The Profound Yogācāra Meaning of the Diamond Sutra (58)

Why can one realize the tathāgatagarbha? It is precisely because one has recited and studied the Diamond Sutra, thoroughly comprehended its meaning, and become endowed with precepts, meditative concentration (samādhi), wisdom, and merit, that one realizes the tathāgatagarbha. Then, by proclaiming it to others so that they too may realize it, laying the foundation for their attainment of buddhahood, that merit is even more inconceivable, and far surpasses the merit of giving the seven treasures.

The Buddha told Subhūti: why is the merit of realizing it and then proclaiming it to others superior to giving the seven treasures? Because all buddhas, as well as the buddha-dharmas taught by those buddhas, all come from this Diamond Sutra—that is, from the vajra mind, the tathāgatagarbha. On the premise and foundation of realizing the tathāgatagarbha, one cultivates and studies the seed-functions of the tathāgatagarbha, and from then on one can gradually accomplish the buddha-way and perfect bodhi. The seeds of wholesome dharmas cultivated by the buddhas over three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas are all stored within their own tathāgatagarbha; the seeds of unwholesome karma are gone, and when ignorance is extinguished completely, one is a buddha. Thus the buddhas come from and are accomplished through the tathāgatagarbha, and after their accomplishment they proclaim to sentient beings all the dharmas for attaining buddhahood, and the dharmas they teach also flow forth from the tathāgatagarbha of the buddhas' own minds. The seeds of wholesome dharmas that the buddhas have cultivated over countless kalpas are stored within their own tathāgatagarbha; when these seeds are manifested forth, they become the buddha-dharma. Therefore all buddha-dharmas emerge from this sutra—the vajra mind, the tathāgatagarbha.

The Buddha said to Subhūti: 所谓佛法者，即非佛法。 This sentence closely adheres to the theme and becomes the central sentence of this section. All the dharmas for attaining buddhahood that the Buddha taught are what is called "buddha-dharma"—a name conventionally given by people to the dharma taught by the Buddha. The dharma the Buddha taught consists of the dharma-seeds the Buddha cultivated and stored in the Buddha's tathāgatagarbha, which, in accordance with conditions, were expounded forth. These dharma-seeds were stored in later, after being formed postnatally; they are not originally existing dharmas. When the Buddha expounded them, he also taught different dharmas according to conditions, and these dharmas are dharmas arising from causes and conditions, not fixed dharmas existing from the beginning. Since they are not fixed dharmas existing from the beginning, they are not buddha-dharma in the true sense.

Buddha-dharma in the true sense is that which exists from the beginning, is eternally unchanging, neither arising nor ceasing, not arising from causes and conditions, originally thus, naturally so (such by nature): the tathāgatagarbha, the undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna), suchness (tathatā), the ultimate truth (paramārtha), the eighth consciousness, the vipāka-consciousness, and the great perfect mirror wisdom (ādarśajñāna). All the rest are names and appellations given by people, provisionally spoken of as buddha-dharma. In summary, among all worldly and world-transcending dharmas, only suchness (tathatā) is the one true dharma, the dharma in the true sense, the original dharma, the dharma of true reality; all the others arise postnatally, are formed by causes and conditions, and are subject to arising and ceasing—none of them is the dharma of true reality.