Segment 3 / The True Doctrine of the Mahāyāna
The Buddha said to Subhūti: “Bodhisattvas should subdue their minds in this way. All types of beings—whether born from eggs, from the womb, from moisture, or by transformation; whether possessing form or devoid of form; whether thoughtful or thoughtless, or neither thoughtful nor thoughtless—are all led by me to enter into the nirvana of no remainder, where they are extinguished of reincarnation. In this manner, I extinguish reincarnation of countless, innumerable, and boundless beings. Yet in reality, no being is truly extinguished of reincarnation. Why is this? Subhūti, if a bodhisattva entertains the concepts of self, person, sentient beings, or lifespan, they are not a true bodhisattva.”
Before exploring this Segment, let us first clarify some key terms. In the sutra, the Buddha speaks of beings that are egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born, as well as those that are with form, without form, with thought, without thought, or neither with thought nor without thought. These categories serve to describe the various forms of life within the Three Realms by the Buddha.
Egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born are the four types of beings in the Desire Realm.
Egg-born refers to beings that hatch from eggs, such as chickens or ducks. Womb-born refers to beings that are gestated in a mother’s womb, such as humans. Moisture-born describes beings that emerge from damp environments, such as certain insects or small organisms that are born in water or moist earth. Transformation-born refers to beings who are born through karmic transformations from empty, such as celestial beings in the Desire Realm.
With form refers to beings in the Form Realm, who possess physical bodies but are free from sexual desires. Without form are beings in the Formless Realm, who possess consciousness but lack physical bodies or sexual desires. With thought, without thought, and neither with nor without thought are more detailed classifications of beings in the Formless Realm.
With thought, describes beings who still experience mental activity. Without thought, refers to beings whose mental activity has ceased, yet they are not equivalent to inanimate objects like stones or wood. Neither with nor without thought, refers to a life state in which mental activity has completely ceased, yet there remains a latent potential for thought to arise—an inherent tendency for cognition to emerge.
In the Buddhist scriptures, it is stated that, despite the vast diversity of life forms within the Three Realms, they share a common phenomenon, all are in the reincarnation cycle of birth and death, unable to attain liberation. Nevertheless, they also share a fundamental, inherent nature—their true essence is Buddha-nature, which is complete, perfect, non-birth and non-death.
The scriptures further introduce two concepts: one is Anuttara Nirvana. The term “Nirvana” is the sound transliteration from the Sanskrit, referring to the state of liberation in Buddhism, where one realizes the state of non-birth and non-death.
Nirvana is classified into two categories: Nirvana with remainder and Nirvana without remainder. Typically, the Nirvana attained by an Arhat is termed “Nirvana with remainder.” Although an Arhat may temporarily remain in a state of meditative absorption, free from the reincarnation cycle of birth and death for long time, however, the Arhat will eventually emerge from this state of meditation and re-enter the reincarnation cycle, once the conditions and causes are ripe. Hence this is not the ultimate liberation and is therefore referred to as “Nirvana with remainder.”Buddha’s Nirvana is the ultimate liberation from the cycle of rebirth, life is then fully liberated from the illusions of contaminated birth, death, attained the eternal freedom with non-birth and non-death. This is known as Nirvana without remainder.
The sutra also mentioned several concepts of self-form, person-form, sentient being-form, and lifespan-form.
What is self-form? Each individual holds a definition of their “self,” Consist of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, which distinguish one person from another. Although our consciousness is born into the human realm, it carries characteristics of all six realms. For instance, when we experience anger or jealousy, our mind is in the realm of the Asuras; when we aspire for purity and sanctity, our mind is in the realm of deva; when we undergo extreme suffering, our mind is in the hell realm. However, it is erroneous to confine one’s identity to any of these realms. The truth is that you are Buddha, capable of freely manifesting various appearances. Yet, due to our attachment and ignorance of this truth, we are driven by all kinds of karma we create, trapped in fluctuating states of consciousness, unable to break free.
Definitions about self, about body and mind, perceptions, experiences, sensations, and choices, both internally and externally- all are self-form. One believe in the reality existence of the “self” is, in fact, an illusion.
What is person-form? It refers to how an individual defines, perceives, and experiences the bodies and minds of others, both internally and externally. It is the belief in the real existence of a distinct individual, which then gives rise to emotions such as affection, aversion, choices or possessiveness.
The “sentient being-form”, it is the various appearances and states of consciousness of beings across the Three Realms and Six Paths, all of whom are ensnared in the cycle of birth and death, enduring suffering and hardship. These beings are unable to return to their inherent Buddha-nature.
