Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Division 2 - Subhuti's Request

Subhuti, also known as Shanxian, was foremost among Śākyamuni Buddha’s disciples in understanding emptiness. While still in his mother’s womb, he realized that all phenomena are empty and quiescent. This was due to the profound roots of goodness accumulated over many kalpas in past lives. He remained unconfused and undisturbed throughout his conception, gestation, and birth. At the moment of his birth, all the treasures in his household vanished, only to reappear spontaneously several days later, demonstrating that everything is empty, and what appears to exist is merely illusory. He was honored as Elder Subhuti. "Elder" refers to one who possesses prestige and virtue among the assembly, one who is not afflicted by the three poisons. Subhuti attained the fruition of an arhat by cultivating the emptiness method of the Hinayana. However, when the World-Honored One expounded the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Subhuti turned his mind toward the Mahayana and embarked on the bodhisattva path. When the Buddha expounded sutras, he always relied on a specific circumstance as an introduction, using it as a pretext to deliver a sutra. It was rare for him to expound a sutra without being requested, unless it was exceptionally important. This sutra was requested by Subhuti.

Original Text: At that time, the Elder Subhuti, amidst the great assembly, arose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms respectfully, and addressed the Buddha, saying: “How rare, World-Honored One! The Tathāgata skillfully protects and is mindful of all bodhisattvas; he skillfully entrusts and instructs all bodhisattvas.”

Explanation: The World-Honored One had just finished his meal and sat in full lotus posture. Subhuti then arose from his seat amidst the assembly, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, joined his palms respectfully, and asked the Buddha: “Rare and hard to encounter, World-Honored One! The Tathāgata has always skillfully protected and been mindful of all bodhisattvas; he has always skillfully entrusted and instructed all bodhisattvas.”

Why is the World-Honored One so rare and hard to encounter?

Subhuti first praised the World-Honored One as the rarest and hardest-to-encounter sage in the world. The World-Honored One is indeed rare. Only one Buddha appears in a trichiliocosm. A small world consists of one sun and moon, extending from the hells beneath the four great oceans up to the earth, Mount Sumeru, and the six heavens of the desire realm. A thousand small worlds plus the heavens of the first dhyāna in the form realm constitute a small chiliocosm. A thousand small chiliocosms plus the heavens of the second dhyāna constitute a medium chiliocosm. A thousand medium chiliocosms plus the heavens from the third dhyāna upwards constitute a great chiliocosm. In such a vast world, there is only one Buddha. Moreover, the duration of a Buddha’s manifestation in the world is extremely brief, and the interval between two successive Buddhas is very long. Only between Śākyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Buddha is the interval the shortest, being 5.67 billion years. For others, the intervals are much longer; often, for many great kalpas or even dozens of great kalpas, not a single Buddha appears, and sometimes even longer periods pass without a Buddha’s advent. From this, it is evident that the World-Honored One is truly rare and hard to encounter.

The title "Tathāgata" is spoken from the perspective of the nature of sentient beings. The Tathāgata comes from tathatā (suchness). Tathatā is the true and unmoving nature. Where there is tathatā, there is the Tathāgata; where there is no tathatā, there is no Tathāgata. Within the Tathāgatagarbha of a Buddha, the ignorance of the seven evolving consciousnesses is completely severed; it is no longer subject to defilement and no longer undergoes change, thus it is called the tathatā of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. However, the Tathāgatagarbha of sentient beings contains the seeds of unwholesome karma, the seeds of momentary ignorance, beginningless ignorance, and sand-grain-like ignorance, as well as the seeds of segmental birth-and-death and changeable birth-and-death; it is also called the storehouse consciousness. Through cultivation, the unwholesome karmic seeds in the Tathāgatagarbha of sentient beings continuously decrease, while wholesome karmic seeds continuously increase; ignorance gradually diminishes, while clarity gradually grows. The entire Tathāgatagarbha undergoes constant change; therefore, it is not yet truly "thus" (tathatā) and differs from the Buddha’s tathatā to some extent.

