Segment 10 / The Adornment of the Pure LandThe Buddha asked Subhūti, “What do you think? When the Tathāgata was in the presence of the Lamp- Light Buddha in the past, did he attain anything in the Dharma or not?”
Subhūti responded, “No, World-Honoured One. The Tathāgata, in the presence of the Lamp-Light Buddha, truly did not attain anything in the Dharma.”
The Buddha continued, “What do you think, Subhūti? Does a Bodhisattva adorn the Buddha Land or not?” Subhūti replied, “No, World-Honoured One! Why? Adorning the Buddha Land is not in fact adornment. This is merely named as adornment.”
The Buddha then said, “Therefore, Subhūti, all great Bodhisattvas should let pure self-nature appear in this way. They should not attach to forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, or mental objects and let the self-nature appear. The mind should abide nowhere, and from that let the true nature arise.”
The Buddha further inquired, “Subhūti, suppose a person’s body were as great as Mount Sumeru, the king of mountains. What do you think—would this body be considered very great or not?” Subhūti answered, “Very great, World-Honoured One! Why is that? The Buddha says it is not truly a body, but merely named a great body.”
In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha’s teachings unfold in a continuous and seamless progression, step by step, as he clears away the confusion and attachments of his disciples, removing the obstacles on their path to realisation. While we study the Sutra in segments for the sake of explanation and memorisation, it is crucial to recognise that each Segment builds upon the teachings of the previous ones.
Let us now have a review. Buddha’s teachings on this occasion arise in response to Subhūti’s question: How should one who has just made the aspiration for Buddhahood settle their mind? How can they subdue the inner afflictions and obstacles? Through his instructions, the Buddha not only outlines how to practice and cultivate, but also gradually exposes the root causes behind all afflictions and the unsettled mind.
The first and second Segments are about the origin, time, and place of this sutra. In the third, fourth, and fifth Segments, the Buddha discusses how disciples should make vows and practice without attachment to forms, how they should practice almsgiving universally without clinging to anything, and avoid attachment to the physical body when realizing their true nature.
In the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth Segments, the Buddha continues to deconstruct the disciples’ attachments and misconceptions regarding Buddhahood, the Buddha’s teachings, and the four stages of Arhatship, revealing that none of these are ultimately attainable. The realization of Buddhanature is merely letting go of all distinctions and attachments.
The Buddha’s teachings serve merely as a guiding light or a skillful means of communication. Once one has heard the Buddha’s teachings, they should simply follow them without clinging to any names or concepts.
Then, What kind of attachment does the Buddha begin to dispel in the tenth Segment then? Let us continue to listen.
The Buddha again asks Subhūti, “What do you think, Subhūti? Did the Tathāgata receive any Dharma from the Lamp-Light Buddha in the past?” Subhūti replis, “World-Honoured One, I believe that you did not receive any Dharma from the Lamp-Light Buddha.”
In this exchange, the Buddha tells his disciples that it is not only I, Shakyamuni Buddha, who teach you in this) way now. In the past, when I was in the presence of my teacher, the Lamp-Light Buddha, I also attained nothing in the Dharma. I simply relinquished all my attachments and distinctions there. This statement also echoes the earlier teaching that all sages and saints differ only in their application of the unconditioned Dharma.
The Buddha then asks Subhūti, “What do you think, Subhūti? Does a Bodhisattva truly practice all kinds of good deeds to adorn the Buddha Land?” The concept of “adornment of the Buddha Land” can be interpreted in multiple ways. First，it refers to tangible acts such as building temples, erecting stupas, copying sutras, giving alms, making offerings, and performing various virtuous deeds—all of which are considered ways of adorning the Buddha Land.
Second, purification of one’s own mind. To practice the Dharma, one should withdraw the mind inward and keep it from wandering, and abide in the right perception of the Buddha，walk the path of Bodhisattva, it is also called adorning the inner Buddha Land. This aligns with the teachings in the Lotus Sutra, where the Bodhisattva Never-Disparaging demonstrates respect for all beings and performs acts of veneration, honouring everyone and everything he encounters, all of these are called adorning the inner Buddha land.
In the Buddha’s wisdom of prajna, all sentient beings should detach from all forms in order to clearly see that the good deeds and merits which adorn the Buddha Land are themselves empty of inherent nature. Only with this perspective can one swiftly enter into the realization of emptiness. The true essence of all phenomena is the Tathāgata, which is neither born nor extinguished, neither pure nor impure, and is inherently complete and perfect. Therefore, what need is there for adornment?
That is why the Buddha asks Subhūti, “Does a Bodhisattva truly adorn the Buddha Land?” Subhūti responds, “Not in that way, World-Honoured One. Although a Bodhisattva may engage in countless virtuous deeds and make efforts to adorn the Buddha Land, abiding in the true emptiness of their own nature and from the perspective of no action and no attainment, they do not cling to the act of adorning the Buddha Land. It is merely named ‘adorning the Buddha Land,’ in accordance with worldly convention.”
The Buddha then says, “Subhūti, precisely because of this principle, all great Bodhisattvas should give rise to a pure mind in all actions. They should not let the mind abide in forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, or mental objects. The mind should abide nowhere, and from that non-abiding the true nature will arise).”
Here, the Buddha instructs, “the mind should abide in nowhere and the true nature will arise naturally.” What, then, does it mean for the mind to “arise from abiding”? Sentient beings harbor a sense of “self,” expressed through the six faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind). These faculties interact with external objects, known as the six sense objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental objects). When the mind comes into contact with these external objects, all kinds of deluded and scattered thoughts arise. Entangled in these delusions, they experience affliction, suffering, and the ceaseless cycle of birth and death. Such a deluded mind is what it means to ‘abide in somewhere.’
The Bodhisattva should abide in the self-nature, unmoving in suchness, not grasping at appearances, and unswayed by external conditions. Their mind remains ever pure, clearly aware that its nature is originally empty, luminous, and still. They respond appropriately to conditions but do not cling to the past. This is that let the mind abide in nowhere and the true nature will arise naturally
The Buddha then asks, “Subhūti, suppose there were a person whose body is as vast and majestic as Mount Sumeru. What do you think would such a body be great or not?” Subhūti replies, “Indeed, it is very great, World-Honoured One. However, the body that the Buddha refers to, one as great as Mount Sumeru, is not a real existence. It is the accumulation of countless virtuous deeds and merits. It is just named a ‘great body,’ in accordance with worldly convention.”
Here, the Buddha employs the metaphor of a “great body.” When a Bodhisattva has perfected their practice and accumulated vast merit on the Bodhisattva path, they will manifest (a perfected form in this world—such as the thirty-two marks and eighty secondary characteristics, or even a body as immense as Mount Sumeru in meditative vision. In Buddhism, Mount Sumeru is considered the tallest and greatest mountain in the Saha world.Through this metaphor of a body signifying complete merit, the Buddha inquires of Subhūti whether such a body is truly great. Subhūti affirms that it is, World-Honoured One, but adds that even such a vast body is, in essence, nothing more than the accumulation of countless virtuous actions and blessings. It is just named a ‘great body,’ in accordance with worldly convention, but is illusory in its ultimate nature.