The Profound Meaning of Vijñaptimātratā in the Diamond Sutra (121)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Incomparable Blessings and Wisdom

Original Text: "Subhuti, if someone were to amass the seven precious jewels in quantities as vast as all the Mount Sumerus within the trichiliocosm and then give them away in charity, and if another person were to accept, uphold, read, recite, and expound to others even a four-line verse from this Prajnaparamita Sutra, the blessings of the latter would surpass those of the former by hundreds of thousands of millions of times—indeed, beyond all calculation or analogy."

Explanation: The World-Honored One addressed Subhuti: If someone were to gather the seven precious jewels in quantities as immense as all the Mount Sumerus within a trichiliocosm and then give them away in charity, the blessings accrued would be extraordinarily vast. Yet, if another person were to accept, uphold, read, recite, and expound to others this Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra, or even just a four-line verse from it, the blessings of the latter would far exceed those of the former. The blessings from upholding the sutra surpass those from giving away jewels as numerous as Mount Sumerus by hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of times—nay, by immeasurable and incalculable times. The disparity between them cannot be quantified by any human calculation or expressed through any analogy; it is far too immense.

A trichiliocosm contains billions or hundreds of billions of Mount Sumerus. A single Mount Sumeru is immeasurably larger than Earth, and Earth itself holds countless mountains and vast expanses of land. If one were to give away even a small hill’s worth of the seven jewels, the blessings would already be beyond calculation—how much more so if one gave away jewels equal to the whole Earth, or to Mount Sumeru, or even to billions of Mount Sumerus! The blessings gained by such a person could not be computed even with countless computers. Yet the Buddha declares that blessings so immense are still insignificant compared to those gained by accepting, upholding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sutra. The difference is incomparable and beyond expression. Even upholding and reciting a single four-line verse from the sutra yields blessings immeasurably greater than giving away jewels as vast as all the Mount Sumerus in a trichiliocosm. How immense, then, must the blessings be for upholding and reciting the entire Diamond Sutra?

As previously explained, only those who have genuinely realized the mind and awakened to the true reality of Prajna can truly accept, uphold, read, and recite the Diamond Sutra or its four-line verses. Only they know how to read and recite it rightly. The Diamond Sutra entirely expounds the wisdom and merits of the mind of true Prajna reality—a truth profound beyond measure.

Only after discovering the Diamond Mind and realizing the Tathagatagarbha can one comprehend the Dharma of the Tathagatagarbha, articulate its profound meaning, accept all its teachings, and gradually practice in accordance with its principles, thereby transforming all mental activities of the deluded seventh consciousness. Henceforth, the afflictions of the deluded mind will gradually diminish, habitual tendencies will fade, and ignorance will weaken. By cultivating according to the Tathagatagarbha, one will realize ever deeper Dharma meanings and all the latent potentials within the Tathagatagarbha. Thus, the dust-like ignorance and delusions will decrease until finally vanishing entirely.