Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā — Diamond Sūtra

The Vajracchedikā, the Three-Hundred-Line Perfection of Wisdom.

Homage to the Blessed Noble Perfection of Wisdom.

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, together with a great community of monks, thirteen hundred monks, and with many bodhisattvas, great beings. Then, in the morning, the Blessed One dressed, took his bowl and robe, and entered the great city of Śrāvastī for alms. After going for alms in the great city of Śrāvastī and finishing his meal, he returned from the alms round, put away his bowl and robe, washed his feet, and sat down on the seat prepared for him. He crossed his legs, held his body upright, and established mindfulness before him. Then many monks approached the Blessed One. Having approached, they bowed their heads at his feet, circumambulated him three times, and sat down to one side.

At that time the venerable Subhūti was seated in that same assembly. The venerable Subhūti rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms toward the Blessed One, and said: “Wonderful, Blessed One, exceedingly wonderful, Sugata, how the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One has taken up the bodhisattvas, the great beings, with the highest favor; wonderful, Blessed One, how he has entrusted the bodhisattvas, the great beings, with the highest entrustment. Blessed One, how should a son or daughter of good family who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle stand, how should they practice, and how should they master the mind?” When this was said, the Blessed One replied to the venerable Subhūti: “Good, good, Subhūti. It is so, Subhūti, just as you say. The Tathāgata has taken up the bodhisattvas, the great beings, with the highest favor and entrusted them with the highest entrustment. Therefore, Subhūti, listen well and attend carefully. I shall tell you how one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle should stand, how one should practice, and how one should master the mind.” “So be it, Blessed One,” the venerable Subhūti answered the Blessed One.

The Blessed One said to him: “Here, Subhūti, one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle should give rise to this mind: ‘However many beings are included in the realm of beings—whether born from eggs, born from wombs, born from moisture, or spontaneously born; whether having form or formless; whether possessing perception, lacking perception, or having neither perception nor non-perception—insofar as any realm of beings can be designated, I shall bring all of them to final nirvāṇa in the nirvāṇa-element without remainder.’ Yet after bringing immeasurably many beings to final nirvāṇa, no being whatsoever has been brought to final nirvāṇa. Why? Subhūti, if a notion of a being were to occur to a bodhisattva, that one should not be called a bodhisattva. Why? Subhūti, one in whom a notion of a being, a notion of a living being, or a notion of a person occurs should not be called a bodhisattva.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, a bodhisattva should not give a gift while grounded in anything; a gift should be given without being grounded anywhere. A gift should not be given while grounded in form, nor while grounded in sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental phenomena. In this way, Subhūti, a bodhisattva, a great being, should give so as not to become established even in a notion of a sign. Why? Subhūti, when a bodhisattva gives without being grounded, the measure of that mass of merit is not easy to grasp. What do you think, Subhūti? Is it easy to grasp the measure of space in the eastern direction?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One.” The Blessed One said: “Likewise, is it easy to grasp the measure of space in the south, west, north, below, above, the intermediate directions, and all around in the ten directions?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One.” The Blessed One said: “Just so, Subhūti, when a bodhisattva gives without being grounded, the measure of that mass of merit is not easy to grasp. Therefore, Subhūti, one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle should give in such a way as not to become established even in a notion of a sign.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Should the Tathāgata be seen through the perfection of marks?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. The Tathāgata should not be seen through the perfection of marks. Why? Blessed One, what the Tathāgata has called the perfection of marks has been declared by the Tathāgata to be no perfection of marks.” When this was said, the Blessed One told the venerable Subhūti: “Subhūti, insofar as there is perfection of marks, there is falsehood; insofar as there is no perfection of marks, there is no falsehood. Therefore the Tathāgata is to be seen from marks as no-marks.”

