Segment 2 2. Dharma Not Attainable / Segment 23. Purify the Heart and practice VirtueSubhūti inquires of the Buddha, “World-Honoured One, Does the Buddha’s attainment of Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi mean that you have not gained anything whatsoever?” ” The Buddha responds, “Indeed, Subhūti, in Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi, I did not not gain or obtain even the slightest thing. This is what is called Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi.”
The Buddha further explained, “Moreover, Subhūti, this Dharma is equal, without superior or inferior. This is what called Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. By practicing all virtuous deeds without attachment to self, person, living being, or lifespan, one attains Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi.” The Buddha added, “What is talked as good deeds, is not truly good deeds, this is called good deeds.”
The central meaning of this Segment is that Subhūti asks the Buddha, “World-Honoured One, is the Buddha’s attainment of the highest and most perfect awakening non-attainment whatsoever?”
The Buddha replied, “Yes, Subhūti, in the attainment of unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness,even everything in this world, there is not even a single thing that I have truly gained. This is what is known as unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness —the highest and perfect awakening.”
Regarding the questions in this Segment, Subhuti also had several exchanges with the Buddha, such as in Segment 10, the Buddha asks Subhūti, “What do you think, Subhūti? When the Buddha was in the presence of the Buddha of Lamp Light, did he attain anything of the Dharma?” Subhūti responds, “No, World-Honoured One. The Buddha, during his time with the Buddha of Lamp Light, did not truly attain anything of the Dharma.” The dialogue between the Buddha and Subhuti here serves as a reminder to the disciples that they should not be attached to the Dharma, and it aims to dispel the disciples’ thoughts of that there is dharma attainable, and there is fruit achievable.
This discussion also reappears in Segment 17. The original text states: “Subhūti, what do you think? Did the Tathāgata attain the the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness from the Buddha of Lamp Light?” Subhūti responds, “No, World-Honoured One. As I understand the Buddha’s teaching, there is no one entity attains Dharma from the Buddha of Lamp Light.” The key point of the dialogue here is to tell the general audience listening to the Dharma that no such person attains the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, and it is about breaking the concept of self. The Buddha adds more, “Subhūti, if there was an entity that attained the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, then the Buddha of Lamp Light would not have predicted that I would become the Buddha in the future with the name ‘Shakyamuni’… If anyone asserts that the Tathāgata has attained the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, Subhūti, actually, there is no an entity that attains the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness.” The repeated context here is letting sentient beings know that in the realm of emptiness, there is no self and no person.
In Segment 22, Subhūti asks, “World-Honoured One, is the Tathāgata’s attainment of the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness a state of ‘no attainment’?” This is a fascinating summary. In other words, the “no attainment” itself is the Tathāgata’s attainment of the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. The perfect awakening of the Buddha with the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness is the realization that all phenomena are empty, and there is nothing that can truly be attained. Buddha says：“It is because of the emptiness of all phenomena, the Tathāgata attains not even a single thing in terms of the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, or this world. This awakening is named as the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. ”
The exchange between Subhūti and the Buddha aims to show that the realization of the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness is when one realizes the emptiness of both self and phenomena and the desire for attainment ceases. At this point, it is the right time to reflect on the beginning of the Diamond Sutra, where Subhūti first asks: “How does one find peace of mind in seeking the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness?” Now, the it talks about the nature of the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. What does it mean to “attain the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness”? What is the essence of the “Tathāgata”? Realizing the meaning of this essence is practice, and only through this realization can the mind find true peace. In the subsequent Segment, the Buddha and Subhūti continue their inquiry into this question.
In Segments 23，The Buddha says,“Furthermore, Subhūti, this Dharma is equal, with no superior or inferior; that is why it is called the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. By practicing all good deeds without attachment to self, persons, sentient beings, or lifespan, one attains the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. The so-called good deeds, Tathagata says they are not really good deeds; they are merely called good deeds.”
In Segments 22 and 23, the Buddha articulates a very incisive summary of the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. We generate the aspiration to seek the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness and the fruition of Buddhahood. Here, the Buddha tells all disciples that when a practitioner realizes that everything is illusory, eliminates the mind of seeking attainment, not attaches to any appearance, and has the mind of equality of all Dharmas, this can be said to have attained the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. The Buddha also tells you how to attain it, saying, “You should be free from attachment to all appearances, practice all virtuous deeds, whereas even not be attached to the appearance of virtuous deeds, and then you can attain the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness.” This is the path of cultivation and realization for Bodhisattvas. Don’t think that a virtuous deed is too small to be done while being free from attachment to the appearance of virtuous deeds. I think these two Segments are really crucial for sentient beings in the Dharma-ending Age to cultivate and realize the Buddhist teachings.
