The Self-Essence Mark

Next, buddha-nature, in every respect, has ten marks that should be understood. What are the ten? First, the self-essence mark; second, the cause mark; third, the fruit mark; fourth, the function mark; fifth, the mark of total inclusion; sixth, the mark of differentiation; seventh, the mark of stages; eighth, the mark of pervasion; ninth, the mark of non-change; tenth, the mark of non-difference. As to the first, the self-essence mark: it is of two kinds — the particular mark and the general mark. The particular mark is of three kinds. What are the three? First, the nature of wish-fulfilling virtue; second, the nature of non-difference; third, the nature of smoothness.

As for what is meant by the mark of wish-fulfilling virtue: this refers to the fivefold sense of tathāgatagarbha. What are the five? First, the tathāgatagarbha itself, the meaning of garbha here being self-nature: no dharma whatsoever falls outside the Tathāgata's own self-nature, whose mark is selflessness — hence all dharmas are said to be the tathāgatagarbha. Second, the storehouse of the true Dharma, the meaning of garbha here being cause: it is because every sage's true practice, such as the four foundations of mindfulness, takes this nature as its object — what has not yet arisen thereby arises, and what has already arisen thereby comes to fulfillment — that this is called the storehouse of the true Dharma. Third, the storehouse of the dharmakāya, the meaning of garbha here being full attainment: it is by faith and delight in this true nature, and faith and delight in hearing of it, that every sage attains the four virtues and every one of the Tathāgata's virtues beyond the sands of the Ganges — hence this nature is called the storehouse of the dharmakāya. Fourth, the storehouse of what transcends the world, the meaning of garbha here being reality: the mundane has three faults. First, it is called mundane because it can be eliminated by an antidote; this dharma has no antidote, and so is called that which transcends the world. Second, it is called mundane because it does not abide in stillness, the fruit of a deluded mind perishing and never abiding moment by moment; this dharma is not so, and so is called that which transcends the world. Third, it is called mundane because of inverted views — while the mind remains within the world, it invariably holds inverted views, as when a person within the three realms can never, in their mind, attain even the forbearance regarding the truth of suffering, on account of their falseness. This dharma is able to transcend the world, and so is called real — the storehouse of what transcends the world. Fifth, the storehouse of inherent purity, the meaning of garbha here being secrecy: when all dharmas accord with this nature, they are called internal, correct rather than deviant, and hence pure; when dharmas run counter to this principle, they are called external, deviant rather than correct, and hence defiled — hence it is called the storehouse of inherent purity. Hence the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra says: "World-Honored One! Buddha-nature is the tathāgatagarbha, the storehouse of the true Dharma, the storehouse of the dharmakāya, the storehouse of what transcends the world, and the storehouse of inherent purity." It is by explaining these five senses of garbha that the wish-fulfilling virtue of buddha-nature becomes manifest. The Buddha, in order to reveal this meaning, spoke of the wish-fulfilling jewel. It is like a person who, through past karma, comes into possession of a wish-fulfilling jewel — having obtained this jewel, whatever the mind delights in is spontaneously accomplished. Buddha-nature is exactly the same: by attending upon good spiritual friends and cultivating merit and wisdom, one comes into possession of this nature, and then, in accordance with the practitioner's own aspiration, each attains the fruit of one of the three vehicles. This wish-fulfilling virtue constitutes the first of the particular marks.

Second, the nature of non-difference: without discriminating between the ordinary person's flaw, the sage's virtue, and the buddha's ultimate purity, this nature is equally and universally pervasive, like empty space. It is like vessels of clay, silver, and gold — although these three differ, the space within each is equally empty, and the space itself makes no distinction between them — hence it is called the nature of non-difference.

