The Profound Meaning of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (Second Edition)

Chapter Thirty: The Majestic Demeanor of Tranquil Purity, Twenty-Nine

So-called majestic demeanor refers to the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings in daily life—coming and going, greeting and seeing off, and so forth. A person of cultivation must make their bodily, verbal, and mental actions dignified and principled, conforming to certain standards. Monastics have the majestic demeanor of monastics; laypeople have the majestic demeanor of laypeople. With different identities come different demeanors, and each sentient being's demeanor must accord with their own identity. This chapter reveals the Buddha's majestic demeanor. The Buddha's demeanor is both the same as and different from that of sentient beings—after all, the Buddha has already cultivated for three great immeasurable kalpas, and His bodily, verbal, and mental actions have been purified to the utmost, perfect and flawless, without the slightest error or blemish, worthy of being a model for humans and gods.

The title of this chapter is "The Majestic Demeanor of Tranquil Purity." In merely four or five characters, it fully reveals the theme and central point of the Diamond Sutra—truly a finishing touch that brings the dragon to life. It echoes from afar the hidden meaning of the World-Honored One's majestic demeanor at the beginning of the Diamond Sutra—donning robes, eating, begging for food, washing His feet—having both principle and phenomenon, complete in both principle and phenomena, pointing out to sentient beings the vajra-indestructible mind within their bodies. Thereby the essence of the Buddha-dharma is fully displayed, transforming sentient beings and leading them into the first meaning of Mahāyāna ultimate reality prajñā, opening the boundless treasury of wisdom within sentient beings.

So what is the hidden meaning of "majestic demeanor of tranquil purity"? The Buddha's eighty thousand majestic demeanors, three thousand subtle practices—donning robes and begging for food, eating and washing His feet, expounding the sutras and teaching the Dharma, transforming sentient beings—these bodily, verbal, and mental actions are clearly all movement, all subsumed under the Buddha's aggregate of volitional formations, which are by nature ceaselessly turbulent, arising and ceasing, changing and mutating. Why then is it still called "tranquil purity"? Here I leave a suspense for everyone, so that you may resolve to explore and discover the heavenly secret within it yourself—I cannot reveal it here.

Let this suspense serve as the questioning doubt of Chan investigation, hanging deeply in the mind—raised in the morning, raised in the evening, raised while eating, raised while washing the feet, raised whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Raising it again and again, one day, with a sudden plop, the mind suddenly becomes greatly illuminated, a skylight opens, the questioning doubt is shattered, and one returns home to sit in stability. From then on, each day one leisurely enjoys one's own treasure—clothes arrive with an outstretched hand, food arrives with an open mouth—no longer campaigning outward, no longer plundering what is not one's own. An age of peace and prosperity thus descends, and finally one ascends to the precious wheel-turning throne, honored alone under heaven as the sovereign self. Excellent! Excellent! What joy there is in this—why not do it!

Original text: 须菩提。若有人言。如来若来若去。若坐若卧。是人不解我所说义。何以故。如来者。无所从来。亦无所去。故名如来。

Explanation: Subhūti, if someone says that the Tathāgata either comes or goes, either sits or lies down—seeing the Tathāgata who comes and goes in these external marks—that person has not truly understood the great meaning of the Buddha-dharma I have been teaching all this time, and thus is deluded by the external marks of the Tathāgata, not seeing the true Tathāgata. Why is this said? Because the true Tathāgata comes from nowhere and goes nowhere—there is no place from which He comes, no place of coming, and no place to which He goes, no place of going. The one who neither comes nor goes, neither arises nor ceases, is called the true Tathāgata.

How compassionate the World-Honored One is! For the sake of sentient beings, He donned the garment of filth and defilement, humbling Himself to come to this turbid and evil world, to reveal to sentient beings the Buddha's knowledge and vision, expounding the sutras and teaching the Dharma without knowing weariness. Here the World-Honored One repeatedly applies the finishing touch, sparing no saliva, His eyebrows dragging on the ground, the corner of His kasāya robe soaked in mud and water—all just to drag sentient beings out of the mire of wrong views, to awaken them into the Buddha's knowledge and vision, and then to share the same vision and practice as the Buddha, never again walking the narrow paths of the wilderness or the perilous places of desolate mountains and wilds.

Sentient beings' habitual tendency to grasp at marks has long since penetrated into the marrow of their bones; the poisonous thorn of wrong views is truly hard to pull out. Helplessly, He, the World-Honored One, must labor to break through marks again and again, using all manner of parables and words to reveal to sentient beings the mind of ultimate reality that has not a single mark. Yet there are still extremely many people who do not see the true markless Tathāgata, but only see the marked Tathāgata coming and going, walking and stopping. But will the coming, going, sitting, and lying marks of the marked Tathāgata not vanish and disappear? After they vanish, where would one see the Tathāgata? From where do these coming, going, sitting, and lying marks come, and to where do they cease? And why is there coming and going, sitting and lying down? Those with a mind must draw a great big question mark here, doubt deeply, and not let it pass.

The Tathāgata's mark of coming manifests as a mark depending on the five-aggregate material body, appears depending on the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses, and is fundamentally the aggregate of volitional formations among the five aggregates. Without the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses, there would be no mark of coming for sentient beings to behold. And where was this mark of coming before it came? On account of what did it come? Because this mark of coming is a conditioned dharma of arising and ceasing, and dharmas of arising and ceasing are all born of causes and conditions—the mark of coming has the gathering of various conditions, born from a cause; with cause and conditions, the mark of coming manifests. When sentient beings behold it, they see only the mark of coming, not knowing whence the mark of coming comes, not knowing the cause of the mark of coming—this is the deluded person grasping at marks, not recognizing the true principle. Because sentient beings grasp at marks and are deluded about the principle, they unite with dust and turn away from awakening, and thus give rise to wearisome afflictions; worldly marks are unceasing, and birth and death are unending. If one wishes to escape the marks of birth and death, what should one do? Of course one must seek the cause that gives rise to the marks, recognize the principle of true suchness, remove delusion and karma, and return to the original state.

