The Diamond Sutra
Page 32
Subhuti replied, “Great, indeed, Bhagavan. It would be great, Sugata.”
The Buddha said, “So it would, Subhuti. So it would. The body of merit produced as a result by that noble son or daughter would be immeasurably, infinitely great. And how so? A body of merit, Subhuti, a ‘body of merit’ is spoken of by the Tathagata as no body. Thus is it called a ‘body of merit.’ Subhuti, if there were a body of merit, the Tathagata would not have spoken of a body of merit as a ‘body of merit.’”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
IN THE PRECEDING CHAPTER, the Buddha told Subhuti how bodhisattvas control their thoughts. He now returns to the body of merit by means of which noble sons and daughters seek to advance on the bodhisattva path. In this chapter, the Buddha begins as he does in Chapter Eight, by asking Subhuti about the body of merit produced by the practice of charity, and much of this chapter is a verbatim repetition of the first half of that chapter. But unlike in Chapter Eight, the Buddha does not compare the bodies of merit produced by material and spiritual gifts. He has another purpose, which is to encourage Subhuti to seek the dharma eye and the buddha eye. Not only can a thought of enlightenment not be found, neither does a body of merit exist. And yet the Buddha speaks of a body of merit. Throughout this sutra, the Buddha has focused on the body of merit. He does not abandon it now, even the body of merit produced by an offering of material goods to those who have no need for such an offering. Rather he insists on it, and he insists on it precisely because it doesn’t exist. The dharma eye sees beyond emptiness to what advances liberation. Delusion and enlightenment are inseparable.
Chao-ming titles this: “The Teaching That Pervades the Dharma Realm.”
Hui-neng says, “One teaching extends throughout the width and breadth of the dharma realm. Better than seven-jeweled fields of merit would be a four-line gatha. Thus follows a chapter on the teaching that pervades the dharma realm.” (The teaching that pervades the dharma realm is the perfection of wisdom.)
“Subhuti, what do you think? If some noble son
or daughter filled the billion worlds of this universe
with the seven jewels and gave them as a gift to the
tathagatas, the arhans, the fully-enlightened ones,
would the body of merit produced as a result by
that noble son or daughter be great?”
Subhuti replied, “Great, indeed, Bhagavan.
It would be great, Sugata.”
Again, it would seem that the Buddha is addressing a subject covered earlier. But, as he does elsewhere when he repeats previous questions or answers, the Buddha does so in order to lead us to a new and deeper understanding. The Buddha has told Subhuti how to control his thoughts by examining them with his prajna eye. The Buddha now turns to the body of merit and his dharma eye. Because Subhuti has been following the shravaka path, the Buddha asks him about the body of merit of someone whose practice is limited to devotional charity. As in Chapter Eight, Subhuti acknowledges that the body of merit of such a person is great. But it is only great. Also, in Chapter Eight, Subhuti’s answer is merely preparatory for his further application of the logic of prajna: a body of merit is empty of any self-nature and thus no body of merit, and it is only on this basis that the Buddha speaks of a “body of merit.”
Seng-chao says, “Wisdom is the chief of the ten thousand virtues, and charity is the foremost of the myriad practices.”
Chi-fo says, “This is the sixth time the Buddha has mentioned an offering of the seven jewels in this sutra. In Chapter Eight, he says making an offering of the seven jewels does not compare with seeing one’s nature. In Chapter Eleven, he says making an offering of the seven jewels does not compare with grasping this sutra. And in this chapter, he says making an offering of the seven jewels does not compare with detachment from form, for attachment to form creates a karmic seed that can never produce a non-karmic fruit.”
Textual note: Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, Paramartha, and Yi-ching have jen (person) for kashcit kulaputro va kuladuhita va (some noble son or daughter). Kumarajiva and Bodhiruci do the same for the second occurrence of this expression as well. Among Chinese translators, only Hsuan-tsang mentions the recipient of the offering. In Subhuti’s reply, Kumarajiva and Bodhiruci have yi shih-yin-yuan, te fu shen-tuo (as a result of this, the merit obtained would be great).
The Buddha said, “So it would, Subhuti. So it would.
The body of merit produced as a result by that noble
son or daughter would be immeasurably, infinitely
great. And how so? A body of merit, Subhuti, a ‘body
of merit’ is spoken of by the Tathagata as no body.
Thus is it called a ‘body of merit.’
While an offering of the seven jewels is great, no matter how immeasurably, infinitely great it might be, it is still empty. Moreover, regardless of how great the resulting body of merit might be, it does not include the one thing we seek from merit. It does not include liberation, either our own or that of others. Thus, the Buddha says that such a body is no body, for not only does it lack any nature of its own, it is incapable of wearing the robe of enlightenment and cannot compare to a bodhisattva’s body of merit.