Explanation: "flaw" refers to the ordinary person; "virtue" refers to the sage still in training; "ultimate purity" refers to the buddhas. Though these three stages differ, their nature is not different. Here, clay is the analogy for the ordinary person, silver for the one still in training, and gold for the buddhas — though the three vessels differ, the nature of the space within them is one and the same. This also carries three senses: existence, purity, and pervasion. "Existence" manifests the sense of the unconditioned; "purity" manifests the sense of being unstained; "pervasion" manifests the sense of being unobstructed. The Buddha told Śāriputra: "The realm of sentient beings is not different from the dharmakāya; the dharmakāya is not different from the realm of sentient beings." On account of this meaning, they are neither two nor separate — there is only a difference of name. Buddha-nature, in this same way, is equally and universally pervasive across the three stages; because the pure and impure aspects bring no change to it at all, it is said to have the nature of empty space.

Third, the nature of smoothness: this concerns how the Tathāgata's nature manifests, among sentient beings, the sense of cause and fruit — by virtue of great compassion, whose mark toward sentient beings is soft and smooth. Great compassion has three aspects: essence, greatness, and distinctiveness. As to its essence: it takes prajñā as its essence. Prajñā is of two kinds — non-discriminating true wisdom, and discriminating conventional wisdom. Here it is the discriminating wisdom that is taken as the essence of great compassion, since great compassion arises by taking sentient beings as its condition.

As to its greatness, there are five aspects: as provision, as characteristic, as domain of activity, as impartiality, and as the utmost. First, as provision: it serves as the provision for the two practices of great merit and great wisdom. Second, as characteristic: it is able to observe and rescue sentient beings from all three kinds of suffering. Third, as domain of activity: it takes sentient beings throughout all three realms as its field. Fourth, as impartiality: it gives rise to an impartial mind toward every sentient being without exception. Fifth, as the utmost: apart from this cultivation there is no further, superior practice beyond it.

As to its distinctiveness from ordinary compassion, there are eight aspects: first, a difference of self-nature — immeasurable, ordinary compassion has non-hatred as its nature, while great compassion has non-delusion as its nature. Second, a difference of characteristic — ordinary compassion has the suffering of pain as its characteristic, while great compassion has all three kinds of suffering as its characteristic. Third, a difference of domain — ordinary compassion takes the desire realm as its field, while great compassion takes all three realms as its field. Fourth, a difference of ground — ordinary compassion has the fourth dhyāna as its ground, while great compassion has the outflow-free fruit of buddhahood as its ground. Fifth, a difference of object — ordinary compassion takes ordinary beings and the two vehicles as its object, while great compassion takes only bodhisattvas and buddhas as its object. Sixth, a difference of virtue — ordinary compassion is free from desire for the desire realm, while great compassion is free from desire for all three realms. Seventh, a difference in rescuing — ordinary compassion has only the intention to relieve suffering, without the actual deed, while great compassion has both the intention and the deed. Eighth, a difference of finality — ordinary compassion can offer only slight, temporary relief and cannot truly save, while great compassion is able to save permanently, never once abandoning those it saves.

"Moist" reveals its sense of being able to draw together; "smooth" reveals the sense of turning away from what is lost and toward what is virtuous. It is like the water-element, which likewise has two capacities: it is able to draw scattered things together, being smooth rather than rough. Because it is moist, it can draw together; because it is smooth, it is not rough — hence "moist" is spoken of as the cause, and "smooth" as the effect, and this is what is meant by manifesting the sense of cause and fruit. Next, as to inherent purity being the general mark: as in the earlier analogies of real space and the water-element, inherent purity is, in every case, the general mark, since the Tathāgata's nature remains unstained even amid affliction. These marks correspond to the four obstructing afflictions, to what the four kinds of persons fail to attain, to what serves as the basis of the four virtues, to freedom from the four inverted views, and to the antidote that extinguishes saṃsāra — hence it is said that of these marks, one is general and three are particular. The one general mark is simply the mark of inherent purity. The three particular marks are: first, the inconceivable; second, what is to be attained; third, immeasurable virtue. This is called the self-essence mark.