When this was said, the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One: “Blessed One, will there be any beings in the future, in the last time, in the last period, in the last five hundred years when the true Dharma is declining, who, when statements of a sūtra such as these are taught, will give rise to a perception of them as true?” “Indeed, Subhūti, in the future, in the last time, in the last period, in the last five hundred years when the true Dharma is declining, there will be bodhisattvas, great beings, endowed with virtue, discipline, and wisdom, who, when statements of a sūtra such as these are taught, will give rise to a perception of them as true. These bodhisattvas, great beings, will not have attended upon only one Buddha, nor planted roots of goodness under only one Buddha. Rather, Subhūti, they will have attended upon many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas and planted roots of goodness under many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas. When they gain even a single moment of lucid trust in statements of a sūtra such as these, the Tathāgata knows them with Buddha-knowledge, sees them with the Buddha-eye, and understands them. All of them, Subhūti, will produce and receive an immeasurable, incalculable mass of merit. Why? In those bodhisattvas, great beings, no notion of self occurs, no notion of a being, no notion of a living being, and no notion of a person. Nor does a notion of dharmas occur in them, nor a notion of non-dharmas; neither a notion nor a notion of non-notion occurs in them. Why? If a notion of dharmas occurred in those bodhisattvas, great beings, that itself would be their grasping at self, at beings, at living beings, and at persons. If a notion of non-dharmas occurred, that too would be their grasping at self, at beings, at living beings, and at persons. Why? Subhūti, a bodhisattva, a great being, should not seize upon a dharma, nor upon a non-dharma. Therefore the Tathāgata spoke with this intention: those who understand the teaching as like a raft should abandon even dharmas, how much more non-dharmas.”

Then the Blessed One again said to the venerable Subhūti: “What do you think, Subhūti? Is there any dharma that the Tathāgata awakened to as unsurpassed perfect awakening, or any dharma taught by the Tathāgata?” When this was said, the venerable Subhūti replied: “Blessed One, as I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has taught, there is no dharma that the Tathāgata awakened to as unsurpassed perfect awakening, and there is no dharma taught by the Tathāgata. Why? The dharma to which the Tathāgata awakened or which he taught cannot be grasped and cannot be expressed. It is neither dharma nor non-dharma. Why? Noble persons are distinguished by the unconditioned.”

The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Suppose a son or daughter of good family filled this three-thousand-great-thousand world-system with the seven precious substances and gave it as a gift to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones. Would that son or daughter of good family produce a great mass of merit on that account?” Subhūti said: “A great one, Blessed One, a great one, Sugata. That son or daughter of good family would produce a great mass of merit on that account. Why? Blessed One, the mass of merit spoken of by the Tathāgata was spoken of by the Tathāgata as no mass. Therefore the Tathāgata speaks of a ‘mass of merit’.” The Blessed One said: “Yet, Subhūti, if one son or daughter of good family filled this three-thousand-great-thousand world-system with the seven precious substances and gave it as a gift to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, while another took from this teaching even a stanza of four lines and taught and explained it fully to others, the latter would on that account produce a still greater, immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit. Why? Subhūti, from this arises the unsurpassed perfect awakening of the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones; from this arise the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones. Why? Subhūti, the ‘Buddha-dharmas’ spoken of by the Tathāgata are precisely non-Buddha-dharmas. Therefore they are called Buddha-dharmas.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Does a stream-enterer think, ‘I have attained the fruit of stream-entry’?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. A stream-enterer does not think, ‘I have attained the fruit of stream-entry.’ Why? Blessed One, such a person has not entered any dharma. Therefore one is called a stream-enterer. One has not entered form, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or mental phenomena. Therefore one is called a stream-enterer. If a stream-enterer were to think, ‘I have attained the fruit of stream-entry,’ that itself would be grasping at self, at beings, at living beings, and at persons.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does a once-returner think, ‘I have attained the fruit of once-returning’?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. A once-returner does not think, ‘I have attained the fruit of once-returning.’ Why? There is no dharma that has entered a state of once-returning. Therefore one is called a once-returner.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does a non-returner think, ‘I have attained the fruit of non-returning’?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. A non-returner does not think, ‘I have attained the fruit of non-returning.’ Why? Blessed One, there is no dharma that has entered a state of non-returning. Therefore one is called a non-returner.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does an arhat think, ‘I have attained arhatship’?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. An arhat does not think, ‘I have attained arhatship.’ Why? Blessed One, there is no dharma called an arhat. Therefore one is called an arhat. If an arhat were to think, ‘I have attained arhatship,’ that itself would be grasping at self, at beings, at living beings, and at persons. Why? Blessed One, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One has declared me foremost among those who dwell without conflict. I am, Blessed One, an arhat free from passion, yet I do not think, ‘I am an arhat free from passion.’ If I were to think, ‘I have attained arhatship,’ the Tathāgata would not have declared: ‘Subhūti, the son of good family, is foremost among those who dwell without conflict. He dwells nowhere; therefore he is called one who dwells without conflict.’”

