The Profound Meaning of the Diamond Sutra from the Consciousness-Only Perspective (136)

Original text:何以故。须菩提。以诸菩萨不受福德故。须菩提白佛言。世尊。云何菩萨不受福德。须菩提。菩萨所作福德。不应贪著。是故说不受福德。

Explanation: The World-Honored One further taught: Why is this so? Subhūti, it is because all bodhisattvas do not receive merit. Subhūti said to the World-Honored One: World-Honored One, why do bodhisattvas not receive merit? The World-Honored One replied: All the merit that bodhisattvas create should not be clung to with craving; therefore it is said that bodhisattvas do not receive merit.

The bodhisattva here is what the World-Honored One implicitly refers to as the true bodhisattva at the level of ultimate reality. That true bodhisattva does not receive any feeling; toward all dharmas, it maintains neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā). This true bodhisattva perfectly and completely possesses all dharmas, yet does not crave or seek any dharma; because there is no craving or seeking, there is therefore nothing attained. When the bodhisattva's five aggregates give away worlds and the seven treasures through generosity (dāna), the karmic retribution of merit thus generated is received by the bodhisattva's five aggregates and seven consciousnesses, and it is the seven consciousnesses that enjoy and make use of it; the true bodhisattva—the tathāgatagarbha—does not gain even the slightest portion, nor does it enjoy even the slightest portion. And when the bodhisattva's five aggregates practice the perfection of generosity, the seven consciousnesses must also rely on the tathāgatagarbha and not crave merit.

When the bodhisattva practices generosity, his mind contemplates the perfection of generosity through the emptiness of the three wheels. What is meant by the emptiness of the three wheels is that there is no true person who gives—I, no person who receives the giving—he, and in between, no object that is given—the seven treasures. Why is there no person who gives? Because the person who gives—the five aggregates—is transformed and produced by the tathāgatagarbha. The physical body is formed by the tathāgatagarbha moment by moment outputting the seeds of the four great elements; this is like the tathāgatagarbha being a piece of gold, a portion of which has been fashioned into a gold ring—the physical body. The seven consciousnesses are formed by the tathāgatagarbha moment by moment outputting the seeds of consciousness; this is like the tathāgatagarbha being a piece of gold, a portion of which has been fashioned into a gold necklace—the seven consciousnesses. The physical body and the seven consciousnesses together constitute the five aggregates, and the five aggregates as a whole, this gold artifact, is the gold of the tathāgatagarbha.

From this we can see: do the five aggregates actually exist or not? What kind of thing are the five aggregates? The five aggregates in their entirety are, of course, the tathāgatagarbha, and nothing else. Therefore, when the bodhisattva practices generosity, there is no bodhisattva's five aggregates who gives—I; likewise, there is no five aggregates that receives the giving—he. Then what about the seven treasures given in between? The seven treasures are also material form (rūpa) constituted by the four great elements, formed by the tathāgatagarbha moment by moment outputting the seeds of the four great elements; they are the gold of the tathāgatagarbha, a portion of which has been fashioned into gold earrings and other such seven-treasure objects. So what, in the end, are the seven treasures? The seven treasures are the gold of the tathāgatagarbha; there are no real seven treasures—all is the tathāgatagarbha. And the essence of the tathāgatagarbha is also empty in nature (śūnya), with no substantial mark existing—empty without a single mark. Therefore the entire perfection of generosity is the emptiness of the three wheels, utterly unattainable; the bodhisattva simply need not cling to it at all.

By the same token, the merit the bodhisattva obtains is also empty. First, the bodhisattva's act of generosity is stored as a karmic seed in the tathāgatagarbha; when conditions ripen, the tathāgatagarbha outputs the karmic seed again, actualizing the bodhisattva's merit. The form in which this merit is actualized manifests as material form and as the mental factors (caittas) of the seven consciousnesses. Material form manifests simply in the forms of money, property, power, status, family, and so on; and these material forms are all formed by the tathāgatagarbha outputting the seeds of the four great elements—their essence is all the tathāgatagarbha; there are no real material forms. Material form and the tathāgatagarbha are neither identical nor different. Thus there is no real blessing and reward to be obtained—all is the tathāgatagarbha's own mind grasping at its own mind; what is not illusory becomes illusory dharma.

When enjoying the blessings and rewards of these material forms, it is the aware mind of the seven consciousnesses that enjoys them; it is the feeling mental factor (vedanā-caitta) of the seven consciousnesses that receives, feels, and enjoys them. The feeling mental factor will feel comfort, happiness, pride, arrogance, and self-delight. And the feeling mental factor exists in accordance with the seven consciousnesses; it is the companion of the seven consciousnesses. As soon as the seven consciousnesses appear and engage with the objects of the six dusts, the feeling mental factor begins to operate. The seven consciousnesses are formed by the tathāgatagarbha outputting the seeds of consciousness; they are originally the tathāgatagarbha, neither identical nor different from it. The mind-body of the seven consciousnesses is utterly unattainable, and thus the feelings and sensations of the seven consciousnesses are also utterly unattainable. Therefore, when the bodhisattva's merit is actualized, both the merit and the enjoyment of that merit have no substance—their essence is all the tathāgatagarbha.

When bodhisattvas realize this realm of wisdom, they will no longer crave merit, and will no longer have the mind to enjoy merit. Moreover, they dedicate all the merit they have cultivated toward anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. The bodhisattva's practice is for the sake of attaining buddhahood as soon as possible; they will not practice the perfection of generosity for the sake of enjoying the merit of worldly dharmas. Only in this way can the bodhisattva's practice achieve inner purity and emptiness, attached to not a single dharma—with the mind empty, one returns having passed the examination—and will realize the supreme fruit of buddhahood, perfecting the great path of bodhi.