Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: Chapter Thirty-Two – Transformation and Non-Truth

Original Text: Subhuti. If someone were to fill countless, immeasurable worlds with the seven treasures and give them all as alms, and if a good man or good woman, having aroused the Bodhi-mind, were to uphold this sutra, even only a four-line gatha, and receive, hold, recite, and chant it, and explain it for others, their merit would surpass that of the former.

Explanation: Subhuti, if someone were to use the seven treasures filling countless, immeasurable worlds and give them all as alms, the merit and virtue thus obtained would be extremely vast. However, if a good man or good woman, having aroused the Mahayana Bodhi-mind, were to cultivate and uphold this sutra, or even a four-line gatha within it, not only receiving, holding, reciting, and chanting it themselves, but also explaining it for sentient beings, then the merit and virtue obtained by this good man or good woman would be far superior to that of the person who gave alms with the seven treasures filling countless, immeasurable worlds.

Asamkhyeya is a Sanskrit term, meaning an extremely large, incalculable number. Asamkhyeya worlds refer to countless, incalculable great trichiliocosms. If someone were to give alms with the seven treasures filling a single small world, their merit and virtue would be inconceivable. How much more so if they gave alms with the seven treasures filling one great trichiliocosm; their merit and virtue would be even more inconceivable. Then, if they gave alms with the seven treasures filling countless great trichiliocosms, could their merit and virtue be imagined or conceived? It is utterly inconceivable. Yet, there is another good man or good woman who has aroused the great Bodhi-mind, wishing to perfectly realize Buddhahood and vastly benefit countless sentient beings. Such a good man or good woman, by receiving, holding, reciting, and chanting the Diamond Sutra, cultivating the Dharma of realizing the Tathagatagarbha to attain Buddhahood, and being able to fully receive, uphold, realize, and understand this sutra’s Tathagatagarbha, as well as explain and teach it to other destined sentient beings, obtains merit and virtue far surpassing that of the person who gave alms with the seven treasures filling countless, immeasurable worlds.

Why is this said? Because those good men and good women who can truly receive, hold, recite, and chant the Diamond Sutra are already great Bodhisattvas who have realized the Prajna ultimate reality. They are people of true merit, virtue, and wisdom. Not only do they themselves possess vast merit, virtue, and wisdom, but they also teach other sentient beings to obtain the great merit, virtue, and wisdom that come from receiving, holding, reciting, and chanting the Diamond Sutra. Therefore, their own merit, virtue, and wisdom further increase. When their wisdom and merit grow to the ultimate limit and reach perfection, they become the Two-Footed Honored One, replete with merit and wisdom, become the Teacher of Gods and Humans, and become the Buddha, the World-Honored One.

Since this is so, what then is the merit obtained from giving alms with the seven treasures filling asamkhyeya worlds? These worlds and the seven treasures are all conditioned phenomena with form, subject to birth and destruction. They are all things within the Diamond Mind, a small part of the self-nature Mani Pearl. However, the good men and good women who receive, hold, recite, and chant the Diamond Sutra, having realized this Mani Pearl, thereby possess this Mani Pearl. Consequently, they also possess the seven treasures of asamkhyeya worlds and, at the same time, possess countless future asamkhyeya worlds. Their merit is naturally far superior to that of the person who gave alms with the seven treasures filling asamkhyeya worlds.

Original Text: How should one explain it for others? By not seizing upon appearances, and by being thus, thus, unmoving.

Explanation: How should the good men and good women who explain the Diamond Sutra, the four-line gathas, and proclaim the wonderful Dharma of the Tathagatagarbha for others, explain it? They should be without the four marks, explaining it with a mind that does not seize upon any dharma mark. Furthermore, towards all dharma marks, they should be thus, thus, unmoving, not seeing dharma marks as truly existent, their minds not moving or turning along with external circumstances and dharma marks. They should be pure and undefiled like the Tathagatagarbha, not seizing upon appearances, not giving rise to thoughts, being mindless towards objects, and thus, thus, unmoving.

After Bodhisattvas realize the Tathagatagarbha, they increasingly observe its pure, unconditioned nature. Simultaneously, they increasingly perceive the illusory, impermanent nature of all conditioned dharmas. Gradually, the minds of the Bodhisattvas cease to take delight in conditioned dharmas and incline towards the pure, unconditioned nature of the Tathagatagarbha. Gradually observing that all conditioned dharma marks in the triple realm are produced and manifested by the Tathagatagarbha, they gradually cease to cling to any dharma marks in the world. Towards all dharmas, their minds gradually cease to be moved by them. Ultimately, they attain a state of thus, thus, unmoving, similar to the unconditioned nature of the Tathagatagarbha.