However, the essence of the Tathāgatagarbha is unmoving. When form comes, it does not see; when sound comes, it does not hear; when smell comes, it does not smell; when taste comes, it does not taste; when tactile objects come, it does not touch; when dharmas (mental objects) come, it does not know. It remains completely unmoved by the six dusts (objects of the senses), never giving rise to a single thought, never being turned by the six dusts, possessing true reality and suchness. The Tathāgatagarbha is sometimes also called tathatā; its self-nature remains unchanged, hence it is called the unchanging tathatā. The Tathāgatagarbha itself is like a clean cup, while the seven evolving consciousnesses are like the water in the cup. The water can be pure or defiled, thus the cup-water is categorized as undefiled or defiled. For sentient beings, the seven evolving consciousnesses are defiled; the seeds reside in this cup of the true mind, causing the true mind to contain defilements. The water poured out is thus polluted water. Therefore, the true mind of sentient beings is called Tathāgatagarbha, Ālayavijñāna, Vipākavijñāna, and so forth. The true mind of a Buddha, being undefiled, is called the Amalavijñāna (Undefiled Consciousness). Cultivation means purifying the seven evolving consciousnesses and eradicating ignorance. To eradicate ignorance, one must study the principles of the Tathāgatagarbha; complete mastery of these principles leads to Buddhahood.

How does the Tathāgata skillfully protect and remain mindful of all bodhisattvas?

A sentient being begins cultivation from the Ten Faith Stages of an ordinary person, progressing through the Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, Ten Transferences, Ten Grounds, Equal Enlightenment, and Wonderful Enlightenment—fifty-two stages in total. At every stage, the blessings, protection, and mindfulness of the Buddha are indispensable. Otherwise, one would be obstructed by karmic hindrances and unable to advance in cultivation. Therefore, the Buddha’s grace is vast and boundless; only by attaining Buddhahood can one repay it. Can the Buddha protect and remain mindful of so many sentient beings? Yes, because the Buddha is also called Sarvajñā (Omniscient One). His wisdom and virtuous capabilities are perfectly complete. He knows every phenomenon of the mundane and supramundane without exception. He knows the thoughts of every sentient being in the ten directions. He knows the events of every sentient being throughout countless kalpas. He even knows the exact number of raindrops falling simultaneously throughout the ten directions. Since the Buddha knows the minds of sentient beings, he can protect and support their cultivation, helping them overcome every obstacle until they attain Buddhahood.

Bodhisattvas, starting from the Ten Faith Stages, cultivate faith in the Three Jewels, learn about the Buddha’s thirty-two major marks and eighty minor characteristics, the causes and conditions for cultivating the bodhisattva path over kalpas, the merits contained in the Buddha’s ten epithets, and the scope of a Buddha-land’s formation, thereby giving rise to an aspiration for them. They then learn the general meaning of the Tripitaka and the twelve divisions of the scriptures taught by the Buddha, the meaning of the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, and then learn about the Sangha Jewel—what constitutes an ordinary monastic, a supporting monastic, a noble monastic, as well as the Three Jewels in One and the Three Jewels of Self-Nature. Thus, they progress from blind faith to reverent faith, then to correct faith—believing that the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha truly exist throughout the ten directions, that all sentient beings in the ten directions possess the true suchness of the Buddha-nature and can attain Buddhahood, and that they themselves can also attain Buddhahood. When they possess full confidence in attaining Buddhahood, the Ten Faith Stages are perfected. The time required for this depends on the depth of one’s roots of goodness, merit, virtue, and diligence. All of this cultivation is inseparable from the Buddha’s protection.

After perfecting this stage, the Buddha protects and remains mindful of the bodhisattva as they enter the cultivation of the Three Worthies Stages. Starting from the First Abode, they cultivate generosity, accumulating the provisions of merit and virtue to prepare for realizing the mind and seeing the nature. In the Second Abode, they cultivate moral precepts, ceasing evil and cultivating goodness, purifying their minds, and refraining from false grasping. In the Third Abode, they cultivate patience, including patience toward worldly dharmas, people, affairs, and objects, and patience toward the principle of the unborn Dharma of the Tathāgatagarbha in the Mahayana. In the Fourth Abode, they cultivate diligence, diligently practicing generosity, moral precepts, patience, and meditative concentration. In the Fifth Abode, they cultivate meditative concentration, enabling the mind to abide stably in a single state and in the principles of both Hinayana and Mahayana, attaining the concentration before reaching the dhyānas (anāgamya-samādhi), gaining the ability to contemplate the emptiness of the Hinayana and the empty nature of the mind in the Mahayana. In the Sixth Abode, they cultivate prajñā wisdom. When this is relatively perfected, they realize the mind. Upon giving rise to the contemplation of illusion, they understand that all dharmas are illusory, knowing that all phenomena are like illusory transformations conjured by a magician, or like clouds and mist in the sky—insubstantial.

