Segment 30 / The Clarification of Unified WholeThe Buddha says to Subhūti, “Subhūti, If a virtuous man or woman were to divide the three thousand great thousand worlds into tiny dust particles, what do you think? Would the number of these tiny dust particles be considerable vast or not?”
Subhūti replies, “Extremely vast, World-Honoured One. Why is this? Because if these tiny dust particles possess inherent existence, the Buddha would not describe them as tiny dust particles. Why is that? As the Buddha teaches, ‘Dust particles are not dust particles as you see; they are merely referred to as dust particles.’” The Buddha continues, “Subhūti, the three thousand great thousand worlds that I speak of are not worlds as you see; they are merely called ‘worlds. ’Why is this? If a world truly existed, it would be a collection of aggregates. As I have said, ‘A collection of aggregates is not truly a collection of aggregates; it is merely called a collection of aggregates.’” “Subhūti, a collection of aggregates is what can not be described, yet ordinary beings cling to it.”
The general idea of this Segment is that The Buddha asks Subhūti : “Subhūti, if a virtuous man or woman was to divide the vast expanse of the three thousand great thousand worlds into tiny dust particles, what do you think? would the resulting number of tiny particles be significant?
Subhūti responses: “the quantity would indeed be vast, World-Honoured One, why is this? If these tiny dust particles had a truly existent nature, the Buddha would not have said that they are numerous and vast in number. Why is that？The Buddha says that these tiny dust particles, do not possess inherent existence, that is why it is just called as dust particles. World-Honoured One, the three thousand great thousand worlds spoken of by the Tathagata does not have a real, substantial existence. It is merely a conventional designation following worldly terminology. Why is this so? If such worlds truly existed, they would be constituted by the aggregation of many phenomena. However, as the Buddha teaches, the aggregation of phenomena does not form a substantial, unified entity. Therefore, the term “aggregation” too is a conventional designation.”
The Buddha says, “Subhuti, the aggregation of phenomena into a unified whole cannot described, however. ordinary beings attaches to and differentiate within the phenomena.”
In this Segment, the questions between the Buddha and Subhūti are also mentioned in the 13th Segment. The original text is: “Subhūti, do you think the tiny dust particles in the three thousand great thousand worlds are many or not?” Subhūti replies, “They are indeed very many, World-Honoured One!”
“Subhūti, although the Tathāgata speaks of these dust particles, but they are not true dust particles; they are merely called dust particles. Similarly, the Tathāgata speaks of the world, but it is not truly the world, it is merely called the world.” In the 13th Segment, the Tathagata shifts the perspective from the immediate concerns of the disciples to the three thousand great thousand worlds which is as numerous as motes of dust. He teaches the disciples that everything, from the tiniest speck of dust to the three thousand great thousand worlds, is merely a nominal designation without inherent substance. This enables the disciples to understand that all Dharmas spoken of by the Tathagata are illusory, and thus they should not be swayed by external circumstances and inner feelings or deluded by appearances.
In this Segment, the Buddha also employs the analogy of dust particles, but by this stage in the Diamond Sutra, the key concepts of no-self, no-person, no-sentient beings, the illusory nature of all phenomena, non-birth, non-movement, non-cessation, and non-variation have already been explored through the dialogues with Subhūti. Now the disciples have stood on the understanding of the Tathagata’s non-fixed forms. Since all things lack inherent nature, fixed characteristics, and are not merely void, denying or negating everything, from this perspective, the Buddha’s nature is simultaneously any form of the boundless diversity of the three thousand great thousand worlds or even the three thousand great thousand worlds themself.
To dispel the disciples ’attachment to appearances within this understanding, the Buddha poses the question: “If a virtuous man or woman were to break apart the three thousand great thousand worlds into dust particles, would the number of dust particles be vast?” Here, the Buddha uses the metaphor of dust particles to represent the false phenomena of self-nature when they still have attachments, these false phenomena are much like the countless dust particles after breaking apart the three thousand great thousand worlds. If one attaches to these illusions as real, these false phenomena will inevitably lead us to the cyclical entanglement of birth and death.
Some may not fully grasp the Buddha’s metaphor. In the practice of Buddhist teachings, when a practitioner realized that there is no fixed forms and the non-duality of form and emptiness, they may mistakenly interpret in their minds, since Tathagata is all phenomena of the universe, whereas our inherent nature is Tathagata, then believe that they are essentially any appearance of the universe. While this view is not wrong, it becomes meaningless when the practitioner still attaches to appearances. Although our self-nature may indeed manifest through any phenomenon or condition in the universe, however, all phenomena are devoid of inherent existence, and their true nature is emptiness. This is the core teaching of dependent origination and emptiness in Buddhism. The Tathgata does not attach to any particular appearance as possessing real existence, nor does he reject all phenomena or remain in a state of non-functioning void.