Original Text: Why is this? All conditioned dharmas are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew, and also like lightning. One should contemplate them thus. After the Buddha had spoken this sutra, the elder Subhuti, and all the bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, upasikas, and all the gods, humans, and asuras in the world, hearing what the Buddha had said, were all greatly delighted, faithfully accepted it, and respectfully put it into practice.

Explanation: Why, when explaining the Diamond Sutra for others, should one not seize upon appearances and be thus, thus, unmoving? Because all dharmas produced through conditioned causation are like dreams, like illusions, like bubbles, like shadows, like dew, and like lightning in the sky. Every Bodhisattva, when facing all conditioned dharmas in the world, should contemplate them in this way and view all conditioned dharmas thus. After the World-Honored One had finished teaching this Diamond Sutra, the chief recipient, the elder Subhuti, along with all the fourfold assembly of bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas, as well as all the gods and asuras in the world, hearing the Dharma taught by the Buddha, were all greatly delighted, faithfully accepted it, and respectfully put it into practice.

At the conclusion of the Dharma assembly, the World-Honored One taught a sublime four-line gatha to illustrate the illusory and unreal nature of all conditioned dharmas. Because they are all illusory and unreal, Bodhisattvas have no need to be attached to or cling to any conditioned dharma, nor be moved or turned by them. It is like in a dream: no matter how much we cling to all the people, events, things, and principles in the dream, no matter how much we are moved, shaken, or create karma by following them, in the end, we obtain nothing at all. No one has ever gained anything from a dream. So what benefit is there in troubling one’s mind in vain!

All conditioned dharmas are manifested by the Tathagatagarbha based on conditions, like a magician who, through mental power, creates all kinds of people, events, and things, suddenly appearing in empty space. Yet, when the magician withdraws his mental power, all these people, events, and things ultimately return to emptiness and non-existence. Why bother to grasp them, toiling and troubling one’s mind in vain? What benefit is there! All conditioned dharmas are like bubbles born from the great ocean of the Tathagatagarbha, arising and ceasing within that ocean. All people, events, things, and principles within the triple realm are like bubbles in seawater: arising, ceasing, ceasing, and arising again, all births and deaths returning to the great ocean. Why vainly cling to the bubbles and fail to see the great ocean?

All conditioned dharmas are like the reflection of the moon falling into countless rivers and seas, seemingly existent yet non-existent, appearing to be there but ungraspable. Only ordinary people, like foolish monkeys, reach out to grasp it, finding nothing. Wise Bodhisattvas, with the eye of wisdom, contemplate it as a mere reflection; what is there to grasp? All conditioned dharmas are like morning dew: when the morning sun rises, they vanish in an instant, quickly arising and quickly ceasing. What is there to cling to? All conditioned dharmas are also like lightning and thunder amidst rain, suddenly flashing across the sky, disappearing without a trace in an instant. Even if you are startled and terrified, it has already vanished, leaving no shadow behind.

The World-Honored One taught that after enlightenment, Bodhisattvas should constantly engage in such contemplation. Then their minds become pure, without clinging or grasping, undefiled by even a speck of dust, not attached to even a single dharma. Thus, they correspond with the fundamental mind of True Suchness. By following True Suchness, they can attain Unsurpassed Bodhi. With this mind of no clinging and no grasping, they explain the Diamond Sutra for sentient beings, liberating them, enabling them all to escape the illusory dust, together extinguish the illusory shadows, together enter the great ocean of wisdom of all Buddhas, and together perfect the All-Knowledge of all Buddhas.

For one who thus receives, holds, recites, and chants the Diamond Sutra and explains the Dharma of the Tathagatagarbha, among sentient beings in the world, who can compare to their merit and wisdom? Who can surpass them? Benefiting oneself and others in this way—is it not wonderful! Is it not joyful! Finally, after the World-Honored One had finished teaching this sutra, the fourfold assembly of disciples, the great assembly of humans and gods, all faithfully accepted it, all received it, all respectfully upheld it, and all put it into practice. This is called faithfully accepting, receiving, respectfully upholding, and putting into practice the Diamond Prajnaparamita Sutra taught by the Tathagata.