The Profound Meaning of the Diamond Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (58)

Why can one realize the tathāgatagarbha? It is precisely because, through reciting and studying the Diamond Sutra, one has thoroughly comprehended its meaning, and with precepts, meditative concentration (samādhi), wisdom, and merit all complete, one realizes the tathāgatagarbha. Then, by proclaiming it to others so that they too may realize it, laying the foundation for their attainment of buddhahood, that merit is even more inconceivable, and far surpasses the merit of giving the seven treasures.

The Buddha told Subhūti: why does the merit of realizing it and then proclaiming it to others surpass the merit of giving the seven treasures? Because all buddhas, as well as the buddhadharma spoken by all buddhas, arise from this Diamond Sutra—that is, the vajra mind, the tathāgatagarbha. On the premise and foundation of realizing the tathāgatagarbha, one cultivates and studies the seed-functions of the tathāgatagarbha, and from then on one can gradually accomplish the buddha-path and perfect bodhi. The seeds of wholesome dharmas cultivated by all buddhas over three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas are all stored within their own tathāgatagarbha; the seeds of unwholesome karma are no longer there, and when ignorance is utterly extinguished, one is a buddha. Thus all buddhas come forth from the tathāgatagarbha and attain accomplishment; after attaining accomplishment, they proclaim to sentient beings all the dharmas for attaining buddhahood, and the dharmas they proclaim also flow forth from the tathāgatagarbha of the buddhas' own minds. The seeds of wholesome dharmas that the buddhas cultivated over successive kalpas are stored within their own tathāgatagarbha; when these seeds are streamed forth, they become the buddhadharma. Therefore all buddhadharma emerges from this sutra—the vajra mind, the tathāgatagarbha.

The Buddha said to Subhūti: 所谓佛法者，即非佛法。 This sentence closely adheres to the theme and becomes the central sentence of this section. All the dharmas for attaining buddhahood that the Buddha taught are what is called the buddhadharma—the dharma spoken by the Buddha is conventionally designated as "buddhadharma" by people. Yet the dharma the Buddha spoke consists of the dharma-seeds he cultivated, retained within the Buddha's tathāgatagarbha, and expounded in accordance with conditions. These dharma-seeds were stored in later, acquired fashion; they were formed postnatally and are not originally existent dharmas. When the Buddha expounded them, he also spoke different dharmas according to conditions; these dharmas are dharmas produced by causes and conditions, not fixed dharmas that exist originally. Since they are not originally existent, fixed dharmas, they are not buddhadharma in the true sense.

Buddhadharma in the true sense is originally existent, eternally unchanging, neither arising nor ceasing, not brought into existence by causes and conditions, originally thus, dharmas that are such by their very nature: the tathāgatagarbha, the undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna), suchness (tathatā), the ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya), the eighth consciousness, the Ālayavijñāna (vipāka-consciousness), and the great mirror-like wisdom (ādarśa-jñāna). All others are man-made designations and names, provisionally spoken of as buddhadharma. In summary, among all worldly and world-transcending dharmas, only suchness is the true dharma—the dharma in the true sense, the original dharma, the dharma of ultimate reality (dharmatā). All others arise postnatally, are formed by causes and conditions, and are dharmas subject to arising and ceasing; none of them is the dharma of ultimate reality.