The Profound Meaning of Vijñapti-mātratā in the Diamond Sutra (139)

Sentient beings accumulate delusions and find it difficult to return. Helpless, the World-Honored One, that venerable one, has come to this Saha World over eight thousand times. With one hand pointing to the heavens and one hand pointing to the earth, He expounds to sentient beings: "In the heavens above and the earth below, I alone am the Honored One!" He greatly manifests the Tathagata's wisdom and virtuous marks, releasing sentient beings from attachments and bonds, washing away their worldly toils and afflictive dust. If not for the Greatly Compassionate Father, who else could do so! If we are the filial children of the Tathagata, when the World-Honored One points to heaven and earth, we should bare our right shoulder, place our right knee on the ground, join our palms together, and call out: "My Buddha! The Tathagata, the Supreme Honored One! I now behold the true Tathagata." From then on, we gradually become able to inherit the Buddha's work, propagate the Dharma on His behalf, guide sentient beings, dispel their delusion to reveal wisdom, and enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision. If there can be more such filial children, the work of my Buddha will have successors, the Buddha Dharma will flourish greatly, the compassionate vessel will ferry all universally, the whole world will rejoice together, and the ten directions will together enter the ocean of Sarvajna (all-knowing wisdom). So how can sentient beings recognize the truth? The World-Honored One then further expounded: "Tathagata" means neither coming from anywhere nor going anywhere; hence the name Tathagata. "Neither coming from anywhere" means there is no place from which the Tathagata comes; thus, there is no origin. Although there is no origin, the Tathagata nevertheless appears constantly and everywhere; though without form, He is never hidden. Thus, the Tathagata without origin is unarisen, inherently present, not relying on other conditions, self-existent and autonomous. This Tathagata is the true Tathagata. "Nor going anywhere" — "where" refers to a place; there being no place to go means unceasing, not ceasing means existing constantly and everywhere, manifesting constantly and everywhere, functioning constantly and everywhere. This Tathagata is the true Tathagata. The true Tathagata has no mark of coming or going, yet comes and goes; though coming and going, He is serenely unmoving, majestic and dignified, thus come, thus gone, neither coming nor going, neither arising nor ceasing.

To enable sentient beings to recognize the true Tathagata, the World-Honored One and Manjusri performed a skit to demonstrate the true meaning of Tathagata to the bhikkhus. Once, after all the bhikkhus were seated in the lecture hall, the World-Honored One pushed open the hall door, and the thirty-two marks of the five aggregates suddenly and clearly appeared before the assembly. The World-Honored One then walked with goose-king steps, slowly proceeding to the Dharma seat and gradually sitting down cross-legged. After the World-Honored One was seated, Bodhisattva Manjusri took a ruler and struck the lectern, announcing: "The World-Honored One's Dharma talk has concluded!" The bhikkhus, prepared to listen to the World-Honored One expound the Dharma, suddenly heard Manjusri make this announcement and were all dumbfounded, not understanding the reason. The World-Honored One, disregarding the bhikkhus' bewilderment, slowly rose from the Dharma seat, calmly walked directly to the door, pushed it open, and departed. The thirty-two marks of the five aggregates then vanished.

Everyone, the Tathagata marks of the Nirmanakaya Buddha have been seen by all — the thirty-two marks, eighty minor characteristics, majestic and dignified, supremely glorious, profoundly solemn. Yet these marks, in the Saha World, ultimately lingered for only eighty years before disappearing; this certainly is not the true Tathagata. So where is the true Tathagata? Which one is it? In truth, the Dharmakaya Tathagata has never been separate from the Nirmanakaya Tathagata. From the very moment the World-Honored One pushed the door open and entered, throughout the entire process until He pushed the door open and departed, the Dharmakaya Tathagata has constantly manifested with His faceless face. Those with sharp eyes directly perceive Him right then and there; with wisdom-eye, they recognize that Him behind the five aggregates. How exhilarating it is to recognize this! How effortless! Everyone, set aside the illusory form of the World-Honored One's five aggregates and try to see that which cannot be discarded, that which never departs, that which is inherently unarisen and unceasing, neither coming nor going — that Dharmakaya true Tathagata. A good horse moves upon seeing the whip's shadow; a wise person, upon seeing the shadow of the five aggregates, can recognize the true person. Where is the true person? Hah! Right here.