The Diamond Sutra – Part 2
(The Vajrachchedika Prajña Paramita Sutra)
(underlined words are spoken by the service leader)
(17)Then Subhuti asked the Buddha, “World-honoured One, when good men and good women commit themselves to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, on what should they base themselves? And how should they subdue their minds?”
The Buddha said to Subhuti, “When good men and good women commit themselves to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, they should give rise to a mind like this: ‘I should save all sentient beings, and as I save them, I should know that there really are no sentient beings to be saved.’ And why is this? If a bodhisattva has lakshana of self, lakshana of human beings, lakshana of sentient beings, or lakshana of soul, then he is not a bodhisattva. And why is this? Subhuti, in truth there is no such Dharma as committing to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Subhuti, what do you say? When the Tathagata was in the realm of Dip Ankara Buddha, was there an attainable Dharma anuttara-samyak-sambodhi or not?”
“There was not, World-honoured One. As far as I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has said, when the Buddha was in the realm of Dip Ankara Buddha, there was no attainable dharma anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
The Buddha said, “Just so, just so. Subhuti, in truth there is no dharma anuttara-samyak-sambodhi for the Tathagata to attain. Subhuti, if the Tathagata had attained a dharma anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, then Dip Ankara Buddha would have never told me, ‘In the future you will attain Buddha-hood and be called Shakyamuni.’ Since there is no attainable dharma anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, Dip Ankara Buddha told me that I would become a Buddha, saying, ‘In the future you will attain Buddha-hood and be called Shakyamuni.’ And why is this? The Tathagata is the essence of all Dharmas. Someone might say, ‘The Tathagata has attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi,’ but Subhuti, there really is no dharma anuttara-samyak-sambodhi for the Buddha to attain. Subhuti, the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi that the Tathagata has attained lies between these two and it is neither true nor false. For these reasons the Tathagata says that all dharmas are the Buddha-dharma. Subhuti, that which is said to be ‘all dharmas’ is not ‘all dharmas’ and that is why it is called ‘all dharmas’. Subhuti, it is the same as a person growing up.
Subhuti said, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has said that when a person grows up, he has not grown up. And that this is what is meant by growing up.”
“Subhuti, a bodhisattva is just like that, and if he should say, ‘I should save all sentient beings,’ then he is not a bodhisattva. And why is this? Subhuti, there is no Dharma called ‘bodhisattva’ and for this reason the Buddha has said that all dharmas have no self, no human being, no sentient being, and no soul. Subhuti, if a bodhisattva should say, ‘I make the Buddha-realm magnificent,’ then he is not a bodhisattva. And why is this? The Tathagata has said that that which makes the Buddha-realm magnificent is not magnificent, and that that is what is called magnificence. Subhuti, only after a bodhisattva has fully understood the Dharma of selflessness will the Tathagata say that he is a true bodhisattva.
(18)”Subhuti, what do you say? Does the Tathagata have eyes of flesh or not?”
“Yes, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has eyes of flesh.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? Does the Tathagata have heavenly eyes or not?”
“Yes, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has heavenly eyes.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? Does the Tathagata have wisdom eyes or not?”
“Yes, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has wisdom eyes.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? Does the Tathagata have Dharma eyes or not?”
“Yes, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has Dharma eyes.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? Does the Tathagata have Buddha eyes or not?”
“Yes, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has Buddha eyes.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? Has the Tathagata said that the sand in the Ganges River is sand or not?”
“Yes, World-honoured One, the Tathagata has said that it is sand.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? If there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, and if all of that sand of all of those river were added up, and if the number of Buddha-realms equalled the number of all of those grains of sand, would that be a lot?”
“It would be very much, World-honoured One.”
The Buddha said to Subhuti, “The Tathagata intimately knows each and every sentient being in all of those worlds. And how can this be? The Tathagata has said that all minds are not minds and that that is what is called mind. And why is this so? Subhuti, the mind of the past cannot be gotten hold of, the mind of the present cannot be gotten hold of, and the mind of the future cannot be gotten hold of.
(19)”Subhuti, what do you say? If a person gives away enough precious jewels to fill an entire great chiliocosm, will this cause him to attain immense goodness?”
“Just so, World-honoured One. This will cause him to attain immense goodness,”
“Subhuti, if there really were such a thing as ‘goodness’, the Tathagata would never speak about attaining immense goodness. It is only because there is no such thing as ‘goodness’ that the Tathagata says that immense goddness can be attained.
(20)”Subhuti, what do you say? Can the Buddha be seen in his complete form body or not?”
“No, world-honoured One, the Buddha ought not to be seen in his form body. And why is this? The Tathagata has said that his complete form body is not ‘the complete form body’.”
“Subhuti, what do you say? Can the Tathagata do seen by means of all complete lakshana or not?”
“No, World-honoured One, the Tathagata ought not to be seen by means of all complete lakshana. And why is this? The Tathagata has said that the completeness of all lakshana is not completeness and that this is what is called completeness of all lakshana.”
(21)”Subhuti, never say that the Tathagata has this thought: ‘I have some Dharma to speak about.’ Do not have that thought. And why is this? If someone says that the Tathagata has a Dharma to speak about, then that person is defaming the Buddha, and he does not understand what I have been saying. Subhuti, one who speaks the Dharma had no Dharma to speak about and that is what is called ‘speaking the Dharma’.”
Then the wise Subhuti said to the Buddha, “World-honoured One, will there ever be sentient beings in the future who upon hearing this Dharma will give rise to believing minds?”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, those sentient beings are not sentient beings, and they are not ‘not’ sentient beings. And why is this? Subhuti, the Tathagata has said that all sentient beings are not sentient beings and this is what is called sentient beings.”