The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Is there any dharma that the Tathāgata received in the presence of the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened Dīpaṃkara?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. There is no dharma that the Tathāgata received in the presence of the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened Dīpaṃkara.” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, if any bodhisattva were to say, ‘I shall bring Buddha-fields to perfection,’ that one would speak falsely. Why? Subhūti, what are called ‘arrangements of Buddha-fields’ have been taught by the Tathāgata as no arrangements. Therefore they are called arrangements of Buddha-fields. Accordingly, Subhūti, a bodhisattva, a great being, should give rise to a mind that is not grounded in anything. One should not give rise to a mind grounded in form, nor to a mind grounded in sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental phenomena. Suppose, Subhūti, there were a person whose body was full-grown and immense, whose bodily existence were like Sumeru, king of mountains. What do you think, Subhūti? Would that bodily existence be great?” Subhūti said: “It would be great, Blessed One, great, Sugata. Why? Blessed One, what the Tathāgata has called ‘bodily existence’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no existence. Therefore it is called bodily existence. Blessed One, it is neither an existence nor a non-existence. Therefore it is called bodily existence.”

The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Suppose there were as many Ganges rivers as there are grains of sand in the great river Ganges. Would the grains of sand in all those rivers be many?” Subhūti said: “Blessed One, those Ganges rivers themselves would already be many, much more the grains of sand in those Ganges rivers.” The Blessed One said: “I tell you, Subhūti, I make it known to you: if a woman or man filled as many world-systems as there would be grains of sand in all those Ganges rivers with the seven precious substances and gave them as gifts to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, what do you think, Subhūti? Would that woman or man produce a great mass of merit on that account?” Subhūti said: “A great one, Blessed One, a great one, Sugata. That woman or man would produce an immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit on that account.” The Blessed One said: “Yet if one woman or man filled that many world-systems with the seven precious substances and gave them as gifts to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, while a son or daughter of good family took from this teaching even a stanza of four lines and taught and explained it to others, the latter would produce a still greater, immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, wherever in the world even a stanza of four lines from this teaching is recited or explained, that place will become like a shrine for the world with its gods, humans, and asuras. How much more so for those who will retain this entire teaching in full, recite it, master it, and explain it fully to others. Subhūti, they will be endowed with the highest wonder. And in that place, Subhūti, the Teacher abides, or another wise one who stands in the Teacher’s place.”

When this was said, the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One: “Blessed One, what is the name of this teaching, and how should I retain it?” The Blessed One replied: “Subhūti, this teaching is called the Perfection of Wisdom. Retain it under that name. Why? Subhūti, the very Perfection of Wisdom spoken of by the Tathāgata has been spoken of by the Tathāgata as no perfection. Therefore it is called the Perfection of Wisdom.” “What do you think, Subhūti? Is there any dharma at all that the Tathāgata has spoken?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. There is no dharma at all that the Tathāgata has spoken.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Would the particles of dust in this three-thousand-great-thousand world-system be many?” Subhūti said: “Many, Blessed One, many, Sugata, would those particles of dust be. Why? Blessed One, what the Tathāgata has called particles of dust has been spoken of by the Tathāgata as no particles. Therefore they are called particles of dust. And the world-system spoken of by the Tathāgata has been spoken of by the Tathāgata as no system. Therefore it is called a world-system.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Should the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One be seen through the thirty-two marks of a great person?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. The Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One should not be seen through the thirty-two marks of a great person. Why? Blessed One, the thirty-two marks of a great person spoken of by the Tathāgata have been spoken of by the Tathāgata as no marks. Therefore they are called the thirty-two marks of a great person.” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, suppose a woman or man were to give up each day as many bodies as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, and were to continue giving up that many bodies for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges; while another took from this teaching even a stanza of four lines and taught and explained it to others. The latter would produce a still greater, immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit.”

