Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Part Four - Wonderful Practice without Attachment

This section discusses how bodhisattvas practice giving (dāna), through which they attain the most supreme and excellent merit. For bodhisattvas, giving to sentient beings is a wondrous practice, yielding immeasurable merit, yet their minds do not dwell upon it. The fundamental mark of a bodhisattva is giving to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings, and the practice of the Mahayana bodhisattva path primarily centers on giving. Bodhisattvas employ the Four Means of Embracing (catvāri saṅgraha-vastūni): giving, loving speech, beneficial conduct, and collaborative endeavor. They use these four methods to embrace and guide sentient beings, thereby liberating them. If one is solely concerned with liberating oneself from the cycle of birth and death and attaining personal liberation, that is the way of a "self-liberated individual" (pratyekabuddha inclination), not a bodhisattva. To be a bodhisattva, one cannot act only for oneself; one must simultaneously work for sentient beings to leave suffering and attain happiness, and for the eternal continuation of the Dharma. The practice of giving serves two main purposes: firstly, for the individual to accumulate merit and virtue, serving as provisions for advancing in cultivation; secondly, to embrace sentient beings. By giving to sentient beings, one forms karmic connections with them, making them willing to heed the bodhisattva's teachings and follow them in study and practice.

The first of the bodhisattva's Six Perfections (ṣaṭ-pāramitā) is giving. Giving is divided into three kinds: giving of wealth (material resources), giving of fearlessness (protection and safety), and giving of Dharma (teaching). According to the *Bodhisattva Upāsaka Precepts Sūtra*, giving to an animal yields a hundredfold karmic retribution; giving to an ordinary person, including evil people or those who violate precepts, yields a thousandfold retribution; giving to a precept-holder yields ten thousandfold retribution; giving to one who has renounced desire, including non-Buddhists who have attained the first dhyāna, yields a millionfold retribution. This is because attaining the first dhyāna severs the mind of desire, and upon death, one is reborn in the Form Realm heavens — this is virtue (guṇa), and one possessing virtue is worthy of offerings. Giving to those on the path to Stream-entry (śrotāpatti-phala-pratipannaka) or above — Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas — yields immeasurable (apramāṇa) retribution, and the difference between various levels of "immeasurable" is vast.

The causes, conditions, and karmic results of giving are actualized by the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature). The entire process of the act of giving is upheld and recorded by the Tathāgatagarbha. When the conditions ripen, the Tathāgatagarbha outputs this karmic seed, and the sentient being receives the karmic reward. Generally, this retribution is received in a future life and is called "ripening in a different time" (vipāka-karma). However, if this karma is very powerful and the conditions ripen in the present life, then one receives the "manifest karmic reward" (flower-fruition) in this very life. The karma created by sentient beings never vanishes without cause. Wholesome karma, unwholesome karma, and neutral karma are all stored and output by the Tathāgatagarbha without the slightest error or omission. Generally, once wholesome or unwholesome karma has been exhausted through retribution, the karmic seed disappears. Created unwholesome karma can also be eliminated through confession and repentance (deśanā). After attaining the fruit (of enlightenment) or realizing the mind and seeing its nature (awakening), one can eliminate the karma for the three lower realms (apāya), ensuring one will not fall into them in future lives. Whichever karma is strongest ripens first. Practitioners should always ensure that wholesome karma outweighs unwholesome karma, so that unwholesome karma temporarily does not ripen. After a very long time, the karmic seeds dry up and wither. For example, a sentient being who committed the five heinous crimes (ānantarya-karma), if reborn in the lowest grade of the lowest rank in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhāvatī), remains within a lotus flower for twelve great kalpas. Having no opportunity to create new karma, the old karmic seeds gradually wither. When the mind becomes pure, one emerges from the lotus.

Giving of fearlessness includes rescuing sentient beings' lives, relieving their hardships, dangers, and calamities, removing psychological obstacles, etc. One can attain karmic rewards of health, longevity, peace, happiness, smooth progress in all endeavors, and wealth and honor. Sometimes, giving of wealth contains elements of giving of fearlessness, and giving of fearlessness contains elements of giving of wealth. Giving of Dharma yields karmic rewards in both merit (puṇya) and wisdom (prajñā), and also includes the rewards of giving of fearlessness. Expounding the sutras and propagating the Dharma on behalf of the Buddha is direct giving of Dharma. Printing sutras, supporting and protecting the Sangha jewel in spreading the Dharma, etc., are indirect giving of Dharma. However, it is best to first attain the "Dharma-eye" (dharmacakṣus) through cultivation and realization, opening the wisdom of both Mahayana and Hinayana, ensuring the fundamental Buddhadharma is not explained incorrectly, sentient beings are not misled onto wrong paths of practice, and certainly, the Dharma-body and wisdom-life of sentient beings are not severed. Only then should one personally expound the sutras and Dharma to guide sentient beings — this is the best way. Sentient beings who support Dharma Masters in spreading the Dharma must also possess the "discriminative wisdom eye" (dharmapravicaya-dṛṣṭi), which is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (sapta-bodhyaṅga). They need the ability to discern right from wrong in the Dharma. Otherwise, if the fundamental Buddhadharma is promoted or assisted incorrectly, the karmic retribution is also very heavy.

