The Profound Meaning of Consciousness-only in the Diamond Sutra (80)

Then, the life-mark and the lifespan-mark that manifest in dependence upon sentient beings' five aggregates are also non-marks, not truly existent. The life activities of sentient beings within a given period of time—such as breathing, metabolism, eating, drinking, excreting, and so forth—on the surface seem to be truly existent and to have real meaning, but in fact they are also illusory appearances manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, bestowed by the tathāgatagarbha, and their essence is also the tathāgatagarbha. No matter how long this span of life lasts, the substance of that life is the tathāgatagarbha. Sentient beings have no real life-mark; therefore, the lifespan-mark is a non-mark.

Why is it said that the four marks of self, person, sentient being, and lifespan are non-marks, unreal marks? Because the real suchness of the dharmadhātu is free of all marks. If one has the four marks, these are false marks, illusory marks, marks of arising and ceasing (utpāda-nirodha-lakṣaṇa); they are not the real suchness of the dharmadhātu, nor are they true marks. The vajra mind (vajra-citta) of prajñā that is real suchness and indestructible—that is, the Dharmakāya Buddha (dharma-kāya-buddha) of all buddhas—is free of all marks, without the four marks, and without any marks whatsoever. Hence it is said that the true Buddha is without marks, and the true Buddha also does not preach the Dharma. The Buddha who is free of all marks is the Dharmakāya Buddha of all buddhas, and only this is a Buddha in the true sense. A Buddha possessing the marks of the five aggregates is a Sambhogakāya Buddha (saṃbhoga-kāya-buddha), a Nirmāṇakāya Buddha (nirmāṇa-kāya-buddha), or an emanated Buddha conjured forth by the Dharmakāya Buddha, not the true Buddha.

The World-Honored One told Subhūti: It is so, it is indeed so. If there is a person who can hear this Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, and upon hearing it, is not astonished, not terrified, and not fearful within his mind, one should know that this person is indeed very rare and exceptional—he is a person whose wholesome roots and merit are extremely deep and profound.

Why did the World-Honored One speak this way? Because the Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra entirely expounds the emptiness principle of the Mahāyāna, teaching sentient beings to be free of the four marks, free of all marks, and not to grasp at any marks. Yet sentient beings, from beginningless kalpas, have constantly been attached to the four marks, clutching at all marks and refusing to let go. Within the minds of sentient beings, the grasping on self is deeply heavy and the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) is deeply heavy; they see all marks as existent and do not see all marks as empty.

Because sentient beings, from beginningless kalpas, have always deeply relied upon existence, when they hear the Vajra Sūtra speaking of emptiness and nonexistence, they will certainly feel great fear and dread. They will be afraid of falling into emptiness, afraid of becoming empty and nonexistent; they will certainly refuse to throw away the crutch they have relied upon since beginningless kalpas, refusing to become without support or reliance, and thus they will fear becoming utterly empty, fear that they no longer exist. Therefore fear and terror arise in their minds—this happens to those whose wholesome roots and merit are insufficient, whose kalpas of cultivation in past lives were brief. Conversely, those who hear this sūtra teaching the nonexistence of the four marks and freedom from the four marks, yet whose minds are not terrified, are people who have already cultivated for a very long time, people whose planted wholesome roots are already very deep. Such people, upon hearing the Vajra Sūtra, not only are not terrified, but can also give rise to pure faith, and can even realize the vajra mind (vajra-citta) of prajñā that is free of the four marks. It is evident that such people are indeed rare and exceptional.