(22)Subhuti said to the Buddha “World-honoured One, is it not so that when the Buddha attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, nothing was really attained?”
“Just so, just so. Subhuti, there is not even the slightest dharma that can be attained in anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and this is what is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
(23)”Furthermore, Subhuti, this Dharma is equal and without high or low; it is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi is attained by cultivating all good dharmas while being without self, without person, without sentient being, and without soul. Subhuti, when I say ‘good dharmas’, the Tathagata is saying that not good dharmas is what is called good dharmas.
(24)”Subhuti, if a person were to perform an act of generosity by giving away a quantity of precious jewels equal to all of the Sumeru Mountains within a great chiliocosm; and if another person were to uphold as few as four verses of this Prajñaparamita Sutra, and reads them, and chants them, and explains them to others, the goodness of this second person would be 100 times, nay, a billion-billion times, nay, an incalculable number of times that cannot even be suggested by metaphors, greater than the goodness of the first person.
(25)”Subhuti, what do you say? Don’t ever say that the Tathagata has this thought: ‘I am saving sentient beings.’ Subhuti, don’t have this thought. And why is this? In truth there are no sentient beings for the Tathagata to save. If there were sentient beings for the Tathagata to save, then the tathagata would have (lakshana of) self, person, sentient being, and soul. Subhuti, when the Tathagata speaks of a self, it is the same as no self, and yet all ordinary people take it as a self. Subhuti, the Tathagata says that ordinary people are not ordinary people, and that is what is called ordinary people.
(26)”Subhuti, what do you say? Can the Tathagata be seen by his thirty-two marks or not?”
Subhuti said, “Just so, just so. The tathagata can be seen by his thirty-two marks.”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, if the tathagata could be seen by his thirty-two marks, than a wheel-turning sage-king would be the same as the tathagata.”
Subhuti said to the Buddha, “World-honoured One, as far as I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has said, one ought not to be able to see the tathagata by his thirty-tow marks.”
Then the Buddha spoke a verse:
“If anyone should think that I can be seen among forms,
Or that I can be sought among sounds,
Then that person is on the wrong path,
And he will not see the Tathagata.”
(27)”Subhuti, consider this thought: ‘the Tathagata attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi because his lakshana are incomplete.’ Subhuti, do not have this thought: ‘the Tathagata attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi because his lakshana are incomplete.’ Subhuti, consider this thought: ‘the one who commits to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi says that all dharmas are ended and extinguished.’ Do not have this thought. And why is this? The one who commits to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi does not say that lakshana are ended and extinguished among dharmas.
(28)”Subhuti, if one bodhisattva gives away enough precious jewels to fill as many worlds as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, and if a second person knows that all dharmas are without self and thus attains patience, then the goodness attained by this (second) bodhisattva is superior to the first bodhisattva. Subhuti, this is because all bodhisattvas do not receive goodness.”
Subhuti said to the Buddha, “World-honoured One, why do you say that bodhisattvas do not receive goodness?”
“Subhuti, bodhisattvas should not be greedy or attached to the goodness that they do; this is why I say that they do no receive goodness.
(29)”Subhuti, if someone says, ‘It seems as it the Tathagata comes, and goes, and sits, and lays down.’ then this person has not understood my meaning. And why is this? The one who is the Tathagata has not come from somewhere, and he is not going somewhere, and that is why he is called the ‘Tathagata’ (Thus-come One).
(30)”Subhuti, if a good man or a good woman were to pulverize a great chiliocosm into fine dust, what do you say, would that grouping of dust be a lot or not?”
“It would be a lot, World-honoured One. And why is this? If that grouping of dust really existed, the Buddha would not have called it a grouping of fine dust. And why is this? The Buddha has said that a grouping of fine dust is not a grouping of fine dust and so it is called a grouping of fine dust. World-honoured One, the great chiliocosm that the Tathagata has spoken about is not a great chiliocosm and that is what is called a great chiliocosm. And why is this? If that great chiliocosm really existed, then it would be a compound lakshana. The Tathagata has said that a compound lakshana is not a compound lakshana, and so it is called a compound lakshana.”
“Subhuti, that which is a compound lakshana cannot really be spoken about, and yet ordinary people are attached to it and greedy about it.
(31)”Subhuti, if a person were to say: ‘ the Tathagata teaches a view of self, a view of people, a view of sentient beings, and a view of souls,’ Subhuti, what do you say, has this person understood the meaning of what I am saying?”
“No, World-honoured One. This person has not understood the meaning of what the Tathagata is saying. And why is this? The World-honoured One has said that a view of self, a view of people, a view of sentient beings, and a view of souls is not a view of self, a view of people, a view of sentient beings, and a view of souls.”
“Subhuti, one who commits to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi should not give rise to lakshana of dharmas; and he should know all dharmas in this way, and he should view them like this, and believe them like this and understand them like this. Subhuti, the Tathagata says that that which is called a lakshana of a dharma is not a lakshana of a dharma, and so it is called a lakshana of a dharma.
(32)”Subhuti, if a person performs an act of generosity by giving away as many precious jewels as would fill illimitable eons of worlds, and if a good man or a good woman commits to the bodhisattva mind, and upholds as few as four verses of this sutra, and if he upholds it, reads it, chants it, and teaches it to people, his goodness will be greater than that of the first person. And how should it be taught to people? By not grasping lakshana; by remaining immobile in this consciousness. And why is this?
All conditioned dharmas
Are like dreams, like illusions,
Like bubbles, like shadows,
Like dew, like lightening,
And all of them should be contemplated in this way.”
When the Buddha finished speaking this sutra, the elder Subhuti, along with all of the other monks, nuns, upasaka, upasika, asuras, all worldly and heavenly beings, heard what the Buddha had said, and all of them were greatly pleased and they all believed it, received it, and practiced it.
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