The Profound Yogācāra Meaning of the Diamond Sutra (140)

Chapter Thirty: One Composite Appearance

Original text: 须菩提。若善男子。善女人。以三千大千世界碎为微尘。于意云何。是微尘众宁为多不。须菩提言。甚多。世尊。何以故。若是微尘众实有者。佛即不说是微尘众。所以者何。佛说。微尘众。即非微尘众。是名微尘众。世尊。如来所说三千大千世界。即非世界。是名世界。何以故。若世界实有者。即是一合相。如来说。一合相。即非一合相。是名一合相。须菩提。一合相者。即是不可说。但凡夫之人贪著其事。

Explanation: This chapter of the Diamond Sutra mainly introduces the composite appearance. The Buddha said that the composite appearance is a non-appearance; a non-appearance is a false appearance, merely an expedient name, an illusory appearance. What is a composite appearance? This chapter mainly introduces the trichiliocosm—the three-thousandfold great thousand worlds—in which we live; it is a composite appearance. This composite appearance does not truly exist; it is a false appearance assembled from various appearances. Of what is a trichiliocosm composed? A trichiliocosm is composed of one thousand medium thousand-worlds; a medium thousand-world is composed of one thousand small thousand-worlds; a small thousand-world is composed of one thousand unit small worlds. A small world is composed of the four great oceans, plus the four great continents, plus Mount Sumeru, plus the sun and moon devas, plus the six layers of heavens of the desire realm, plus the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm—together these constitute one small world. One thousand small worlds, plus the second dhyāna heaven, constitute a small thousand-world; one thousand small thousand-worlds, plus the third dhyāna heaven, constitute a medium thousand-world; a medium thousand-world, plus the fourth dhyāna heavens and the four formless heavens, constitutes a trichiliocosm.

Therefore, this trichiliocosm is a composite appearance, and a composite appearance is an illusory appearance put together. It is formed by combining individual component appearances, scattered appearances, into one overall appearance—this is called a composite appearance. As for a unit small world, it too is assembled together: it includes the four great oceans; below the four great oceans there are the seven golden mountains, and beneath the seven golden mountains are the hells; above the four great oceans are the four great continents, namely Pūrvavideha in the east, Aparagodānīya in the west, Jambudvīpa in the south, and Uttarakuru in the north; the four great continents are above the four great oceans, in the four directions at the foot of Mount Sumeru.

Mount Sumeru stands in the midst of the four great oceans, extending halfway down to the bottom of the oceans and rising halfway above them, in the shape of a three-dimensional cone. In the middle of Mount Sumeru is the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, where the Four Great Kings reside—the Northern King's heaven, the Southern King's heaven, the Eastern King's heaven, and the Western King's heaven; the Heaven of the Four Great Kings is located on the four sides of Mount Sumeru's mid-slope. At the summit of Mount Sumeru is the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, where the thirty-three heavens dwelt in by Śakra Devānām Indra are located. Further up are the other four layers of heavens of the desire realm, and above the four layers of heavens of the desire realm there is the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm. All of these together form one unit small world.

In a unit small world, each constituent component is still an assembled appearance. For example, our planet Earth is composed of mountains, rivers, the great earth, as well as trees, flowers, grass, houses, and the like; it is also composed of various lands, the territories of each country. Each individual country is also a composite appearance, also assembled together, composed of appearances such as mountains and rivers, trees, houses, and land. Furthermore, a country is composed of various provinces, prefectures, and counties, and each province, each prefecture and county, is also assembled together; down to each individual household, every single dwelling is also assembled together; even all the items within each household are also assembled together. Matter can be further subdivided, and ultimately can be divided into particles of fine dust.

Therefore, this trichiliocosm, taken as a whole, is assembled together, and even the most minute parts of each component are assembled together—all are composite appearances. A small world is a composite appearance; a medium world is also a composite appearance; a great world even more so is a composite appearance. This entire trichiliocosm is all composite appearances, all assembled together. Since it is assembled together, this world is not real; it is merely an expedient name, a concept. All forms and appearances come from the tathāgatagarbha transmitting the seeds of the four great elements, forming the most minute particles of fine dust; these particles then aggregate to form various materials; materials aggregate to form larger material divisions; and these divisions combine to form one small world after another, one mountain, river, great earth, palace, and so on after another—all of these are assembled appearances. As long as something is an assembled appearance, it is a non-appearance, it is false and illusory, not a real appearance.