When sentient beings have not opened the Dharma-eye, they often mistake the wrong for the right and the right for the wrong, becoming inverted and confused. Or, they only recognize "famous teachers," not knowing there is a great difference between a "famous teacher" and an "enlightened teacher." One possessing the Way (enlightenment) may not be famous, and a famous one may not possess the Way. Only by distinguishing between "famous teachers" and "enlightened teachers" can one truly "rely on the Dharma, not on the person." Spreading the correct Dharma yields immense merit. However, if one transmits it incorrectly, planting wrong seeds in the minds of sentient beings, these will sprout bad shoots and bear bad fruit life after life. Even a true spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra) will find it difficult to correct, because sentient beings tend to adhere to what they encountered first. Moreover, the true Buddhadharma is difficult to resonate with sentient beings; it differs from the habitual reasoning and understanding commonly held by sentient beings, causing them to reject it. It is psychologically difficult to reverse this tendency, so spreading the Dharma must be done with great caution.

Original Text: Furthermore, Subhūti, regarding dharmas, a bodhisattva should practice giving without dwelling [on anything]. That is to say, one should not dwell on form when giving, nor dwell on sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects when giving. Subhūti, a bodhisattva should give thus — without dwelling on appearances.

Explanation: Furthermore, Subhūti, regarding the Dharma, a bodhisattva should practice the act of giving without dwelling [on anything]. The mind does not dwell on form (rūpa) when giving, nor does it dwell on sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects (dharmas) when giving. Subhūti, a bodhisattva should give like this — the mind dwelling on no appearances whatsoever.

This passage is the World-Honored One instructing bodhisattvas that when cultivating the practice of giving, they should not dwell on the six dusts (ṣaḍ-viṣaya) — forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects. Giving is not done to seek the conditioned blessings (puṇya) of the Triple World (triloka), nor to seek the pleasures of the five desires (pañca-kāma) — wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. One does not seek gratitude or repayment from sentient beings, nor rebirth in heavens to enjoy blessings. The bodhisattva’s mind should be non-dwelling, like the Tathāgatagarbha. When the Tathāgatagarbha gives, it dwells on no dharma whatsoever. The six sense faculties (ṣaḍ-indriya) and six dusts are provided by it to us; the six consciousnesses (ṣaḍ-vijñāna) are manifested by it for us, enabling us to live in the world with the five aggregates (pañca-skandha). If it were not for the Tathāgatagarbha, we could do absolutely nothing. It gives us life span, warmth, and the conscious mind. If it were to leave the body, we would die instantly: life span would cease, the body would become cold and stiff, breathing, heartbeat, and pulse would stop immediately, and blood would no longer flow.

It is our very life root (jīvitendriya), a great giver, yet it seeks nothing from us — not even a word of praise. Singing its praises and extolling its virtues, it does not hear, let alone feel joy. Because it has no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects; no eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, or mind-consciousness. Therefore, it has no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness; no perceptions, views, discriminations, or delusions. In contrast, our deluded mind — the seven consciousnesses — possesses self-knowing, self-views, self-love, self-conceit, deluded discriminations, views such as belief in a self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), attachment to rites and rituals (śīla-vrata-parāmarśa), and the sixty-two wrong views (ṣaṣṭi-dṛṣṭi). Having views is wrong — it is the deluded mind. Having no views is right — it is the true mind. Therefore, when practicing giving, bodhisattvas should learn from the Tathāgatagarbha and dwell on no appearances whatsoever.

Original Text: Why is this? If a bodhisattva gives without dwelling on appearances, the merit of that is inconceivable.

Explanation: Why should a bodhisattva give without dwelling on appearances? If a bodhisattva gives without dwelling on appearances, the merit attained is inconceivable.

Giving while dwelling on appearances confines the mind to those appearances, making the mind small and limiting the merit. If the mind does not transcend the appearances of the six dusts, one cannot attain liberation, let alone become a Buddha. The mind capable of giving is the deluded mind — the seven consciousnesses, primarily the sixth (mano-vijñāna) and seventh (manas) consciousnesses. The one that decides to give is the mental faculty, the seventh consciousness (manas), also called the kliṣṭa-manas (defiled mind). It contemplates whether to give, what to give, how much to give, and to whom. Then it makes the decisive choice. The analysis, reasoning, judgment, and observation before giving are done by the sixth consciousness (mano-vijñāna), which reports the results to the manas, attempting to persuade it. After contemplation, the manas sometimes follows the suggestion, sometimes not. This is why we sometimes feel we should do one thing but end up doing the opposite, feeling helpless — it’s because the manas does not necessarily follow the guidance of the mano-consciousness.

After studying Buddhism, one might feel eating meat is wrong and one should be vegetarian, yet upon seeing meat, one still wants to eat it and cannot control oneself. This is because the manas always acts according to ingrained habits and is difficult to change. One might agree to give a hundred dollars, but when it comes time to hand over the money, one hesitates. Agreeing was the mano-consciousness analyzing and feeling one should do so; handing over the money is decided by the manas. The manas is heavy with self-attachment (ātma-grāha) and reluctant to give away possessions. It requires long-term edification, guidance, and persuasion by the mano-consciousness to possibly change. Therefore, when the manas changes, everything changes, and the karmic results differ. A bodhisattva giving without dwelling on appearances attains immeasurable, boundless merit. Like the Tathāgatagarbha — its merit is beyond description. The universe and space belong to it; the trichiliocosm (trisāhasra-mahāsāhasra-lokadhātu) belongs to it; the Lotus Treasury World (Padma-garbha-loka-dhātu) belongs to it; the ocean of worlds belongs to it; the thirty-two major marks and eighty minor marks of all Buddhas belong to it. Not a single dharma does not belong to it, yet it needs nothing. Its merit is immeasurable and boundless.