CHAPTER
Ultimately There is No Self
Then Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, if a good man, or good woman, resolves his heart on Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, how should he dwell, how should he subdue his heart?"
The Buddha told Subhuti,
"A good man, or good woman, who has resolved his heart on
Anuttarasamyaksambodhi should think thus: 'I should take all living beings across
to extinction. Yet when all living beings have been taken across to extinction,
there actually is not a single living being who has been taken across to extinction.
And why? Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva has a mark of self, a mark of others, a mark
of living beings, or a mark of a life, then he is not a Bodhisattva. For what
reason? Subhuti, actually there is no dharma of resolving the heart on Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
"Subhuti, what do you think? While the Tathagata was with Burning Lamp Buddha,
was there any dharma of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi attained?"
"No, World Honored One. As I understand what the Buddha has said, while the Buddha was with Burning Lamp Buddha there was no Anuttarasamyaksambodhi attained."
The Buddha said,
"So it is, so it is, Subhuti. There actually was no dharma
of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi which the Tathagata attained. Subhuti, if there had
been a dharma of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi which the Tathagata attained, then Burning
Lamp Buddha would not have given me the prediction, 'you will in the future attain
Buddhahood and be named Shakyamuni.' Since there actually was no dharma of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi
attained, Burning Lamp Buddha gave me the prediction saying these words, 'You
will in the future attain Buddhahood and be named Shakyamuni.'"
"And why? 'Tathagata' means thusness of all dharmas. If someone were to say
the Tathagata attains Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, Subhuti, actually there is no
dharma of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi which the Buddha attain. Subhuti, the Anuttarasamyaksambodhi
which the Tathagata attains, in that, there is neither true nor false. For that
reason the Tathagata speaks of all dharmas as Buddhadharmas. Subhuti, all dharmas
are spoken of as no dharmas. Therefore they are called dharmas."
"Subhuti, it is like a person's big body."
Subhuti said, "World Honored One, the person's big body is spoken of by the Tathagata as no big body, therefore it is called a big body."
"Subhuti, a Bodhisattva is also thus. If he were to say,
'I should take measureless living beings across to extinction, then he would not
be called a Bodhisattva. And why? Subhuti, there actually is no dharma called
a Bodhisattva. For that reason the Buddha spoke of all dharmas as devoid of self,
devoid of others, devoid of living beings, and devoid of a life."
"Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva were to say, 'I shall adorn Buddhalands,' He would
not be called a Bodhisattva. And why? The adornment of Buddhalands is spoken
of by the Tathagata as no adornment. Therefore it is called adornment. Subhuti,
if a Bodhisattva comprehends that all dharmas are devoid of self, the Tathagata
calls him a true Bodhisattva."
One Substance Regarded as Identical
"Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the flesh eye?"
"So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the flesh eye."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the heavenly eye?"
"So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the heavenly eye."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the wisdom eye?"
"So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the wisdom eye."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the dharma eye?"
"So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the "the dharma eye."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the Buddha eye?"
"So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the Buddha eye."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Has the Tathagata spoken of the sand grains in the Ganges River?"
"So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has spoken of that sand."
"Subhuti, what do you think? If all the grains of sand in one Ganges River became an equal number of Ganges Rivers, and all the grains of sand in all those Ganges Rivers became that many Buddhalands. Would they be many?"
"Very many, World Honored One."
The Buddha told Subhuti, "All the various thoughts which occur to all the living beings in all those Buddhalands are completely known by the Tathagata. And why? All thoughts are spoken of by the Tathagata as no thoughts, therefore they are called thoughts. For what reason? Subhuti, past thought cannot be got at, present thought cannot be got at, and future thought cannot be got at."
The Dharma Realm Penetrated and
Transformed
"Subhuti, what do you think? If someone filled the three thousand great thousand worlds with the seven precious gems and gave them as a gift, would that person for that reason obtain many blessings?"
"So it is, World Honored One. That person would for that reason obtain very many blessings."
"Subhuti, if blessings and virtue were real, the Tathagata would not have spoken of obtaining many blessings. It is because blessings and virtue do not exist that the Tathagata has spoken of obtaining many blessings."
Apart from Form and Apart from Marks
"Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen in the perfection of his physical form?"
"No, World Honored One. The Tathagata cannot be seen in the perfection of his physical form. And why? The perfection of physical form is spoken of by the Tathagata as no perfection of physical form, therefore it is called the perfection of physical form."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen in the perfection of marks?"
"No, World Honored One. The Tathagata cannot be seen in the perfection of marks. And why? The perfection of marks is spoken of by the Tathagata as no perfection of marks. Therefore it is called the perfection of marks."
Spoken yet not Spoken
"Subhuti, do not say the Tathagata has the thought, 'I have spoken dharma.' Do not think that way. And why? If someone says the Tathagata has spoken dharma he slanders the Buddha due to his inability to understand what I say. Subhuti, in the dharma spoken there is no dharma which can be spoken, therefore it is called the dharma spoken."
Then the sagacious Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, will there be living beings in the future who will believe this Sutra when they hear it spoken?"
The Buddha said, "Subhuti, they are neither living beings nor no living beings. And why? Subhuti, living beings, those living beings, are spoken of by the Tathagata as no living beings, therefore they are called living beings."
There is no Dharma which can be Obtained
Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, is it that the Tathagata in attaining Anuttarasamyaksambodhi did not attain anything?"
The Buddha said, "So it is, so it is, Subhuti. As to Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, there is not even the slightest Anuttarasamyaksambodhi dharma which I could attain, therefore it is called Anuttarasamyaksambodhi."
