The Profound Meaning of Consciousness-Only in the Diamond Sutra (Ninety)

Original Text: If there are people who can accept, uphold, read, and recite [this sutra], and widely expound it to others, the Tathagata perfectly knows these people, perfectly sees these people. All will attain immeasurable, incalculable, boundless, and inconceivable merit. Such people thus bear the burden of the Tathagata's anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Why is that? Subhuti, if one delights in inferior dharmas, they cling to views of self, views of person, views of sentient beings, and views of a life span. Then, regarding this sutra, they cannot listen to it, accept it, read it, recite it, or explain it to others. Subhuti, wherever this sutra is present, it should be venerated by all beings in the world—gods, humans, and asuras. Know that such a place is a stupa. All should pay reverence, circumambulate it respectfully, and scatter various flowers and incense upon that place.

Explanation: If there are people who can accept, uphold, read, and recite the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, and widely expound to sentient beings the true principle of the Tathagatagarbha, the Tathagata perfectly knows and perfectly sees all the good roots and blessings, all the wisdom and merit, and all the deeds this person performs for sentient beings, without any error or omission, without any concealment. Because the Tathagata perfectly knows and perfectly sees, all actions performed by this person will bear fruit without fail; not the slightest bit will be lost. In the future, they will accomplish immeasurable, incalculable, boundless, and inconceivable merit.

Why does the Tathagata perfectly know and perfectly see all the merit of this person accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the Vajra Sutra, and all the merit they generate for sentient beings? This "Tathagata" refers both to the physical-body Tathagata and to the Dharma-body Tathagata. The physical-body Tathagata, possessing immeasurable supernatural powers and virtues, observes with the Buddha-eye, thus perfectly knowing and perfectly seeing all the merit of this person accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the Vajra Sutra, perfectly knowing and perfectly seeing all the merit and blessings this person accumulates by liberating immeasurable sentient beings, without a single omission. Because the Buddha possesses immeasurable wisdom and the wisdom of all modes, there is not a single dharma in the mundane or supramundane realms that He does not know or see; His perfect illumination pervades the great chiliocosm without a single omission.

As for the Dharma-body Tathagata, because it follows this person everywhere and at all times, everything this person does necessarily receives the response and protection of the Dharma-body Tathagata. The Dharma-body Tathagata is this person's Tathagatagarbha. Because the Tathagatagarbha knows this person's mental activities, it also cooperates with this person to accomplish all deeds and records and stores the karmic seeds of sentient beings. Therefore, the Tathagatagarbha perfectly knows and perfectly sees everything this person does; it also stores all the karmic seeds, which will later manifest as all the meritorious retribution for this person, ensuring that no merit is in vain, and ultimately enabling this person to attain perfect Buddhahood.

The World-Honored One said: People like this, who can accept, uphold, read, and recite the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra and widely expound it to sentient beings, will all be able to bear the burden of the Tathagata's household affairs, and in the future will also ultimately accomplish anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Why is that said? Why is this sutra spoken for those who have aroused the mind for the Great Vehicle (Mahayana) Bodhi, for those who have aroused the mind for the Supreme Vehicle? Subhuti, if a person delights in the inferior dharmas of gods and humans, they surely cling to views of self, person, sentient beings, and life span. They will then cultivate the minor wholesome dharmas of gods and humans for the sake of the illusory five aggregates, aiming for the five aggregates to ascend to the heavens to enjoy pleasures and receive the retribution of wealth, honor, and glory. They perceive a self to enjoy, a person to receive offerings, and blessings to be obtained.

Then they will not believe and accept what the Tathagata has said, nor believe and accept the true dharma spoken in the Vajra Sutra regarding the absence of self-mark, person-mark, sentient-being-mark, and life-span-mark. They will not believe and accept that the Vajra true-mind, free from the four marks, is the true self. They will not read or recite the Vajra Sutra, much less realize the true-mind Tathagatagarbha, nor will they expound the Mahayana true-reality dharma to other sentient beings. As for those who delight in the Hinayana path of self-liberation, because their minds also cling to the four marks, mistakenly perceiving the existence of a self composed of the five aggregates, they fear that their five-aggregate self will again suffer and undergo rebirth, so they hastily enter nirvana, departing from the birth and death of the triple realm, unwilling to turn their minds toward the practice of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Dharma. Therefore, they too will not come to listen to, accept, read, or recite this sutra, and certainly cannot explain this sutra to others.