Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: The Principle of Oneness, Section Thirty

This chapter of the Diamond Sutra primarily introduces the concept of a composite of marks. The Buddha said that a composite of marks is not a mark; what is not a mark is an illusory mark, a provisional name, a false appearance. What is meant by a composite of marks? This section mainly explains that the three-thousand-great-thousand world in which we live is itself a composite of marks. This composite of marks is not truly existent; it is a false appearance formed by the combination of various marks. What is a three-thousand-great-thousand world composed of? It is composed of one thousand middle-thousand worlds. A middle-thousand world is composed of one thousand small-thousand worlds. A small-thousand world is composed of one thousand unit small worlds. A small world is composed of the four great seas, plus the four great continents, plus Mount Sumeru, plus the sun and moon heavens, plus the six heavens of the desire realm, plus the first dhyana heaven of the form realm. These together constitute a small world. One thousand small worlds, plus the second dhyana heaven, constitute a small-thousand world. One thousand small-thousand worlds, plus the third dhyana heaven, constitute a middle-thousand world. One middle-thousand world, plus the fourth dhyana heaven and the four formless heavens, constitutes a three-thousand-great-thousand world.

Therefore, this three-thousand-great-thousand world is a composite of marks. A composite of marks is a false appearance formed by combination. It is formed by the aggregation of individual, scattered marks into a single, overall mark, which is called a composite of marks. A single unit small world is also a composite, including the four great seas. Beneath the four great seas are the seven golden mountains. Below the seven golden mountains are the hells. Above the four great seas are the four great continents: Pūrvavideha, Aparagodānīya, Jambudvīpa, and Uttarakuru. These four great continents are situated above the four great seas, at the four directions at the foot of Mount Sumeru.

Mount Sumeru is located within the four great seas, extending halfway down into the waters of the four great seas and rising halfway above them, forming a three-dimensional conical shape. In the middle of Mount Sumeru is the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Four Heavenly Kings—Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, and Vaiśravaṇa—dwell on the four sides of Mount Sumeru at its midpoint. At the summit of Mount Sumeru is the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, where Śakra Devānām Indra resides in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Above this are the other four heavens of the desire realm. Above the four heavens of the desire realm is the first dhyana heaven of the form realm. Together, these constitute a single unit small world.

In a single unit small world, each of its constituent components is also a composite mark. For example, the earth is composed of mountains, rivers, land, as well as trees, flowers, grass, houses, and the like. It is also composed of various countries, each nation's territory being combined. A single country is also a composite of marks, formed by the combination of marks such as mountains, rivers, trees, houses, and land. Furthermore, a country is composed of various provinces and prefectures, each of which is also a composite. This extends down to each individual household, which is also a composite, and even to all the items within a household, which are likewise composites. Matter can be further subdivided, ultimately into particles of dust.

Therefore, the three-thousand-great-thousand world as a whole is a composite. The most minute parts of each component are also composites. All are composites of marks. The small world is a composite of marks, the middle world is also a composite of marks, and the great world is even more so a composite of marks. This entire three-thousand-great-thousand world is a composite of marks, entirely formed by combination. Since it is formed by combination, this world is not real; it is merely a provisional name, a concept. All forms and appearances are formed by the Tathāgatagarbha emitting the four great seeds. Initially, the most minute particles of dust are formed. These dust particles then aggregate to form various kinds of matter. Matter aggregates to form larger material divisions. These divisions then combine to form individual small worlds, individual mountains, rivers, lands, palaces, and so on. All of these are composite marks. As long as something is a composite mark, it is a non-mark, it is illusory, and it is not a true mark.

Original Text: Subhūti. If a good man or good woman were to grind the three-thousand-great-thousand world into particles of dust, what do you think? Would that multitude of dust particles be many? Very many, World-Honored One. Why? If that multitude of dust particles truly existed, the Buddha would not speak of a multitude of dust particles.

Explanation: The World-Honored One said to Subhūti: If a good man or good woman were to pulverize the three-thousand-great-thousand world into numerous particles of dust, what would you think? Would the number of these dust particles be very many? Subhūti replied: Very many, World-Honored One. Why is the number of dust particles very many? Because if the number of these dust particles truly existed, were substantially real, the Buddha would not speak of them as a multitude of dust particles.

How large is the three-thousand-great-thousand world? Calculated, it seems to include one billion earths, one billion Mount Sumerus, one billion Trāyastriṃśa Heavens, one billion desire realm heavens, one billion first dhyana heavens, one billion four great seas, one billion seven golden mountains, one billion first dhyana heavens, and so on. It is extremely vast. A three-thousand-great-thousand world is boundless and immeasurably vast. If it were ground into dust particles, how many would there be? It would be impossible to calculate, because the three-thousand-great-thousand world itself is immense. If this immense entity were broken into pieces, with spaces in between, the resulting dust particles would occupy an area and volume even larger than the three-thousand-great-thousand world itself. Therefore, if the three-thousand-great-thousand world were ground into dust, the number of those dust particles would be beyond counting. Even if one person's body were ground into dust, the number of those dust particles would be incalculable. If a small animal's body were ground into dust, the number of those dust particles would also be incalculable.

What is meant by a dust particle? It is when an object is dispersed into the finest, most subtle particles, too small for the naked eye to see, ultimately becoming the smallest unit of a particle. This is what is called a dust particle. At that time, they are still small particles composed of the four great elements, extremely subtle, nearly approaching emptiness, but they still belong to material form (rūpa dharma).