Then the venerable Subhūti, moved by the Dharma, shed tears. Wiping his tears, he said to the Blessed One: “Wonderful, Blessed One, exceedingly wonderful, Sugata, is this teaching taught by the Tathāgata for the benefit of beings who have set out in the foremost vehicle, for the benefit of those who have set out in the best vehicle. Through it, Blessed One, knowledge has arisen in me. Never before, Blessed One, have I heard a teaching such as this. Those bodhisattvas will be endowed with the highest wonder who, upon hearing this sūtra being taught, give rise to a perception of it as true. Why? Blessed One, that very ‘perception of truth’ is no perception. Therefore the Tathāgata speaks of a ‘perception of truth.’ Blessed One, it is no wonder to me that I trust and accept this teaching when it is being taught. But those beings who in the future, in the last time, the last period, the last five hundred years when the true Dharma is declining, will take up this teaching, retain it, recite it, master it, and explain it fully to others—they will be endowed with the highest wonder. Yet in them no notion of self will occur, no notion of a being, no notion of a living being, and no notion of a person; neither any notion nor a notion of non-notion will occur in them. Why? Blessed One, that ‘notion of self’ is itself no notion. The notions of a being, a living being, and a person are themselves no notions. Why? The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, are free from all notions.” When this was said, the Blessed One told the venerable Subhūti: “So it is, Subhūti, so it is. Those beings will be endowed with the highest wonder who, when this sūtra is being taught, do not tremble, are not frightened, and do not fall into terror. Why? Subhūti, this has been taught by the Tathāgata as the supreme perfection—that is, as no perfection. And the supreme perfection that the Tathāgata teaches is taught also by immeasurable Buddhas, the Blessed Ones. Therefore it is called the supreme perfection. Moreover, Subhūti, the Tathāgata’s perfection of patience is itself no perfection. Why? Subhūti, when King Kali cut the flesh from my limbs and extremities, at that time there was in me no notion of self, no notion of a being, no notion of a living being, no notion of a person, nor any notion or notion of non-notion. Why? Subhūti, if at that time a notion of self had arisen in me, a notion of ill will would also have arisen. If a notion of a being, living being, or person had arisen, a notion of ill will would also have arisen. Why? Subhūti, I remember that for five hundred births in the past I was the sage who taught patience. Even then there was in me no notion of self, no notion of a being, no notion of a living being, and no notion of a person. Therefore, Subhūti, a bodhisattva, a great being, should give rise to the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening after leaving behind all notions. One should not give rise to a mind grounded in form, nor in sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental phenomena; not grounded in dharma, nor grounded in non-dharma; one should give rise to a mind grounded nowhere. Why? Whatever is grounded is precisely ungrounded. Therefore the Tathāgata says that a bodhisattva should give a gift without being grounded, should not give while grounded in form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental phenomena. Moreover, Subhūti, a bodhisattva should make such a relinquishment of gifts for the benefit of all beings. Why? Subhūti, that very notion of a being is no notion. And those ‘all beings’ spoken of by the Tathāgata are themselves no beings. Why? Subhūti, the Tathāgata speaks what is real, speaks truth, speaks as things are, speaks without deviation; the Tathāgata does not speak falsely. Moreover, Subhūti, in the dharma to which the Tathāgata has awakened, which he has taught and contemplated, there is neither truth nor falsehood. It is as when a person enters darkness and sees nothing: so should a bodhisattva who has fallen into things be regarded when giving while fallen into things. And it is as when a person with sight, at dawn when the sun has risen, sees many different forms: so should a bodhisattva who has not fallen into things be regarded when giving without having fallen into things. Moreover, Subhūti, those sons and daughters of good family who take up this teaching, retain it, recite it, master it, and explain it fully to others are known by the Tathāgata with Buddha-knowledge, seen by the Tathāgata with the Buddha-eye, understood by the Tathāgata. All those beings, Subhūti, will produce and receive an immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, suppose a woman or man were in the morning to give up as many bodies as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, at midday to give up as many bodies as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, and in the evening likewise to give up as many bodies as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, and in this way were to give up bodies for many hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of eons; while another, having heard this teaching, did not reject it. The latter would on that account produce a still greater, immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit. How much more one who writes it down, takes it up, retains it, recites it, masters it, and explains it fully to others. Moreover, Subhūti, this teaching is inconceivable and incomparable. The Tathāgata has taught it for the benefit of beings who have set out in the foremost vehicle, for the benefit of beings who have set out in the best vehicle. Those who take up this teaching, retain it, recite it, master it, and explain it fully to others are known by the Tathāgata with Buddha-knowledge, seen by the Tathāgata with the Buddha-eye, understood by the Tathāgata. All those beings, Subhūti, will be endowed with an immeasurable mass of merit, an inconceivable, incomparable, immeasurable and boundless mass of merit. All those beings, Subhūti, will equally carry awakening, recite it, and master it. Why? Subhūti, this teaching cannot be heard by beings of inferior inclination, nor by those who hold views of self, beings, living beings, or persons. Nor can beings who have not made the bodhisattva resolve hear, take up, retain, recite, or master this teaching. That is impossible. Moreover, Subhūti, wherever this sūtra is explained, that place will be worthy of worship by the world with its gods, humans, and asuras; that place will be worthy of homage and circumambulation; that place will become like a shrine.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, those sons or daughters of good family who take up sūtras such as these, retain them, recite them, master them, attend to them properly, and explain them fully to others will be despised—indeed, greatly despised. Why? Subhūti, whatever unwholesome deeds from former births those beings have done that would lead to states of misery, by being despised in this very life those unwholesome deeds from former births will be exhausted, and they will attain the awakening of a Buddha. Subhūti, I remember that in the past, incalculable and still more incalculable eons before the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened Dīpaṃkara, there were eighty-four hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Buddhas whom I pleased, and having pleased them, did not turn away from them. Subhūti, compared with my having pleased those Buddhas, the mass of merit of those who, in the last time, the last period, the last five hundred years when the true Dharma is declining, take up sūtras such as these, retain them, recite them, master them, and explain them fully to others is such that that former mass of merit does not approach even a hundredth part of it, nor a thousandth, nor a hundred-thousandth, nor a ten-millionth, nor a hundred ten-millionth, nor a hundred-thousand ten-millionth, nor a hundred-thousand-billionth; it does not admit of number, fraction, calculation, comparison, analogy, or any measure whatsoever. Subhūti, if I were to state the mass of merit that those sons and daughters of good family will produce and receive at that time, beings would become crazed or their minds would become disturbed. Moreover, Subhūti, this teaching has been taught by the Tathāgata as inconceivable and incomparable. An inconceivable result is to be expected from it.”

