The Profound Meaning of the Diamond Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (103)

Original text: 须菩提。譬如人身长大。须菩提言。世尊。如来说人身长大。即为非大身。是名大身。

Explanation: The World-Honored One said: Subhūti, for example, the greatness of a human body is just one dharma among all dharmas. Subhūti replied: World-Honored One, the mark of the greatness of a human body that the Tathāgata speaks of is not truly a great body; it merely takes the name of a great body. Why is it that the great body spoken of by the Tathāgata is not a great body? Because the size and appearance of the human body is only an illusory appearance conjured up by the tathāgatagarbha; it has no substance, nor any substantial mark of size. It is an illusion piled up by the tathāgatagarbha using the seeds of the four great elements. Its size and length are all spoken of relatively; one must refer to some object for comparison before it can be named large or small, long or short. And the object of comparison is also not real, having no reliability or comparability. Therefore, the greatness of the human body is not a great body; it is a great body in name only, with no substantial notion of size.

Original text: 须菩提。菩萨亦如是。若作是言。我当灭度无量众生。即不名菩萨。何以故。须菩提。实无有法名为菩萨。是故佛说一切法无我无人无众生无寿者。

Explanation: Subhūti, it is the same with bodhisattvas: only when the mind does not attach to a single dharma-mark, yet practices the bodhisattva practice, is one a true bodhisattva. If a bodhisattva makes a vow to save sentient beings, saying: "I shall liberate immeasurable sentient beings," then such a bodhisattva is not yet a true bodhisattva, not yet having realized ultimate reality and entered into it. Why is this said? Subhūti, because in the ground of ultimate reality, there is no dharma that can be called a bodhisattva or called "I." Therefore, the Buddha said that among all dharmas there is no self, no person, no sentient being, and no life span—these four marks.

A true bodhisattva is one who has already realized ultimate reality. Having realized ultimate reality, the bodhisattva should no longer grasp at worldly marks. What are called worldly marks are the four marks. First, a bodhisattva should not have a mark of self, and then there should be no mark of bodhisattva, and no mark of sentient beings to be saved. These marks are the marks of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), all illusory appearances conjured up by the tathāgatagarbha, not real existent dharmas—just like the images of cats and dogs conjured up by the white clouds in the sky: there are no real cats or dogs to be grasped; they are all just cloud forms. A true bodhisattva should not grasp at a mark of bodhisattva, should not grasp at a mark of self, should not grasp at a mark of sentient beings, yet should still have "I shall save immeasurable sentient beings"—one must practice these bodhisattva practices without a mind [attached to them].