The Profound Yogācāra Meaning of the Diamond Sutra (149)

Original text: 云何为人演说。不取于相。如如不动。

Explanation: The World-Honored One taught: Good men and good women who expound the Diamond Sutra, along with its four-line verse, and who proclaim the wondrous Dharma of the tathāgatagarbha—how should they expound it for others? They should rely upon the nature of the tathāgatagarbha, inwardly grasping at no dharma-mark whatsoever; and toward all dharma-marks they should remain suchness-immovable, not seeing dharma-marks as truly existent, with the mind not stirred or turned by the dharma-marks of external objects—pure and undefiled like the tathāgatagarbha, grasping at no marks, giving rise to no thought, without mind in the face of objects, suchness-immovable.

After bodhisattvas awaken to the tathāgatagarbha, they will increasingly observe the pure and unconditioned nature of the tathāgatagarbha, and at the same time they will increasingly perceive the illusory and impermanent nature of all conditioned dharmas. Their minds will gradually no longer take delight in conditioned dharmas, and will instead incline toward the pure and unconditioned nature of the tathāgatagarbha. As bodhisattvas gradually observe that all the conditioned dharma-marks of the threefold world are born and conjured forth by the tathāgatagarbha, they will accordingly cease to grasp at all the dharma-marks of the world; toward all dharmas, their minds will gradually no longer be stirred and turned by them, and finally they will be able to attain suchness-immovability, resembling the unconditioned nature of the tathāgatagarbha.