..續本文上一頁s of not harming others, they wholeheartedly desire for self liberation. We can see from this that it is wrong to say that Buddhism never advocates benefit for yourself. Buddha actually allows this “benefit for yourself.”

　　In Mahayana Buddhism, unlike Hinayana Buddhism, the focus is on benefiting sentient beings. However, while benefiting others, the “benefits for yourself” are obtained automatically. For example, we can see that if a secular teacher has a strong altruistic mind, he or she might not consider his or her own interests very much, yet, he or she still will not lack daily necessities, such as food, clothes, and shelter. This is the relationship between benefits for yourself and benefits for others from the viewpoint of Mahayana Buddhism.

　　We can also see that there are obvious differences between the views of Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism in this regard.

　　 Question: There is a verse in the Diamond Sutra like this: “You should generate the mind without abiding, You should generate the mind not abiding in anything.” However, at the moment, many people only emphasize “not abiding in anything.” They easily neglect “generate the mind.” May I ask you to explain the relationship between not abiding in anything and generating the mind from the point of view of Tibetan Buddhism. Also, what is this mind generated “not abiding in anything”

　　Answer: When I previously taught the Diamond Sutra, I mentioned that “not abiding in anything” is about emptiness. In this state, all phenomena dwell in emptiness. Apart from emptiness, there is nothing. This is the meaning of the second turning of the wheel of Dharma. “Should generate the mind” is about being in the state of emptiness—unceasing appearance is present too. The clear light Buddha nature is born from emptiness. That is the meaning of the third turning of the Dharma wheel. Why was the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng able to achieve enlightenment in the moment he listened to this verse

　　 The reason is exactly because of the profundity of this verse, as I mentioned earlier.

　　Therefore, this verse is extremely important. When you have time, you can read about the teachings I mentioned earlier. The first part of that verse ascertains emptiness. The latter part ascertains the clear light, which is what we call the non-duality of emptiness and appearances or the non-duality of clear light and emptiness. The “clear light” aspect is about the nature of the mind. The “emptiness” aspect is about the unfindability of the mind. These two aspects have never been separated; they are always in the state of inpisible and inseparable oneness. However, due to ignorance, sentient beings are not able to realize this. Were they able to see this inpisible state that the Diamond Sutra is talking about, enlightenment would be within reach. For this reason, when many great masters recite this sutra, often, they become enlightened instantly when they read about this verse.

　　Even if you are not able to memorize the whole Diamond Sutra, you should at least always recite this verse. Although it is just a very few simple words, it completely and perfectly explains the nature of mind is emptiness and its essence is clear light; this is also the same in Dzogchen. Whether dualistic thoughts arise in your mind or not, this nature of non-dual inpisible oneness of clear light and emptiness will always be there. The actual state transcends words, it is: “Just like when you drink water, whether it is cold or warm, you can feel it yourself.”

　　 (5) Question: I am a student in the Department of Philosophy at Peking University. I would like to ask about the Heart Sutra. It says: “Form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form.” Literally, it looks like these two sentences have the same meaning, but are…

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