After completing the Ten Abodes, they enter the Ten Practices Stages, attaining the contemplation of mirages, perceiving all dharmas as illusory as a mirage. The phenomenon of a mirage is like this: when the sun shines on the sand, the heat rising creates an illusory scene, appearing as buildings, carriages, horses, and people, with horses and people even seeming to move, yet upon approaching, nothing is there. The phenomenon of shimmering heat haze (mṛgatṛṣṇā) is like this: a thirsty deer, seeing the sand from afar, mistakenly perceives a river; running toward it, it finds not a single drop of water on the sand. Sentient beings are like that thirsty deer, falsely perceiving all dharmas.

After perfecting this dharma, passing the Chan school’s third barrier—the barrier of birth and death—they enter the Ten Transferences Stages, cultivating the contemplation of dreamlikeness, realizing that all dharmas are like a dream. While dreaming, all people, things, and events in the dream seem real. Thus, within the dream, one experiences joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, grasping and clinging to the dream. Upon awakening, not even a hair can be found, yet tears of mixed sorrow and joy may still stain the cheeks. Sentient beings in their waking state are exactly like being in a dream, utterly unaware of the falsity and unreality of the world. They come and go within the dream, simply not awakening. At this stage, after further cultivating some knowledge of the path, they enter the First Ground, becoming noble ones. One-third of the path to Buddhahood is complete.

Throughout this entire cultivation process, bodhisattvas, life after life, have never been without the blessings, protection, and mindfulness of all Buddhas. When a bodhisattva becomes attached to worldly pleasures and forgets cultivation, the Buddha uses impermanence to warn them. When a bodhisattva must leave home to cultivate, the Buddha secretly obstructs their worldly paths. When a bodhisattva becomes engrossed in the Hinayana, the Buddha guides them toward the Mahayana path. When a bodhisattva gains the ability to deliver beings, the Buddha arranges for them to go to worlds in the ten directions where they have affinities to deliver beings. When a bodhisattva accidentally falls into the three evil destinies, the Buddha personally or sends other bodhisattvas to rescue them. When a bodhisattva attains the fourth fruition of arhatship and is about to enter nirvana, the Buddha skillfully persuades them to remain in the world to benefit themselves and others until Buddhahood, not entering nirvana. All these are the Buddha’s protection, mindfulness, entrustment, and instruction for the bodhisattvas. The Buddha’s compassion surpasses that of parents by billions upon billions of times, beyond description. The Buddha’s kindness and virtue cannot be fully expressed or praised.

This is the protection and mindfulness bestowed by the form bodies (Nirmāṇakāya and Saṃbhogakāya) of the Buddha upon sentient beings. Most crucial is the protection and mindfulness of the Dharma Body Buddha (Dharmakāya). That protection and mindfulness is extraordinary and indispensable. During the bodhisattvas’ cultivation over three great asamkhyeya kalpas, the Dharma Body Buddha within themselves—their own Tathāgata—protects and remains mindful of them constantly, without separation for even an instant. It provides all the seeds needed for their cultivation of the path, storing all the seeds of their path-accomplishments gained through cultivation, without the slightest loss or omission. Only when the wholesome karmic seeds are fully perfected can the bodhisattva accomplish the Buddha Way.

Original Text: “World-Honored One, if virtuous men and virtuous women develop the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (supreme perfect enlightenment), how should they abide? How should they subdue their minds?” The Buddha said: “Excellent, excellent, Subhuti! It is as you have said: the Tathāgata skillfully protects and is mindful of all bodhisattvas; he skillfully entrusts and instructs all bodhisattvas. Now listen attentively; I shall explain it to you. Virtuous men and virtuous women who develop the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi should abide thus, and subdue their minds thus.” “Yes, World-Honored One, I am eager to hear.”

Explanation: Subhuti further asked: “World-Honored One, when virtuous men and virtuous women develop the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, how should they abide? How should they subdue their minds?” The World-Honored One replied: “Excellent, Subhuti! It is precisely as you have said: the Tathāgata indeed skillfully protects and is mindful of all bodhisattvas; he skillfully entrusts and instructs all bodhisattvas. Now listen carefully; I shall explain it to you. After virtuous men and virtuous women have developed the bodhicitta for attaining Buddhahood, they should abide thus and subdue their minds thus.” Subhuti then expressed: “Very well, World-Honored One, I am most willing to listen to your explanation.”