The Pure Heart Practices Good
"Moreover, Subhuti, this dharma is level and equal, with no high or low. Therefore it is called Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. To cultivate all good dharmas with no self, no others, no living beings, and no life is to attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Subhuti, good dharmas are spoken of by the Tathagata as no good dharmas. Therefore they are called good dharmas."
Blessings and Wisdom Beyond Compare
"Subhuti, if there were heaps of the seven precious gems equal in amount to all the Sumerus, Kings of Mountains, in three thousand great thousand world systems, and someone gave them as a gift, and if some else were to take from this Prajna Paramita Sutra as few as four lines of verse, and receive, hold, read, recite, and speak them for others, his blessings and virtue would surpass the previous one's by more hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of times than either calculation of analogy could express."
Transformations without what is
Transformed
"Subhuti, what do you think? You should not maintain that the Tathagata has this thought: 'I shall take living beings across.' Subhuti, do not have that thought. And why? There actually are no living beings taken across by the Tathagata. If there were living beings taken across by the Tathagata, then the Tathagata would have the existence of a self, of others, of living beings, and of a life. Subhuti, the existence of a self spoken of by the Tathagata is no existence of a self, but common people take it as the existence of a self. Subhuti, common people are spoken of by the Tathagata as no common people, therefore they are called common people."
The Dharma Body Has No Marks
"Subhuti, what do you think? Can one contemplate the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks?"
Subhuti said, "So it is , so it is, World Honored One. One can contemplate the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks."
The Buddha said, "Subhuti, if one could contemplate the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks, then a Sagely Wheel-turning King would be a Tathagata."
Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, as I understand what the Buddha has said, one should not contemplate the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks."
At that time the World Honored One spoke a gatha which says,
If one sees me in forms,
If one seeks me in sounds,
He practices a deviant way,
And cannot see the Tathagata.
Not Cut Off and Not Extinguished
"Subhuti, you may have the thought that the Tathagata did not attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi by means of the perfection of marks. Subhuti, do not think that the Tathagata did not attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi by means of the perfection of marks. Subhuti, you should not think that those who have resolved their hearts on Anuttarasamyaksambodhi affirm the annihilation of all dharmas. Do not have that thought. And why? Those who have resolved their hearts on Anuttarasamyaksambodhi do not affirm the annihilation of marks.
No Reception and No Greed
"Subhuti, A Bodhisattva might fill world systems equal to Ganges River's sands with the seven previous gems and give them as a gift. But if another person were to know that all dharmas are devoid of self and accomplish patience, that Bodhisattva's merit and virtue would surpass that of the previous Bodhisattva. And why? Subhuti, it is because Bodhisattvas do not receive blessings and virtue."
Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, how is it that Bodhisattvas do not receive blessings and virtue?"
"Subhuti, since Bodhisattvas cannot be greedily attached to the blessings and virtue which they foster, they are said not to receive blessings and virtue."
The Stillness of the Awesome Manner
"Subhuti, if someone were to say the Tathagata either comes or goes, either sits or lies down, that person would not understand the meaning of my teaching. And why? The Tathagata does not come from anywhere, nor does he go anywhere. Therefore he is called the Tathagata."
The Totality of Principle and Marks
"Subhuti, if a good man or good woman were to pulverize three thousand great thousand world systems into motes of fine dust, what do you think, would that mass of fine dust be large?"
Subhuti said, "Large, World Honored One, And why? If that mass of fine dust motes actually existed, the Buddha would not speak of it as a mass of fine dust motes. And why? The mass of fine dust motes is spoken of by the Buddha as no mass of fine dust motes. Therefore it is called a mass of fine dust motes. World Honored One, the three thousand great thousand world systems are spoken of by the Tathagata as no world systems, therefore they are called world systems. And why? If world systems actually existed, then there would be a totality of marks. The totality of marks is spoken of by the Tathagata as no totality of marks. Therefore it is called a totality of marks."
"Subhuti, the totality of marks cannot be spoken of, but people of the common sort greedily attached to such things."
Neither Knowing nor Seeing is Produced
"Subhuti, if someone were to say that the view of a self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life are spoken of by the Buddha, Subhuti, what do you think? Does that person understand the meaning of my teaching?"
"No, World Honored One, that person does not understand the meaning of the Tathagata's teaching. And why? The view of a self, the view of others, the view of the living beings, and the view of a life are spoken of by the World Honored One as no view of self, no view of others, no view of living beings, and no view of a life. Therefore they are called the view of self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life."
"Subhuti, those who have resolved their hearts on Anuttarasamyaksambodhi should thus know, thus view, thus believe and understanding all dharmas, and not produce the marks of dharmas. Subhuti, the marks of dharmas are spoken of by the Tathagata as no marks of dharmas, therefore they are called the marks of dharmas."
The Response and Transformation Bodies are
Unreal
"Subhuti, someone might fill measureless Asamkhyeyas of
world systems with the seven precious gems and give them as a gift. But if a good
man, or good woman, who has resolved his heart on Bodhi were to take from this
Sutra even as few as four lines of verse and receive, hold, read, recite, and
extensively explain them for others, his blessings would surpass the other's."
How should it be explained to others? With no grasping at marks: Thus, Thus,
unmoving. And why?
All conditioned dharmas
After the Buddha spoke this Sutra the elder Subhuti, all the Bhiksus,
Bhiksunis, Upasakas Upasikas, and the world with its gods, men and asuras, heard
what the Buddha had said, rejoiced, believed, received, revered, and practiced.
are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows,
like dew drops and a lightning flash:
contemplate them thus.