At this stage, the disciples are no longer mere listeners of the Dharma; they have dwelled calmly in the true emptiness of the Tathāgata’s realm, particularly Subhūti, renowned foremost of understanding of emptiness. In the true emptiness of the Tathāgata, innumerable mental images, like particles of dust, represent both the universe and the world. Here, mind and matter are inseparable. The countless particles of dust refer not only to the mental images arising from sentient beings ’self-nature, but also to the infinite material world, ie all phenomena. All of these, however, are not truly real. Here, we use modern science to discuss the non-duality world of mind and matter talked by Buddha.
Modern science traditionally decomposes matter into smaller components, starting with molecules, which are composed of atoms. Atoms themselves consist of electrons, neutrons, and protons. Later, it was discovered that neutrons and protons can be further divided into even more fundamental particles—quarks. While experimental evidence has confirmed the existence of quarks, they have never been observed in isolation. Particle physics explains that quarks are extremely unstable, with an exceedingly short lifespan. They can only exist in a stable, bound state and cannot exist independently. This suggests that the most fundamental components of matter are invisible to us and implies that matter itself is ultimately illusory.
In the late 20th century, the scientific community introduced string theory, which proposes that the fundamental constituents of nature—such as electrons, photons, neutrinos, and quarks even look like particles, but rather distinct vibrational modes of minuscule, one-dimensional “strings.” For simplicity, we may refer to these as “cosmic strings.” Each vibrational mode corresponds to a specific frequency and wavelength, and the various frequencies of vibration correspond to different masses and energies. All fundamental particles, including electrons, photons, neutrinos, and quarks, are merely different vibrational states or existence of these cosmic strings. If we conceive of the universe as a vast ocean composed of these cosmic strings, then the fundamental particles are akin to bubbles in water, constantly arising and disappearing in the blink of an eye. The material world, in this view, resembles a grand symphony played by these cosmic strings. This is somehow similar as the consciousness the opposite of matter, idea also aligns closely with the Buddhist notion of the unity of mind and matter.
With the advent of string theory, the phenomena of the universe are already known as “empty of self-nature”, and matter is no longer viewed as an objective, independent reality. This shift in understanding reflects a broader transition in 20th-century science towards “relational realism,” which replaces the traditional notion of isolated material entities. Instead, relational realism asserts that things are not independent entities composed of inherent matter, but rather the manifestation product of dependent origination with all kinds of potential factors. Each existent arises from its relationships with other things, and every phenomenon is the outcome of a web of interconnected, potential conditions. Reality and existence are seen as confined within a relational structure that is inherently inseparable at its core.
This concept of relational realism bears striking similarities to Buddhist teachings on “dependent origination” and “causes and effects”. Given that we now live in an era dominated by advanced scientific discoveries, many people find scientific evidence more persuasive than traditional teachings. I have drawn from an article titled “Physics Enters the Realm of Zen—Dependent Origination and Emptiness” by Zhu Qing Shi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This article, available online （https://www.douban.com/note/40703364/?_i=41270128LEwlsP）, From these studies, we can see that scientists have deduced from, laboratory results that the universe and all phenomena are not independently existent but are manifestations of relationships. This coincides with the results the Buddha attained over 2,600 years ago under the Bodhi tree. The Buddha teaches that all phenomena of the universe arise through dependent origination and are empty of inherent existence. Similarly, in the human realm, the Buddha emphasized the principle of cause and effect, asserting that no action is without its karmic consequence.
Let us return to the original text. In the concluding sentences of this Segment, the Buddha states: “If the world truly real, it would be a unified whole.” The term “unified whole” refers to the aggregation of countless phenomena. However, the Buddha further clarifies that this nominal “unified whole” is, indescribable, whereas ordinary beings erroneously attaches to it.
The indescribable “unified whole” mentioned by the Buddha in the sutra represents the concept of “dependent origination and emptiness.” All phenomena arise due to the fulfillment of various interdependent conditions, and each condition is inherently empty, serving only as a conventional designation. This is the world in our eyes, the life to which we attach. Everything in this world, like countless bubbles gathered together, continuously interacts, influences, arises, perishes, changes, and transforms. The ultimate outcome remains unknowable, and no clear goal or direction emerges—only the constant, unchanging causal relationship in which one cause gives rise to its corresponding effect, thereby shaping the direction. However, this “cause” is not solely individual; the causes of all phenomena are interdependent. Thus, in different contexts of time and space, the same cause can lead to different effects. The Buddha asserts that this “unified whole” is indescribable yet ordinary beings greedily grasp onto this world of interdependent causes and effects, mistaking it for true and real. As a result, they become ensnared in the cycles of birth and death, change and transformation, gain and loss.