Is this vast number of dust particles too many? Subhūti said, "Very many." Why so many? Why is it called "many"? The Buddha said: "If that multitude of dust particles truly existed, the Buddha would not speak of a multitude of dust particles." Because Subhūti had listened to the World-Honored One teach this Diamond Sutra, he already understood the true meaning of the Dharma taught by the World-Honored One. Thus he said: If this multitude of dust particles were truly real, unarisen and unceasing, truly existing in number, then the Buddha would not call them a "multitude of dust particles" (where "multitude" signifies many, an extremely large number).

Original Text: Why is this? The Buddha said, "A multitude of dust particles is not a multitude of dust particles; it is merely named a multitude of dust particles." World-Honored One, the three-thousand-great-thousand world spoken of by the Tathāgata is not a world; it is merely named a world.

Explanation: Why is this said? Because the multitude of dust particles spoken of by the Buddha is not a truly existent multitude of dust particles; it is only provisionally named a multitude of dust particles. World-Honored One, the three-thousand-great-thousand world spoken of by the Tathāgata is not a truly real three-thousand-great-thousand world. The false appearance exists, but in reality it is empty. Therefore, a provisional name is given, calling it the three-thousand-great-thousand world.

These dust particles are not true marks. The multitude of dust particles and the number of dust particles formed by them are also not true marks. What are called dust particles are merely the subdivision of material form (rūpa dharma) into fine particles, called dust particles. These dust particles are also material form (rūpa dharma). Matter is formed by the combination of the four great seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind. Dust particles are formed by the combination of these four great seeds. The difference is merely that large material objects contain a very large number of the four great seeds, while dust particles contain a very small number. When a large material object is subdivided into small material objects, each small material object is still composed of the same proportion of the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind). It is just that the number of the four great seeds is reduced, and thus the volume of the material object is reduced. When reduced to the most subtle degree, it is called a dust particle.

The four great seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind are emitted by the Tathāgatagarbha moment by moment. Only then can these dust particles arise, abide, change, and cease, performing certain illusory functions. If the Tathāgatagarbha did not emit the four great seeds, these dust particles would disappear and cease to exist, becoming empty nothingness. Therefore, the multitude of dust particles is an illusory and unreal false dharma. Dust particles then combine to form larger material objects. These larger material objects are also formed by the four great seeds. Therefore, they are all illusory, subject to birth, cessation, and change. When the causes and conditions disperse, and the Tathāgatagarbha ceases to emit the four great seeds, all dust particles and material objects will cease and disappear, vanishing without a trace.

These material forms (rūpa dharmas) then combine to form a celestial body. Multiple celestial bodies combine to form a small world. Small worlds combine to form a small-thousand world. Small-thousand worlds combine to form a middle-thousand world. Middle-thousand worlds combine to form a great-thousand world. This three-thousand-great-thousand world, inside and out, is entirely a composite body of the four great elements formed by dust particles. It is subject to birth, cessation, change, and impermanence. Therefore, the three-thousand-great-thousand world is also illusory, not truly existent. It is provisionally named the three-thousand-great-thousand world. Thus, the Buddha said that the three-thousand-great-thousand world is not a world; it is merely named a world.

Original Text: Why is this? If the world truly existed, it would be a composite of marks. The Tathāgata said, "A composite of marks is not a composite of marks; it is merely named a composite of marks." Subhūti, a composite of marks is ineffable. However, ordinary people are attached to and crave this phenomenon.

Explanation: Why is it said that the world is not a world? Because if the world were truly real, then this world would be a composite of marks. The composite of marks spoken of by the Tathāgata is likewise not a true mark. There is no truly existent composite of marks; it is merely provisionally named a composite of marks. Subhūti, a composite of marks is an ineffable dharma. However, ordinary people are attached to and crave these dharmic marks.

If this world truly existed, ultimately it would be a composite of marks formed by countless dust particles. The Tathāgata said that this composite of marks is not a truly existent composite of marks, nor is there anything truly called a composite of marks. It is all illusory; its essence is the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha. A provisional name, "composite of marks," is also given to this composite of marks. Therefore, the final conclusion is that the world is not truly existent; it is illusory.

The Buddha said that the composite of marks formed by material particles and dust particles is nothing much to speak of, because it is all a composite body of the four great elements. It has no truly existent mark; it is not real. It is all an illusion manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha. Since this is the case, there is no composite of marks that can be spoken of. Therefore, the composite of marks is ineffable, and one need not cling to it. However, concerning these false appearances that are subject to birth, cessation, and illusion, ordinary people, throughout beginningless eons, have always been attached to and craved them, believing them to be real and not false. In reality, existence is false existence, not true existence; it is merely a name.

Throughout beginningless eons, ordinary people have always been attached to the country, world, and living environment in which they exist. In fact, these are also formed by material particles. They are all just composites of marks, subject to birth, cessation, change, and illusion. They are formed and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha emitting the four great seeds, like appearances in a dream or flowers in the sky. They are not real. However, ordinary people do not know this fact. They regard all the marks they encounter as real, and then become attached to them, crave them, and calculate endlessly. They are bound by these false appearances, unable to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death in the six realms.

Therefore, the Buddha said that ordinary people (that is, ignorant people) do not know the true reality of all dharmas. They only blindly crave illusory false marks. Only by learning the true Mahayana Dharma of ultimate reality can one realize that all people, events, and principles in the entire world are illusory appearances formed by the Tathāgatagarbha using seeds, and are not truly existent. By realizing this true state of affairs, the craving and attachment of sentient beings can be reduced and eliminated. The causes of their birth and death can also be eliminated, allowing them to break free from the cycle of birth and death.