The second half of the Buddha’s answer, which is spoken by Subhuti in Chapter Eight, is omitted here in all but one Chinese translation. As a result, many commentators have concluded that this chapter aims at inflating rather than puncturing the body of merit. A number of commentators have even suggested that the merit of this noble son or daughter is great because Subhuti and the Buddha are aware of their thoughts (for which, see the end of the previous chapter) and can see that they are not attached to the practice of charity. However, such an explanation is strained and does not prepare us for the statement that follows. Also, by restating Subhuti’s earlier answer, the Buddha is indicating that what follows is meant to expand on, if not correct, Subhuti’s earlier response.
Someone once asked Chao-chou if a dog had the buddha nature. His answer, wu (no), became the totem of his lineage. He told his disciples to stick the word to the end of their noses and to keep it there no matter where they went, and after a while the word would become an entrance into the realm of truth.
Li Wen-hui says, “If a person makes an offering of the seven jewels while attached to form in the hopes of attaining merit, this is delusion. Moreover, the merit thereby attained cannot be considered great. It does not compare to the merit of purity, detachment and non-attainment, which is like space and without boundaries.”
Te-ch’ing says, “To break through attachments, the Buddha has previously declared that there are no lands to purify and there are no beings to liberate, and he now wonders if upon hearing this Subhuti might infer that since beings and lands are empty and the merit from offerings is non-existent there is no need to practice. To counter this, the Buddha says that the merit of no merit is the greatest merit of all. What the Buddha means by no merit is not no merit at all. When the extent of the mind is like that of space, the merit one obtains is even greater.”
Textual note: Neither Kumarajiva nor Yi-ching includes any of this section. Neither Bodhiruci, Paramartha, nor Hsuan-tsang includes aprameyan asankhyeyan (immeasurably, infinitely). Neither Bodhiruci, Paramartha, nor Hsuan-tsang, nor the Stein and Gilgit editions, nor the Tibetan includes the second half of this section beginning with tat kasya hetoh (and how so). Only the translation of Dharmagupta agrees here with the Sanskrit editions of Müller and Conze.
Subhuti, if there were a body of merit, the Tathagata
would not have spoken of a body of merit as a
‘body of merit.’”
The Buddha uses the conditional sacet abhavishyat (if there were) to stress the non-existence of the body of merit in order to accentuate the fearlessness of the bodhisattva’s use of the dharma eye. Whereas the prajna eye sees only non-existence, the dharma eye sees connections, in this case a non-existing body of merit’s connections with liberation. The Buddha speaks of what doesn’t exist because what
doesn’t exist obstructs our path to enlightenment. If something actually existed, it could not be limited by time, by space, or by conceptual dimensions. This is the Buddhist definition of reality, which is the dharma body or true body of every buddha. But because we have not yet discovered anything real, because we have not yet found our dharma body or buddha-nature, the Buddha speaks of bodies of merit. As Lao-tzu says, “The name that becomes a name / is not the Immortal Name.” (Taoteching: 1) But in this world, the Buddha teaches through names. In other worlds, the fragrance of flowers is used.
Asanga says, “If it supports true knowledge, merit is not false. Hence, to consider merit’s form, this example appears once more.” (51) Vasubandhu comments, “Although the ever-moving mind is false, the body of merit is not false, because it supports true realization. Thus, the Tathagata speaks of a body of merit as a body of merit.”
Seng-wei says, “The Bhagavan tells Subhuti if donors base themselves on false conceptions in their practice of giving and are attached to a subject or object and think that merit is real, this turns out to be false. The Tathagata does not speak of such merit as great, because merit does not exist. But if donors base themselves on the wisdom of the Buddha and remain detached from form in their practice of giving and do not consider merit to be real, this is not false. The Tathagata says such merit is truly great.”
Juo-na says, “Those who possess merit are attached to form. Those who do not possess merit transcend form. Because they transcend form, they conform with their nature. Those whose nature is like space, their merit is boundless.”
Textual note: Kumarajiva has this at the end of this section: yi fu-te wu ku, ju-lai shuo te fu-te tuo (because there is no merit, the Tathagata says the merit obtained is great). However, no other edition, Chinese or Sanskrit, follows suit.
Chapter Twenty: “Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen by means of the perfect development of the physical body?”
Subhuti replied, “No, indeed, Bhagavan. The Tathagata cannot be seen by means of the perfect development of the physical body. And why not? The perfect development of the physical body, Bhagavan, the ‘perfect development of the physical body’ is spoken of by the Tathagata as no development. Thus is it called the ‘perfect development of the physical body.’”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen by means of the possession of attributes?”
Subhuti replied, “No, indeed, Bhagavan. The Tathagata cannot be seen by means of the possession of attributes. And why not? Bhagavan, what the Tathagata speaks of as the possession of attributes is spoken of by the Tathagata as no possession of attributes. Thus is it called the ‘possession of attributes.’”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE BUDDHA NOW USES his buddha eye, which alone perceives his complete body of merit, his sanbhoga-kaya. Like all bodies of merit, it, too, depends on the gift. In the previous chapter, we heard that the gift of enough jewels to fill the billion worlds of this universe results in a body of merit that does not exist. But not only is this true for those who give material goods, this is also true for those who give this teaching. And yet this teaching gives rise to liberation, while the gift of material goods does not. Thus, this gift results in a body of merit that is both non-existent and existent but whose non-existence and existence are apparent only to the buddha eye, which alone sees beyond the duality of non-existence and existence. The reason the Buddha now speaks of his reward body is because he is concerned that those who practice this teaching might become attached to such a body and see it as some kind of higher self. Thus, Zen masters recommend, “When you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha.”