Then the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One: “Blessed One, how should one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle stand, how should one practice, and how should one master the mind?” The Blessed One said: “Here, Subhūti, one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle should give rise to this mind: ‘I shall bring all beings to final nirvāṇa in the nirvāṇa-element without remainder.’ Yet after bringing beings to final nirvāṇa, no being whatsoever has been brought to final nirvāṇa. Why? Subhūti, if a notion of a being occurred to a bodhisattva, that one should not be called a bodhisattva. If a notion of a living being, up to a notion of a person, occurred, that one should not be called a bodhisattva. Why? Subhūti, there is no dharma called ‘one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle.’ What do you think, Subhūti? Is there any dharma through which the Tathāgata awakened to unsurpassed perfect awakening in the presence of the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara?” When this was said, the venerable Subhūti replied: “Blessed One, as I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has taught, there is no dharma through which the Tathāgata awakened to unsurpassed perfect awakening in the presence of the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened Dīpaṃkara.” The Blessed One told the venerable Subhūti: “So it is, Subhūti, so it is. There is no dharma through which the Tathāgata awakened to unsurpassed perfect awakening in the presence of the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened Dīpaṃkara. If there had been any dharma to which the Tathāgata awakened, Dīpaṃkara Tathāgata would not have predicted of me: ‘Young man, in the future you will become a Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One named Śākyamuni.’ But precisely because there is no dharma to which the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One awakened as unsurpassed perfect awakening, Dīpaṃkara Tathāgata predicted of me: ‘Young man, in the future you will become a Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One named Śākyamuni.’ Why? Subhūti, ‘Tathāgata’ is a designation for reality-as-such. ‘Tathāgata’ is a designation for the nature of dharmas as unarisen. ‘Tathāgata’ is a designation for the cutting off of dharmas. ‘Tathāgata’ is a designation for what is utterly unarisen. Why? Subhūti, this non-arising is the ultimate meaning. Whoever, Subhūti, were to say, ‘The Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One has awakened to unsurpassed perfect awakening,’ would speak falsely; that person would misrepresent me by grasping what is not there. Why? Subhūti, there is no dharma to which the Tathāgata awakened as unsurpassed perfect awakening. And in the dharma to which the Tathāgata awakened or which he taught, there is neither truth nor falsehood. Therefore the Tathāgata says, ‘All dharmas are Buddha-dharmas.’ Why? Subhūti, ‘all dharmas’ have been taught by the Tathāgata as non-dharmas. Therefore they are called all dharmas, Buddha-dharmas. Suppose, Subhūti, there were a person with a full-grown, immense body.” The venerable Subhūti said: “Blessed One, that person whom the Tathāgata has spoken of as having a full-grown, immense body has been spoken of by the Tathāgata as bodiless. Therefore one is called one with a full-grown, immense body.” The Blessed One said: “So it is, Subhūti. A bodhisattva who says, ‘I shall bring beings to final nirvāṇa,’ should not be called a bodhisattva. Why? Subhūti, is there any dharma called a bodhisattva?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. There is no dharma called a bodhisattva.” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, ‘beings’ have been taught by the Tathāgata as non-beings. Therefore they are called beings. Hence the Tathāgata says that all dharmas are without self, without living being, without a sustaining soul, and without person. Subhūti, a bodhisattva who says, ‘I shall bring Buddha-fields to perfection,’ speaks falsely. Why? Subhūti, ‘arrangements of Buddha-fields’ have been taught by the Tathāgata as no arrangements. Therefore they are called arrangements of Buddha-fields. Subhūti, a bodhisattva who is convinced that dharmas are without self—‘dharmas are without self’—is declared by the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One to be a bodhisattva, a great being.”