In the Dharma-ending Age, most people who study, practice and cultivate the Buddhist teachings can’t let go of everything in the mortal world, so they want both the attainment of Buddhahood and all that in the mundane world. Practicing the Buddhist teachings and the realization have also become means to satisfy one’s own desires and show off one’s self-worth. In fact, it is human nature to want to have everything and to reflect one’s self-value, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, the Buddha has told us that all Dharmas are nominal designations with all conditions being present, and they have no true and unchanging self-nature. You can’t obtain anything, whether it is in the secular world or in what you consider to be the Buddhist teachings. Moreover, even your self is illusory, and fundamentally there is no entity that can enjoy happiness or bear pain.
When one truly understands this, the mind of seeking to gain will dissipate. Realizing truly the emptiness of all phenomena leads to the arising of a mind of equality which will not be affected by various differences and appearances. When you abide in the state where all dharmas are empty and equal, there will be no more changes, nor arising and ceasing, nor gains or losses for you and everything in the world. Only then can your mind abide calmly and permanently, free from pain and afflictions. Therefore, in the state of having nothing to gain, you will eternally possess everything. The Buddha offers a straightforward path to this realization: “Do not cling to any form, yet perform all virtuous actions.”
Perhaps some people, upon hearing that since everything is empty and there is nothing to be obtained, might wonder: What should I do then? What should I cultivate? That everything is empty is what the Buddha said. We have merely heard this statement, but our “mind of seeking to gain” has not yet been extinguished, and all Dharmas still truly have a great influence on us.
Perhaps you feel that you don’t care anymore and have no interest or passion for anything. This is not the “mind of having nothing to gain” as the Buddha described. Instead, it is simply boredom and lack of interest. To realize the state of having nothing to attain and the mind of equality as the Buddha said, “Do not cling to any form, yet perform all virtuous actions. “
What is a mind that is not attached to appearances? It is a mind that understands that everything is illusory, and thus not influenced by all the internal and external circumstances of the body and mind; a mind that can dwell calmly. This is the mind that is not attached to appearances. A practitioner who dwells in this state for a long time will eventually attain complete realization of the non-attainable mind. Only when the last traces of wisdom and Buddha-nature are completely transcended does one realize the equality between self, the world, and all phenomena. Only then does one truly understand the non-duality of mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, and the immovable equanimity arises.
Some practitioners may question: “If everything is empty and there is nothing to gain or lose, can the practice of evil actions still lead to enlightenment?” The answer is no. 98% of people cannot practice this way. The practice of evil actions creates numerous obstacles in the path, as such actions are rooted in selfish desires and attachment to the self. From the point of view of humankind, those who engage in harmful actions, such as killing or stealing, typically do so to fulfil personal desires. How can a person deeply entrenched in self-centeredness and selfish desires attain true complete wisdom and compassion?
There are two types of individuals who may follow the path of non-attachment to good deeds. One is the great Bodhisattva, who manifests in this way to help sentient beings to break their attachment to the notion of “good deeds” and not attach to the concept of good deeds. Good and evil are merely the results of karma or collective karma, as defined by human perception. In the realm of the Dharma, when viewed from the perspective of the cycle of birth and death of sentient beings throughout countless lifetimes, there is no absolute standard for good and evil. Such great Bodhisattvas are truly possessing of great courage and strength. They take on the negative consequences, and at times even the karmic retribution resulting from being cursed by sentient beings, in order to help some people achieve realization. These Bodhisattvas are exceedingly rare, and they are often not known by ordinary beings, and surpassing their comprehension.
The second type of individual is one who, like a demon king, understands the emptiness of all things and is not attached to anything. Such an individual might commit actions such as killing without emotional attachment or any lingering effect in the heart, viewing it like mowing down grass. However, a demon king, typically characterized by immense pride, has not yet broke attachment to the notion of an “empty self.” As a result, when bad karmic consequences arise, the result will be extremely severe. Yet, if such a being experiences genuine repentance and develops compassion, letting go of their destructive tendencies, they could immediately attain Buddhahood.
For those of us who are not among these two categories of beings above, the proper practice is to perform all virtuous actions with a mindset free from attachment to self, person, sentient beings, or lifespan. Furthermore, one must avoid clinging to the forms of virtuous actions themselves. As the Buddha teaches, “What is called good deeds is not really good deeds; it is merely called good deeds.” This is because all good deeds are merely conceptual distinctions established according to human moral frameworks, which divide actions into categories of good and evil. The true nature of cause and effect, however, is understood only by a rare few. In the realm of the Tathāgata’s ultimate emptiness, no phenomena truly arise, for everything is conditioned, coming into being and perishing like an illusion.