Chao-ming titles this: “Transcending Form, Transcending Appearance.”
Hui-neng says, “Although the three bodies [nirmana, sanbhoga, and dharma bodies] are complete, and all their attributes are perfect, they are not complete unless the concepts of individuals and dharmas are forgotten. Thus follows a chapter on transcending form and transcending appearances.”
Te-ch’ing says, “Having heard that one cannot liberate beings or purify lands while attached to form, Subhuti wonders, ‘If liberating beings and purifying lands are the cause of buddhahood and result in myriad virtues and perfect adornments, and there are no beings to liberate and no lands to purify, then there is no cause. Also, if there is no enlightenment to realize, there is no result. Once cause and result are both cut off, there is no buddha. But now the perfectly developed physical body and attributes of the Tathagata appear before me. Where do they come from?’ Thus, the Buddha tells him he should not view the Tathagata in terms of his perfectly developed physical body or his attributes.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen by
means of the perfect development of the physical body?”
When the Buddha asks Subhuti about his rupa-kaya (form body), we know from the Heart Sutra that rupa (form) and shunyata (emptiness) are the two sides of the same equation, that “form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Form is no other than emptiness, and emptiness is no other than form.” Hence, we can anticipate Subhuti’s answer. But the question arises, to which of the Buddha’s bodies is he referring as his rupa-kaya (physical body)? By qualifying it with the word parinishpatti (perfect development), he is pointing not to his nirmana-kaya, or apparition body, but to his sanbhoga-kaya, or reward body, which alone is perfect in form because it is formless. The Buddha is concerned that bodhisattvas might become attached to this body they produce and acquire as a result of their practice and fail to see the Tathagata’s dharma-kaya, or real body.
Hui-neng says, “The Buddha is concerned that beings do not see his dharma body and only see its thirty-two attributes and eighty characteristics, such as its purple, burnished glow, and think of these as the Tathagata’s true body. In order to eliminate this mistake, he asks Subhuti if the Buddha can be seen by means of his perfectly developed physical body or not. But the thirty-two attributes are not his perfectly developed physical body. The perfectly developed physical body is what contains the thirty-two pure practices. These pure practices are the six paramitas. The cultivation of the six paramitas in the five senses and the joint cultivation of meditation and wisdom in the mind are called the perfectly developed body. If you only care about the Tathagata’s thirty-two attributes and don’t cultivate the thirty-two pure practices within yourself, it is not the perfectly developed physical body. Whereas, if you don’t care about the Tathagata’s body but are able to observe the pure practices, this is called realizing the perfectly developed physical body.”
Tao-yuan says, “The previous mention of beholding the Tathagata or his thirty-two attributes referred to his incarnated body, his six-foot, golden-hued body. Whereas this ‘physical body’ is the ‘universal attribute.’ The ‘perfect development of the physical body’ is perfect and complete. This refers to the bodily attributes of the reward body. The Buddha has three bodies: an incarnated body, a reward body, and a dharma body. The Tathagata who asks this question is the Buddha’s dharma body. The dharma body has no attributes and cannot be seen by means of the reward body’s perfectly developed body. Although its attributes are perfect, they are still attributes. And ‘whatever has form is an illusion. ’”
Subhuti replied, “No, indeed, Bhagavan. The Tathagata
cannot be seen by means of the perfect development
of the physical body. And why not? The perfect
development of the physical body, Bhagavan, the ‘perfect
development of the physical body’ is spoken of by the
Tathagata as no development. Thus is it called the
‘perfect development of the physical body.’”
Subhuti continues to rely on his prajna, or wisdom, eye. Hence, his awareness is limited to the essential emptiness of things. Thus, he sees that just as the body of merit of the previous chapter is no body, so, too, is the Buddha’s reward body no body. For although it is ultimately one with the Buddha’s real
body, Subhuti sees only that aspect which is the result of causes and conditions and which therefore lacks any self-nature.
Sheng-yi says, “Because form is empty, one sees the dharma body. Because the dharma body is empty and motionless and has no form and no body, it is not the perfectly developed physical body. Because the dharma body that is not the perfectly developed physical body manifests all physical bodies according to causes and conditions, it is called the perfectly developed physical body. Form and attributes are both manifested by the dharma body. The embodiment of form is the dharma body. When form is empty, we can see the dharma body. The Heart Sutra says ‘form is emptiness.’ Thus, in form we see the dharma body. And ‘emptiness is form.’ Thus, the dharma body is able to manifest all forms. The dharma body itself has no attributes. But if the dharma body cannot manifest form, who can see the Buddha? The Avatamsaka Sutra says, ‘The Buddha takes the Dharma for his body. It is pure and like space.’ The physical eye of a mortal cannot see it. Only the prajna eye sees the emptiness of form and thus the dharma body of the Tathagata.”