Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: Born from Dharma, Part Eight

Original Text: Subhuti, what do you think? If someone were to fill the three thousand great thousand worlds with the seven precious treasures and use them for almsgiving, would the merit and virtue obtained by this person be great? Subhuti said: Very great, World-Honored One. Why is this? Because this merit and virtue is not the nature of merit and virtue. Therefore, the Tathagata speaks of it as great merit and virtue. If, again, there is someone who receives, upholds, even as little as a four-line verse from this sutra, and expounds it to others, the merit and virtue of this person surpasses that of the former. Why is this? Subhuti, all Buddhas and the Dharma of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi of all Buddhas arise from this sutra. Subhuti, what is called the Buddhadharma is not Buddhadharma.

Explanation: Subhuti, what do you think? If someone were to offer as alms the seven precious treasures filling the three thousand great thousand worlds, would the merit and virtue obtained by this person not be very great? Subhuti said: It would be extremely great, World-Honored One. Why is this so? Because this act of almsgiving yields merit and virtue, not the nature of merit and virtue. The nature of merit and virtue has no distinction of quantity, therefore the Tathagata speaks of it as great merit and virtue. The Buddha said that if there is someone who receives and upholds even as little as a four-line verse from this Diamond Sutra and expounds it to others, the merit and virtue obtained would be far more supreme than that from offering the seven precious treasures. Why is this so? Subhuti, all Buddhas and the Dharma by which all Buddhas attain Buddhahood arise from this sutra (the Diamond Mind). Subhuti, what is called the Buddhadharma is not an inherently existent Dharma; it is merely conventionally designated as Buddhadharma.

The seven precious treasures of the three thousand great thousand worlds include the seven precious treasures of the human world on Jambudvipa (the southern continent on Earth), the seven precious treasures of Uttarakuru (the northern continent), Aparagodaniya (the western continent), and Purvavideha (the eastern continent); the seven precious treasures of the palaces of the Dragon Kings of the Four Great Seas; the seven precious treasures of the Seven Golden Mountains; the seven precious treasures of Mount Sumeru; the seven precious treasures of the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings; the seven precious treasures of the Trayastrimsha Heaven; the seven precious treasures of the Yama Heaven; the seven precious treasures of the Tushita Heaven; the seven precious treasures of the Nirmanarati Heaven; the seven precious treasures of the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven; and the seven precious treasures of the eighteen heavens of the Form Realm. A single three thousand great thousand world contains one billion sets of the four continents, one billion sets of the Four Great Seas, one billion sets of the Seven Golden Mountains, one billion Mount Sumerus, one billion Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings, one billion Trayastrimsha Heavens, one billion Yama Heavens, one billion Tushita Heavens, one billion Nirmanarati Heavens, one billion Paranirmitavasavartin Heavens, one billion heavens of the First Dhyana, one million heavens of the Second Dhyana, one thousand heavens of the Third Dhyana, plus the heavens of the Fourth Dhyana, the Five Pure Abodes, the Four Formless Heavens, and the four heavens of the Formless Realm.

The seven precious treasures of so many celestial bodies, mountains, and seas are beyond calculation. If they were all given away as alms, the resulting merit and virtue would likewise be immeasurable. However, such acts of giving material treasures are all conditioned dharmas, subject to arising and ceasing, and are thus finite dharmas that can be exhausted, consumed, and used up. Serving as a heavenly lord in the heavens of the Desire Realm for several lifetimes or dozens of lifetimes, dwelling in heavenly palaces and enjoying pleasures with heavenly sons and maidens, one's merit and virtue will eventually be exhausted. Afterward, one becomes a destitute being devoid of merit, with a high likelihood of falling into the three lower realms. In contrast, there is unconditioned merit, which is never exhausted, never diminished. This is the nature of merit and virtue inherent in the Tathagatagarbha.

The Tathagatagarbha contains the seeds of the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind. These seeds combine in various proportions to form the seven precious treasures, hundreds of treasures, and countless jewels. The seven precious treasures of the three thousand great thousand worlds, the Seven Golden Mountains, Mount Sumeru, the Four Great Seas, the heavenly palaces, the entire three thousand great thousand world, and the buddha-lands of the ten directions all originate from the Tathagatagarbha of sentient beings. The physical bodies of all sentient beings, the physical bodies of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas, and the physical bodies of Buddhas all originate from their respective Tathagatagarbha. The merit and virtue of the Tathagatagarbha is immeasurable, beyond calculation; the merit and virtue it bestows upon sentient beings is boundless, infinite, and incalculable. Conditioned merit and virtue can be calculated and thus spoken of as great or vast. The unconditioned nature of merit and virtue of the Tathagatagarbha cannot be calculated; it cannot be expressed or analogized using terms like "much" or "great." However much one speaks of is little; however vast one speaks of is small. Anything quantifiable is small. Only that which is immeasurable, beyond expression, is the greatest and most vast. Therefore, unconditioned merit far surpasses conditioned merit.