The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata possess the fleshly eye?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata possesses the fleshly eye.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata possess the divine eye?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata possesses the divine eye.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata possess the eye of wisdom?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata possesses the eye of wisdom.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata possess the Dharma-eye?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata possesses the Dharma-eye.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata possess the Buddha-eye?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata possesses the Buddha-eye.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Has the Tathāgata spoken of the grains of sand in the great river Ganges?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, yes, Sugata. The Tathāgata has spoken of the grains of sand.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Suppose there were as many Ganges rivers as there are grains of sand in the great river Ganges, and in those rivers as many grains of sand, and as many world-systems as all those grains of sand. Would those world-systems be many?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, yes, Sugata. Those world-systems would be many.” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, however many beings there are in those world-systems, I know the diverse streams of mind of all of them. Why? Subhūti, what is called a ‘stream of mind’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no stream. Therefore it is called a stream of mind. Why? Subhūti, a past mind cannot be apprehended; a future mind cannot be apprehended; a present mind cannot be apprehended.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Suppose a son or daughter of good family filled this three-thousand-great-thousand world-system with the seven precious substances and gave it as a gift to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones. Would that son or daughter of good family produce a great mass of merit on that account?” Subhūti said: “A great one, Blessed One, a great one, Sugata.” The Blessed One said: “So it is, Subhūti, so it is. That son or daughter of good family would on that account produce an immeasurable, incalculable mass of merit. Why? Subhūti, the ‘mass of merit’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no mass. Therefore it is called a mass of merit. If, Subhūti, a mass of merit truly were a mass, the Tathāgata would not have spoken of a ‘mass of merit’.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Should the Tathāgata be seen through the complete perfection of a physical body?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. The Tathāgata should not be seen through the complete perfection of a physical body. Why? Blessed One, what is called the complete perfection of a physical body has been taught by the Tathāgata as no perfection. Therefore it is called the complete perfection of a physical body.” The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Should the Tathāgata be seen through the perfection of marks?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. The Tathāgata should not be seen through the perfection of marks. Why? Blessed One, what is called the perfection of marks has been taught by the Tathāgata as no perfection of marks. Therefore it is called the perfection of marks.”

