Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: Incalculable Blessings and Wisdom, Section 24

Subhūti. If someone were to take all the seven treasures piled up as high as all the kings of Mount Sumeru in the great trichiliocosm and use them for giving, and if another person were to accept, uphold, read, recite, and explain this Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra to others, even just a four-line gāthā of it, then the merit of the former would not amount to one hundredth, nor to one hundred thousand millionth, nor even to a fraction that can be calculated or likened by any simile.

Explanation: Subhūti, if someone were to gather all the seven treasures as numerous as all the Mount Sumerus in the great trichiliocosm and then give them as alms, the merit would indeed be immense. However, if another person were to accept, uphold, read, recite this Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, or even just a four-line gāthā from it, and explain it to others, then the merit obtained by the latter far surpasses that of the former. The merit from upholding the sūtra exceeds that from giving away seven treasures as high as Mount Sumeru by a hundred times, a hundred thousand million times, or even countless times. The difference cannot be calculated by any human means, nor can it be expressed through any human similes—the gap is simply too vast.

A great trichiliocosm contains billions or tens of billions of Mount Sumerus, each of which is countless times larger than Earth, and Earth itself has countless hills and vast lands. If someone were to give away just a small hill of seven treasures, the merit would already be incalculable, let alone giving away the seven treasures of the entire Earth, or as much as Mount Sumeru, or even tens of billions of Mount Sumerus. The merit obtained by such a person would be beyond the computation of countless computers. Yet the Buddha says that such immense merit is not considered great; it is far less than the merit of accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sūtra, and the difference is so vast that it is incomparable and inexpressible. Even if one merely accepts, upholds, reads, and recites a four-line gāthā from the Diamond Sūtra, the merit obtained far exceeds that of giving away seven treasures as numerous as all the Mount Sumerus in a great trichiliocosm by countless times. How immense, then, is the merit of accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the entire Diamond Sūtra?

As mentioned earlier, those who truly accept, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sūtra or its four-line gāthā are those who have genuinely awakened to and realized the ultimate reality of prajñā. Only such individuals have the capacity to accept and uphold the Diamond Sūtra, truly know how to read and recite it, and understand the proper way to read and recite it. The Diamond Sūtra entirely expounds the wisdom and merit of the mind of ultimate reality, and its principles are profoundly deep.

Only after realizing the Tathāgatagarbha, the diamond mind, can one understand the Dharma of the Tathāgatagarbha, recite its inner meaning, accept all its doctrines, and gradually practice in accordance with its principles, thereby transforming all the mental activities of the seven deluded consciousnesses. From then on, the afflictions of the seven deluded consciousnesses will gradually diminish, their habitual tendencies will weaken, and ignorance will fade. By cultivating in accordance with the Tathāgatagarbha, one will come to know even more profound doctrines and all the seed-like contents within the Tathāgatagarbha, thus reducing the delusions of dust-like and sand-like ignorance until they are completely eradicated.

The merit of accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sūtra is indeed difficult to describe or depict. By citing just a small portion of examples to illustrate its general scope, one can understand its vastness, boundlessness, and inconceivability. For instance, after a bodhisattva awakens to the ultimate reality of prajñā and cultivates the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis, they can produce hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of mind-made bodies to benefit countless beings and transcend the cycle of birth and death. This merit is truly priceless, incomparable, and incalculable, and it can be enjoyed endlessly, increasing without limit.

On the other hand, the merit of giving away the seven treasures as numerous as Mount Sumerus in a great trichiliocosm, though immense and incalculable, is still finite and can be exhausted. This merit cannot offset evil karma; indeed, due to ignorance, one might use such merit to commit great evil while enjoying blessings, thereby falling into retribution for those evils. When evil deeds are committed, the merit diminishes and is consumed, eventually being exhausted in various ways. In contrast, the merit of a bodhisattva who reads, recites, accepts, and upholds the Diamond Sūtra not only does not diminish but increases, accumulating more and more, becoming ever greater.

As the bodhisattva’s wisdom continually grows, their merit multiplies countless times. When a bodhisattva reaches the eighth bhūmi, merely by an act of intention, they can manifest a great trichiliocosm filled with seven treasures, countless times more than Mount Sumeru, and give it all to beings—the merit from this is incalculable. The bodhisattva can also manifest various material necessities needed by beings to give and benefit them, and this merit is also incalculable. Moreover, the bodhisattva can manifest countless bodies to save immeasurable beings in the ten directions—the merit from this need not even be calculated, for it is utterly incalculable, unimaginable, and inconceivable.

This is the merit attained by an eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva, or even by bodhisattvas before the eighth bhūmi—all such merit is incalculable. Then, when a bodhisattva reaches the stage of equal enlightenment, over a hundred kalpas, they manifest countless immense bodies to provide food for immeasurable beings suffering from hunger—the merit from this is beyond imagination. Finally, when they attain buddhahood and save immeasurable beings throughout the ten directions, the merit obtained cannot be calculated even by all beings working together, nor can it be expressed by any words. Thus, the World-Honored One says that the merit of those who accept, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sūtra, or even its four-line gāthā, surpasses the merit of those who give away seven treasures by countless hundreds of thousands of millions of times, and even this is insufficient—the two are truly incomparable.

Since accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sūtra brings such immense merit, do we know how to read and recite the Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra? Do we know how to read and recite one of its four-line gāthās? If we know how to read, the secret meaning of the Diamond Prajñā will all be revealed; if we do not know how to read, can we know how to listen? If we know how to listen, the secret meaning of the Diamond Prajñā can also be heard. Why do some people not know how to read? Because beings often treat the act of reading sūtras as something ordinary, thinking it is nothing special—just producing sounds from the mouth, moving the lips up and down—what is so significant about that? Those who truly know how to read do not see it this way. They can bring out the profound mysteries in their reading, which is the greatest offering to the Buddha. Those who know how to read sūtras can also reveal the mysteries within the sūtra to beings, thereby guiding them toward correct views and dispelling their confusion and darkness. Those who know how to read and recite sūtras are all aware in every daily activity, without delusion or inversion.

If you do not know how to read the Diamond Sūtra, I will now teach you how to read and recite it. Read it like this: Dia-mond Pra-jñā-pā-ra-mi-tā Sū-tra… Pause at each word, with rising and falling intonation, making the sound flow sometimes long, sometimes short. At the same time, reflect back on your own capacity to read, seeking where the sound arises and ceases, and firmly question it with a big question mark. If you still cannot read it this way, then train yourself to listen: All… con-di-tioned… dhar-mas… are like… dreams… illu-sions… bub-bles… sha-dows… Imagine someone beside you reciting it this way, and then imagine how they produce the sounds—how their tongue, teeth, and lips coordinate, and how the sound emerges and from where it comes.

Then contemplate: Dreams… Are all these things dreams? Are these sounds dreams? Is the person reading the sūtra before me a dream? Is this act of reading and listening to the sūtra a dream? Illusions… Are all these things illusions? How do words, language, people, the mind that listens, and the sounds heard become illusory? Bubbles… Are all these things like bubbles? From where do they arise? When the bubble bursts, where does it go? Shadows… Are all these things like shadows? How are these shadows conjured? Who conjures these shadows? How can one grasp the master who conjures the shadows?

When your preliminary groundwork is complete and conditions naturally mature, the mystery will be unveiled, the truth will be fully revealed, and you will grasp the diamond mind of ultimate reality, realizing the Tathāgatagarbha. From then on, you will truly know how to read and recite the Diamond Sūtra, and you will also accept and uphold it—that would be excellent!