The Tathāgata's mark of going manifests as a mark depending on the five aggregates, appears depending on the seven consciousnesses, and is fundamentally the aggregate of volitional formations among the five aggregates. On account of what cause do the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses appear? Before going, there was coming and abiding; before coming and abiding there was a cause, and even when going, the going does not depart from the cause—otherwise it could not go. And after going? The mark vanishes without a trace, yet the cause of going does not perish; because of this, it can go again and again, and come again and again—arising, abiding, changing, ceasing—thus cycling without end. This is vibrant vitality, conditions for arising everywhere, just like a splendid springtime. As for the Tathāgata's marks of sitting and lying, they too are fundamentally the aggregate of volitional formations among the five aggregates, manifesting as marks depending on the material body and the seven consciousnesses, and the material body and seven consciousnesses also have their causes for manifesting marks. By this cause, marks arise and marks cease; sentient beings see only the marks and their arising and ceasing, never seeing the originating cause of the marks' arising and ceasing—deluded by external marks, not recognizing the true principle. Therefore they arise life after life without end, die death after death without cease, drifting and wandering, lost on the road and never returning.

Sentient beings have accumulated such deep delusion that they are hard to turn back; helplessly, He, the World-Honored One, has labored more than eight thousand times to come to this Sahā world, with one hand pointing to heaven and one hand pointing to earth, revealing to sentient beings: "Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am the honored one!" Greatly displaying the Tathāgata's wisdom, virtues, and marks, untying the bonds and removing the fetters for sentient beings, washing away the defilements of wearisome afflictions. Were He not a father of great compassion, who could act thus! If we are the filial children of the Tathāgata, then at the moment the World-Honored One pointed to heaven and earth, we should bare the right shoulder, place the right knee on the ground, press the palms together, and call out: "Our Buddha, the supremely honored Tathāgata—I now behold the true Tathāgata." From then on we can gradually continue the Buddha's work, proclaim the teaching on the Buddha's behalf, draw in sentient beings, remove delusion and reveal wisdom, and enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision. If there can be many such filial children, the Buddha's work will have successors, the Buddha-dharma will shine forth greatly, the ship of compassion will universally ferry across, all under heaven will celebrate together, and the ten directions will together enter the ocean of sarvākārajñatā.

So how are sentient beings to recognize the true principle? The World-Honored One further revealed: "The Tathāgata comes from nowhere and goes nowhere; therefore He is called the Tathāgata." "Comes from nowhere" means there is no place from which the Tathāgata can come—thus there is no place of coming. Yet although there is no place of coming, the Tathāgata nevertheless appears at all times and in all places—though without a body, He is not hidden. The Tathāgata who has no place of coming is therefore unborn, originally present, not depending on other conditions, free and self-mastered—this Tathāgata is the true Tathāgata. "Goes nowhere"—"whither" means a place; there is no place to which He can go, which means He does not cease. Not ceasing means existing at all times and in all places, manifesting at all times and in all places, functioning at all times and in all places—this Tathāgata is the true Tathāgata. The true Tathāgata, without any mark of coming and going, yet comes and goes; though coming and going, He is limpidly unmoving, majestic and dignified, coming in suchness, going in suchness—neither coming nor going, neither arising nor ceasing.

In order to enable sentient beings to recognize the true Tathāgata, the World-Honored One together with Mañjuśrī performed a play to demonstrate to the bhikṣus the true meaning of the Tathāgata. Once, after the bhikṣus had all taken their seats in the lecture hall, the World-Honored One pushed open the door of the lecture hall, and the thirty-two marks of the five aggregates suddenly appeared before the assembly. The World-Honored One then, with the gait of a goose-king, slowly walked to the Dharma seat and gradually sat down cross-legged. After the World-Honored One had finished sitting cross-legged, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, holding a measuring ruler, struck it on the lectern and announced: "The World-Honored One has finished expounding the sutra!" The bhikṣus were just preparing to listen to the World-Honored One bestow the Dharma when suddenly they heard Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva make this announcement—each one was dumbfounded, not knowing what this meant. And regardless of how the bhikṣus stood stunned, the World-Honored One slowly rose from the Dharma seat, walked unhurriedly straight toward the door, then pushed it open and walked out, and the thirty-two marks of the five aggregates thereupon vanished from sight.

Friends, you have now beheld the Tathāgata marks of the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha—the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics, majestic and dignified, grand and resplendent—how adorned! Yet these marks, in the Sahā world, after all remained for only eighty years before disappearing—this certainly cannot be the true Tathāgata. Then where is the true Tathāgata? Which one is it? In fact, the Dharmakāya Tathāgata has never departed from the Nirmāṇakāya Tathāgata. From the very instant the World-Honored One pushed open the door and entered, throughout the entire process until He pushed open the door and exited, the Dharmakāya Tathāgata was continuously manifesting with His faceless countenance. Those with sharp eyes see it directly at that very moment, and with the wisdom eye recognize that He behind the five aggregates. To recognize Him thus—how exhilarating! How effortless! Everyone, cast aside the false marks of the World-Honored One's five aggregates, and try to see that which cannot be cast aside, cannot be separated from, that which has never arisen or ceased, neither coming nor going—that true Tathāgata of the Dharmakāya. A fine horse moves at the sight of the whip's shadow; a wise person, seeing the shadow of the five aggregates, can recognize the true person. Where is the true person? Hah! Right here.