The Blessed One said: “What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata think, ‘I have taught the Dharma’?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. The Tathāgata does not think, ‘I have taught the Dharma.’” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, whoever were to say, ‘The Tathāgata has taught the Dharma,’ would speak falsely and would misrepresent me by grasping what is not there. Why? Subhūti, as for ‘teaching the Dharma,’ there is no dharma that can be apprehended as something called a teaching of Dharma.” When this was said, the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One: “Blessed One, will there be any beings in the future, in the last time, the last period, in the last five hundred years when the true Dharma is declining, who, having heard dharmas such as these, will have confidence in them?” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, they are neither beings nor non-beings. Why? Subhūti, all those called ‘beings’ have been taught by the Tathāgata as non-beings. Therefore they are called beings.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Is there any dharma at all through which the Tathāgata awakened to unsurpassed perfect awakening?” The venerable Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. There is no dharma at all through which the Tathāgata awakened to unsurpassed perfect awakening.” The Blessed One said: “So it is, Subhūti, so it is. Not even the slightest dharma is found or apprehended there. Therefore it is called unsurpassed perfect awakening.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, that dharma is equal; there is no inequality in it. Therefore it is called unsurpassed perfect awakening. That unsurpassed perfect awakening, equal through selflessness, beinglessness, lifelessness, and personlessness, is fully awakened to through all wholesome qualities. Why? Subhūti, those ‘wholesome qualities’ have been taught by the Tathāgata precisely as non-qualities. Therefore they are called wholesome qualities.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, suppose a woman or man gathered as many heaps of the seven precious substances as there are Sumerus, kings of mountains, in the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system and gave them as gifts to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones. And suppose a son or daughter of good family took from this Perfection of Wisdom teaching even a stanza of four lines and taught it to others. Subhūti, the former mass of merit does not approach even a hundredth part of the latter mass of merit, and cannot bear comparison with it by any measure at all.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Does the Tathāgata think, ‘I have liberated beings’?” Subhūti, it should not be seen in that way. Why? Subhūti, there is no being whom the Tathāgata has liberated. If there were any being whom the Tathāgata had liberated, that itself would be the Tathāgata’s grasping at self, at beings, at living beings, and at persons. Subhūti, what is called ‘grasping at self’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no grasping, yet childish ordinary people grasp it. Subhūti, those called ‘childish ordinary people’ have been taught by the Tathāgata as no people. Therefore they are called childish ordinary people.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Should the Tathāgata be seen through the perfection of marks?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One. As I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has taught, the Tathāgata should not be seen through the perfection of marks.” The Blessed One said: “Good, good, Subhūti. It is so, Subhūti, just as you say. The Tathāgata should not be seen through the perfection of marks. Why? Subhūti, if the Tathāgata could be seen through the perfection of marks, then even a wheel-turning king would be a Tathāgata. Therefore the Tathāgata should not be seen through the perfection of marks.” The venerable Subhūti said to the Blessed One: “As I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has taught, the Tathāgata should not be seen through the perfection of marks.” Then at that time the Blessed One spoke these verses: “Those who saw me through form, and those who followed me through sound, have set out upon a mistaken course; those people will not see me. The Buddha is to be seen from Dharma, for the guides have Dharma-bodies; yet the nature of dharmas is not an object of cognition, nor can it be known as an object.”

