The Meaning of "Abiding Nowhere, Yet Arousing the Mind"

Original text of the tenth chapter of the Diamond Sutra: The Buddha said: 庄严佛土者。则非庄严。是名庄严。是故。须菩提。诸菩萨摩诃萨。应如是生清净心。不应住色生心。不应住声香味触法生心。应无所住而生其心。 

Explanation: Previously the Buddha had already told Subhūti that bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should give rise to a pure mind in this way, and therefore they should not give rise to thoughts and mental activity by dwelling on material form (rūpa); in regard to material form, they should see form as not-form, not dwelling on the mark of form. Material form is thus not material form; it is merely called material form. Material form is only a name, with no substantial material form existing. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should also not give rise to thoughts and mental activity by dwelling on sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. In regard to sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas, they should see sound as not-sound, not dwelling on the mark of sound; see smell as not-smell, not dwelling on the mark of smell; see taste as not-taste, not dwelling on the mark of taste; see touch as not-touch, not dwelling on the mark of touch; and see dharmas as not-dharmas, not dwelling on the mark of dharmas. Sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas are thus not sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas; they are merely called sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas. Sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas are only names, with no substantial sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas existing. Therefore the World-Honored One admonished bodhisattva-mahāsattvas not to give rise to mind by dwelling on form, not to give rise to mind by dwelling on sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas, but to give rise to their pure mind while dwelling nowhere. 

Here, "nowhere" refers to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas; dwelling nowhere means not dwelling on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. How should one cultivate a mind that dwells nowhere? This requires attaining the vision of the Path in both the Greater and Lesser Vehicles, and after realizing that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are empty and without self-nature, the minds of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses will then not dwell on the objects of the six sense-objects, no longer attaching to the marks of those objects. This involves a sequence and levels: at the beginning it certainly will not be very firm, and one cannot completely avoid attaching to the marks of objects or dwelling on the six sense-objects. But as long as one has genuinely seen the Path, none of this will be a problem—it is only a matter of time.