Diamond Sutra

Author: (Later Qin) Kumārajīva
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: At this time, Subhūti spoke to the Buddha, saying, "World Honored One, if there are good men and good women who have made a vow to pursue the highest perfect enlightenment and have the heart to achieve the supreme Buddha-path, what should be done to help them preserve this Bodhi mind and prevent it from waning? If they then give rise to deluded thoughts, how should their deluded minds be subdued?" The Buddha told Subhūti, "Good men and good women who vow to achieve the supreme Buddha-path should develop such a thought: I am determined to liberate all sentient beings, bringing them out of suffering and into happiness. Once all sentient beings are liberated, there should be no trace in their minds of having liberated all sentient beings. Why is this? Subhūti, I will tell you. If a Bodhisattva has the conception of self, others, sentient beings, or longevity in their mind, they cannot truly be a Bodhisattva. Why is this said? Subhūti, from the perspective of the true meaning, there is no dharma that can give rise to the aspiration for the highest perfect enlightenment. Subhūti, I ask you again, when I attained enlightenment under the (Rālpāramitā Buddha), did I truly receive a dharma called the (Anuttarā Samyaksa?bodhi)?"
Subhūti replied, "No, World Honored One. According to my understanding, the Buddha did not receive a dharma called the, nor did he receive anything called great awakening." The Buddha said, "That is correct, Subhūti. The true dharma is not a fixed thing; there is no real entity called the. Subhūti, if I had felt that there was something to be attained or realized when I attained enlightenment, the (Rālpāramitā Buddha) would not have given me a prediction, foretelling that 'in the future you will become a Buddha, with the name ?ākyamuni,' at that moment. It is precisely because I did not truly attain any highest perfect enlightenment under the (Rālpāramitā Buddha) that the (Rālpāramitā Buddha) predicted for me that I would become a Buddha in the future, in the Sa?sāra world, with the name ?ākyamuni. What is the reason for this? Because the Tathāgata (the Buddha) is the embodiment of the true suchness (tathatā), and the true suchness means that all phenomena are as they are. The Tathāgata is the true suchness; the true suchness does not depart from all phenomena. All phenomena are empty of intrinsic existence, unchanging, without grasping or rejecting, so the true suchness has no form or shape. Therefore, the dharma has neither attainment nor loss. If someone says that the Tathāgata once received the highest dharma of the highest perfect enlightenment under the (Rālpāramitā Buddha), Subhūti, you should understand that the Tathāgata itself is formless and shapeless. Therefore, when the Buddha truly attained enlightenment, he did not receive a dharma called the highest perfect enlightenment."
Subhūti, you should know that what the Tathāgata attained as the highest perfect enlightenment is essentially neither existence nor non-existence, both existence and non-existence. Therefore, the Buddha said that all phenomena in the world are dharma. Subhūti, what is meant by "all phenomena" is that they are not all phenomena. All phenomena are empty, and that is why they are called all phenomena. Subhūti, this is like saying that a person's body is tall." Subhūti said, "World Honored One, when the Buddha says that a person's body is tall, it is not truly tall, and that is why it is called tall." The Buddha said, "Subhūti, the Bodhisattva is the same. If a Bodhisattva says, 'I should eliminate all the afflictions of sentient beings and liberate all sentient beings,' then they are not a true Bodhisattva. Why? Only one who has completely transcended the discriminating grasping of all phenomena can be called a true Bodhisattva. Therefore, the Buddha said that all phenomena have no conception of self, person, sentient beings, or longevity.