“What do you think, Subhūti? Did the Tathāgata awaken to unsurpassed perfect awakening through the perfection of marks? Subhūti, you should not see it that way. Why? The Tathāgata did not awaken to unsurpassed perfect awakening through the perfection of marks. Nor, Subhūti, should anyone say that those who have set out in the bodhisattva vehicle have proclaimed the destruction or annihilation of any dharma. Subhūti, you should not see it that way. Why? Those who have set out in the bodhisattva vehicle have proclaimed neither the destruction nor the annihilation of any dharma.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, suppose a son or daughter of good family filled as many world-systems as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges with the seven precious substances and gave them as gifts to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones. And suppose a bodhisattva attained patient acceptance regarding selfless, unarisen dharmas. The latter would on that account produce a still greater, immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit. Yet, Subhūti, a bodhisattva, a great being, should not appropriate a mass of merit.” The venerable Subhūti said: “Blessed One, should a bodhisattva not appropriate a mass of merit?” The Blessed One said: “It may be received, Subhūti, but it is not to be grasped. Therefore it is said to be received.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, whoever says, ‘The Tathāgata goes, or comes, or stands, or sits, or lies down,’ does not understand the meaning of what I have taught. Why? Subhūti, ‘Tathāgata’ means one who has not gone anywhere and has not come from anywhere. Therefore one is called the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, suppose a son or daughter of good family took as many world-systems as there are particles of earth in the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system and ground them to powder, with incalculable effort, until there were, so to speak, a collection of atoms. What do you think, Subhūti? Would that collection of atoms be large?” Subhūti said: “Yes, Blessed One, yes, Sugata. That collection of atoms would be large. Why? Blessed One, if a collection of atoms truly were a collection, the Blessed One would not have spoken of a ‘collection of atoms.’ Why? Blessed One, what the Tathāgata has called a collection of atoms has been taught by the Tathāgata as no collection. Therefore it is called a collection of atoms. And what the Tathāgata has called the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system has been taught by the Tathāgata as no system. Therefore it is called the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system. Why? Blessed One, if there were a world-system as such, that itself would be grasping at a composite whole. And what the Tathāgata has called ‘grasping at a composite whole’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no grasping. Therefore it is called grasping at a composite whole.” The Blessed One said: “Subhūti, this ‘grasping at a composite whole’ is not a matter for conventional discourse and is inexpressible. It is neither dharma nor non-dharma. Yet childish ordinary people grasp it.”

“Why? Subhūti, if someone were to say, ‘The Tathāgata has taught a view of self, a view of a being, a view of a living being, and a view of a person,’ would that person speak correctly?” Subhūti said: “No, Blessed One, no, Sugata. That person would not speak correctly. Why? Blessed One, what the Tathāgata has called a ‘view of self’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no view. Therefore it is called a view of self.” The Blessed One said: “Accordingly, Subhūti, one who has set out in the bodhisattva vehicle should know, see, and be resolutely convinced regarding all dharmas. And they should know, see, and be resolutely convinced in such a way that they do not become established even in a notion of dharmas or a notion of non-dharmas. Why? Subhūti, what is called a ‘notion of dharmas’ has been taught by the Tathāgata as no notion. Therefore it is called a notion of dharmas.”

“Moreover, Subhūti, suppose a bodhisattva, a great being, filled immeasurable and incalculable world-systems with the seven precious substances and gave them as gifts to the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones. And suppose a son or daughter of good family took from this Perfection of Wisdom teaching even a stanza of four lines, retained it, taught it, recited it, mastered it, and explained it fully to others. The latter would on that account produce a still greater, immeasurable and incalculable mass of merit. And how should it be explained? As in open space: ‘A star, a dimming of sight, a lamp, an illusion, dew, a bubble, a dream, lightning, and a cloud—so should the conditioned be seen.’ In this way one should explain it; therefore it is said, ‘one should explain it.’” The Blessed One spoke this, delighted. The elder Subhūti, the monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen, the bodhisattvas, and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced in what the Blessed One had taught.

The Noble Blessed Vajracchedikā Perfection of Wisdom is complete.