So how does one cultivate this unconditioned merit? The Buddha said that if someone can study the Diamond Sutra, receive its true meaning, and after realizing the Diamond Mind, expound it to others—even if only able to explain a single four-line verse from the sutra—the merit and virtue obtained would far surpass that of giving the seven precious treasures. The Diamond Sutra expounds upon this indestructible, diamond-like essential nature of the Tathagatagarbha. The Tathagatagarbha possesses the true and pure nature of being unconditioned, non-abiding, signless, unborn, and unceasing. Realizing it, one attains fundamental non-discriminating wisdom. Then, by contemplating the various merits of the Tathagatagarbha, one attains discriminating wisdom, also called subsequent wisdom. As wisdom gradually deepens and sharpens, merit and virtue gradually increase. By further studying the seed functions contained within the Tathagatagarbha, upon attaining a portion of the wisdom of the path (path-knowledge), one enters the First Ground and becomes a noble sage.

The more seed functions of the Tathagatagarbha one cultivates, the broader and deeper one's wisdom becomes. Upon reaching the Eighth Ground, without needing deliberate effort, one can directly and swiftly manifest all required material objects—mountains, rivers, lands, gold, silver, jewels, etc.—and can manifest a three thousand great thousand world buddha-land, as well as initiate immeasurable spiritual powers and samadhis to benefit sentient beings. The higher one advances in practice, the deeper the wisdom, the greater the virtues and powers, the more numerous the emanations, and the more sentient beings are delivered. After achieving Buddhahood, wisdom becomes boundless and merit and virtue immeasurable. All of this is initiated based on the realization of the Tathagatagarbha. All virtues, powers, functions, spiritual powers, and samadhis arise from the Tathagatagarbha. Without realization, there is no true merit, benefit, great wisdom, or great merit and virtue.

The Buddha told Subhuti why, after realization, expounding it to others yields merit and virtue surpassing that of giving the seven precious treasures. It is because all Buddhas and the Buddhadharma spoken by all Buddhas arise from this Diamond Mind Tathagatagarbha. By studying the seed functions of the Tathagatagarbha based on realizing it, one can gradually achieve the Buddha Way and perfect bodhi. The seeds of wholesome dharmas cultivated by all Buddhas over three great asamkhyeya kalpas are stored within their own Tathagatagarbha, with ignorance completely extinguished. All Buddhas attained Buddhahood precisely because they realized the Tathagatagarbha. Then, expounding all dharmas for attaining Buddhahood to sentient beings, the dharmas spoken also flow forth from the Tathagatagarbha within the Buddhas' own minds.

The Buddha said to Subhuti: "What is called the Buddhadharma is not Buddhadharma." This statement directly addresses the main theme, becoming the central sentence of this chapter. All dharmas for attaining Buddhahood spoken by the Buddha are what is called Buddhadharma. It is a conventional designation applied to the dharmas spoken by the Buddha. The dharmas spoken by the Buddha are the dharma-seeds cultivated by the Buddha, stored within the Buddha's Tathagatagarbha, and expounded relying on various conditions. These dharma-seeds were stored later; they are formed subsequently, not inherent dharmas. After the Buddha expounds them, they become dharmas born of conditions, not inherently existent, fixed dharmas. Since they are not inherently existent, fixed dharmas, they are not Buddhadharma in the true sense.

Buddhadharma in the true sense is inherently existent, eternal, unchanging, unborn, unceasing, unconditioned, inherently thus, naturally thus—it is the Tathagatagarbha, the Stainless Consciousness, Suchness, the Ultimate Truth, the Eighth Consciousness, the Ripening Consciousness, the Great Mirror Wisdom. All else are merely conventional names and designations, expediently spoken of as Buddhadharma. In summary, within both mundane and supramundane dharmas, only the dharma of Suchness is the true dharma, the dharma in the true sense, the inherent dharma, the dharma of true reality. All others are subsequently arisen, formed by conditions, subject to arising and ceasing—they are not dharmas of true reality.