marks are attained through the cultivation of blessings. A Wheel-Turning Sacred King possesses immense blessings and virtues and also has the thirty-two marks, yet he is far from being a Buddha. Even the demon king Papiyas can manifest the thirty-two marks, impersonating Shakyamuni Buddha. Bodhisattvas of the eighth ground and above can also manifest the thirty-two marks and appear in Buddha form to liberate sentient beings. Therefore, for sentient beings seeking to realize the true mind and attain Buddhahood, they must perceive the true Buddha, the Dharmakaya Tathagata. Yet the true Tathagata has no thirty-two marks; one possessing the thirty-two marks is not the true Buddha, the true Tathagata.

Original Text: At that time, the World-Honored One spoke this verse: “If one sees me in form, / If one seeks me in sound, / This person walks the wrong path, / And cannot see the Tathagata.”

Explanation: Hearing Subhuti speak thus, the World-Honored One uttered a verse: If one perceives me, the Tathagata, by form, if one seeks me, the Tathagata, by sound, this person is walking a wrong path, not the right path, and thus cannot perceive the true Tathagata.

This is the famous four-line verse from the Diamond Sutra. The World-Honored One tells us that to realize the Dharmakaya Tathagata, one must transcend the marks of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas (the six dusts). Do not perceive the Tathagata by the marks of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas, for the Tathagata has no marks of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. Therefore, perceiving the Tathagata cannot be done with the eyes or ears. What the eyes see are forms, not the Tathagata. What the ears hear are sounds, not the Tathagata. These marks are all contrary to the Tathagata. One must abandon these marks, exclude these marks, in order to perceive the true Tathagata. The so-called abandoning and excluding does not mean destroying these marks, but rather polishing the eye of the mind, not mistaking these marks for truth, and within these false marks, recognizing that true and precious pearl—the Tathagatagarbha. This is walking the right path; only then can one perceive the Tathagata and attain the Buddha Way.

So how exactly does one perceive the Tathagata? Everyone, watch me waving my hand to summon you: Come quickly to the sutra hall to chant the sutra! When you see me wave, do not cling to the illusory form of my five fingers, do not cling to the marks of my five aggregates’ activity. Set aside these illusory marks of the five aggregates, and within these illusions, seek that which is not illusory and also without marks—the wish-fulfilling jewel. It dwells within the mountain of the five aggregates, moving up and down, in and out, back and forth. Yet, though seemingly active, it is thusness itself, unmoving. It has no mark of going up or down, no mark of coming in or out, no mark of going back and forth. It neither ascends nor descends, neither enters nor exits, neither comes nor goes. Within the mountain of the five aggregates, it busies itself inside and out, for immeasurable kalpas, never ceasing, yet never feeling busy or weary, like the Tathagata coming and going. It seems to come, it seems to go, yet in truth, it neither comes nor goes, fundamentally abiding in thusness. So how does one perceive the Tathagata? Watch me wave again: Come, come, come to chant the sutra!

Here there are no marks of the five aggregates, no marks of sentient beings, no marks of ordinary people, no marks of bodhisattvas, no thirty-two marks, no forms, no sounds, no marks of the six dusts. Excluding these marks is the mark of the Tathagata. Open your eyes wide and search carefully within these illusory marks!