The “lifespan-form” refers to specifically the span from birth to death. People are always desiring immortality and fear death; actually, this is the lifespan-form. The attachment to lifespan-form is, in fact the attachment to the birth and death of all phenomena.
The central message of this Segment is as follows: The Buddha tells Subhūti that in order for great bodhisattvas to attain the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness of Buddhahood, they must first cultivate profound compassion and vow to liberate all beings across the Three Realms. This includes those born from eggs, from womb, from moisture, or by transformation; those with form or formless; those with thoughts or without, and those neither with nor without thoughts. Bodhisattvas must vow to liberate all beings into the Buddha’s state of Nirvana, where there is no birth or death, and to liberate them from the cycle of samsara. However, even though a bodhisattva may liberate an innumerable number of beings, in their perceptions, they must believe: not a single being has truly been liberated or attained Buddhahood through their efforts. The Buddha then asks Subhūti, “Why is this the case?” He explains that a bodhisattva who genuinely follows the bodhisattva path must not perceive distinctions between “I,” “you,” and “others” as truly existing. Nor should they make distinctions between beings, nor the birth and death of all phenomena. The bodhisattva should not seek eternal life or immortality.
Why does the Buddha begin by addressing the liberation of all beings? This is because, when an individual resolves to attain Buddha-hood, they must recognize that they are returning to the ultimate source of life. From the perspective of this source, our heart encompasses the entire universe; each individual’s heart is a holographic reflection of all sentient beings within the universe. Therefore, when one vows to attain Buddha-hood, it is simultaneously a vow to liberate all sentient beings across the universe. Thus, propagating the Buddha’s teachings and liberating all sentient beings become the mission of every great bodhisattva. As such, the mission of every great bodhisattva on earth is not merely to engage in acts of charity, but to help beings realize the truth of existence and liberate them out of the suffering of samsara. The principle that “no good deed is too small to undertake” embodies a quality that every bodhisattva must cultivate on their path of realization.
However, when a bodhisattva resolves to liberate all beings, they must do so without favoritism or discrimination. They should not favor those they find appealing and neglect those they dislike. Instead, there should be the vow power to deliver all beings in the Three Realms, along with an equal mind. They must not perceive distinctions such as “you,” “me,” “them,” or “sentient beings” as inherently real. Otherwise, bodhisattva’s suffering and affliction will arise. On the fundamental perception, one must realize that both oneself and all sentient beings inherently possess Buddha-nature. The true nature of beings is neither born nor perishable; it is originally in a state of nirvana quiescence. There is no you who can grant beings such an essence. The bodhisattva’s relationship with beings is akin to a medicine for a disease in a dream—when the dream ends, both the medicine and the disease are revealed as illusory and unreal. In the state of true emptiness, neither bodhisattvas nor sentient beings truly exist. When the bodhisattva’s perceptive is clear, they will not seek reward or recognition for their acts of liberating sentient beings, nor will be swayed by the myriad states in which beings manifest, otherwise, they will have afflictions and would be unable to abide on the unmoving state of suchness.
Previously, when I read the Diamond Sutra, upon reaching this section, I paused and reflected: here, the Buddha instructs us to vow to liberate all sentient beings. At that moment, I noticed a fly on the opposite wall. I thought to myself, the fly is born from an egg, and according to the Buddha, I must vow to liberate this egg-born fly into Nirvana, leading it to extinction. I gazed at the fly and wondered: If I were to vow to help this fly attain Buddhahood, how long would that process take? A sense of despair immediately overwhelmed me. Then, I realized that I had become attached to the concept of the fly. If I continued to perceive both the fly and myself as truly existing, not only would I never be able to liberate the fly into Nirvana, but I would also be ensnared by this vow and dragged into the ocean of suffering. Clinging to the concept of sentient beings would inevitably bind me to the cycle of birth and death, subjecting me to suffering across the six realms.
All beings are equal, each possessing the same perfect emptiness as the Buddha. The fly and I are but manifestations of emptiness. Once I had this perception, the fly on the wall is still an insect incapable of understanding human language, whereas, my mind abide-in calmly and am no longer felt anxious or troubled by this vow.
Thus, reading this Segment, the essential truth we must grasp is this: every sentient being, in its essence, can only be a Buddha, and nothing else. The distinctions of “self” “person” “sentient being,” and “lifespan” are merely conceptual divisions created by our minds. A Bodhisattva should make vows without any attachment in order to be liberated from the bondage of all phenomena. Otherwise, the vow to liberate all beings will only lead one deeper into suffering, and one will never truly attain the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness through the conditioned dharma to liberate sentient beings in human realms.