The Diamond Sutra

by Red Pine

  This having been said, the Buddha told the venerable Subhuti, “So it is, Subhuti. So it is. Those beings shall be most remarkably blessed, Subhuti, who are not alarmed, not frightened, and not distressed by what is said in this sutra. And how so? Subhuti, what the Tathagata proclaims as the best of perfections is, in truth, no perfection. Moreover, Subhuti, what the Tathagata proclaims as the best of perfections is also proclaimed by countless buddhas and bhagavans. Thus is it called the ‘best of perfections. ’

  “So, too, Subhuti, is the Tathagata’s perfection of forbearance no perfection. And how so, Subhuti? When King Kali cut off my limbs, my ears and nose, and my flesh, at that moment I had no perception of a self, a being, a life, or a soul. I had neither a perception nor no perception. And why not? At that moment, Subhuti, if I had had the perception of a self, at that moment I would have also had the perception of anger. Or if I had had the perception of a being, the perception of a life, or the perception of a soul, at that moment I would have had the perception of anger. And how so? Subhuti, I recall the five hundred lifetimes I was the mendicant Kshanti, and during that time I had no perception of a self. Nor did I have the perception of a being, the perception of a life, or the perception of a soul.

  “Therefore, Subhuti, fearless bodhisattvas should get rid of all perceptions in giving birth to the thought of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. They should not give birth to a thought attached to a sight, nor should they give birth to a thought attached to a sound, a smell, a taste, a touch, or a dharma. They should not give birth to a thought attached to a dharma, nor should they give birth to a thought attached to no dharma. They should not give birth to a thought attached to anything. And why not? Every attachment is no attachment. Thus, the Tathagata says that bodhisattvas should give gifts without being attached. They should give gifts without being attached to a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, a touch, or a dharma.

  “Moreover, Subhuti, bodhisattvas should practice charity in this manner for the benefit of all beings. And how so? Subhuti, the perception of a being is no perception. Likewise, all the beings of whom the Tathagata speaks are thus no beings. And how so? Subhuti, what the Tathagata says is real. What the Tathagata says is true and is as he says it is and is not other than as he says it is. What the Tathagata says is not false. Moreover, Subhuti, in the dharma realized, taught, and reflected on by the Tathagata, there is nothing true and nothing false.

  “Subhuti, imagine a person who enters a dark place and who can’t see a thing. He is like a bodhisattva ruled by objects, like someone practicing charity ruled by objects. Now, Subhuti, imagine a person with eyesight at the end of the night when the sun shines forth who can see all manner of things. He is like a bodhisattva not ruled by objects, like someone practicing charity not ruled by objects.

  “Furthermore, Subhuti, if a noble son or daughter should grasp this dharma teaching and memorize it, recite it, master it, and explain it in detail to others, the Tathagata will know them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha knowledge. And the Tathagata will see them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha vision. The Tathagata will be aware of them, Subhuti, for all such beings produce and obtain an immeasurable, infinite body of merit.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  SUBHUTI IS OVERWHEMMED by this teaching. At the beginning of this sutra, when he asked the Buddha how someone could travel the bodhisattva path, he was not prepared to have journeyed so far so soon and is overcome by emotion, which is itself revealing of the difference between the shravaka and bodhisattva paths, especially as it comes from an arhan who earlier described himself as “free from passion.” This is an example of what later became known as the “sudden enlightenment” school of Buddhism in which the emotional impact of a teaching does what meditation and reflection are unable to do. In the space of what amounts to a few minutes, Subhuti has gone from arhan to bodhisattva. And to demonstrate his newfound understanding, he summarizes what he considers this sutra’s principal teaching thus far: freedom from perceptions that are no perceptions. Although the Buddha approves, he urges Subhuti to look beyond “no perceptions,” lest “no perceptions” become a substitute for his earlier attachment to emptiness. He tells Subhuti to practice the perfection of wisdom, to practice the perfection of forbearance, to practice the perfection of charity. For only in the course of practice do “no perceptions” become the means by which bodhisattvas realize enlightenment and the means by which they teach other beings. Once again, the Buddha reminds Subhuti that freedom from perception by itself liberates no one, whereas those who uphold this teaching join the lineage of teachers of humans and gods that extends throughout the ten directions and three periods of time.

  Chao-ming titles this: “Detachment from Form.”

  Hui-neng says, “Who hears this sutra and understands its meaning awakens to what alone is real. Thus follows a chapter on detachment from form.”

  By the force of this dharma, the venerable Subhuti

  was moved to tears. Wiping his eyes, he said to the

  Buddha, “How remarkable, Bhagavan, how most

  remarkable, Sugata, is this dharma teaching that the

  Bhagavan speaks for the benefit of those beings who

  seek the foremost of paths, for the benefit of those

  who seek the best of paths, and from which my own

  awareness is born. Bhagavan, I have never heard

  such a teaching as this!

  Subhuti’s reaction provides an example of the power of this sutra to change the life of someone whose karma has nearly run its course. Although Subhuti is an arhan and living his last life, he now realizes that there is more to the Buddha’s teaching than the doctrine of emptiness and that his cultivation of selflessness has been, ironically, selfish. He realizes that true selflessness is practiced by those who help others put an end to suffering, as the Buddha does through this teaching. How could Subhuti not be moved upon hearing such a teaching while he still has the opportunity to put it into practice?

  Subhuti also says that he has never before heard such a teaching. But if this is true, then the placement of this sutra after those in which Subhuti demonstrates complete knowledge of this teaching must be judged as arbitrary and mistaken. In view of Subhuti’s tears, I would suggest that the Diamond Sutra is closer to being the ancestor rather than a later descendent of the other scriptures of the Buddha’s prajna period. But then, how relevant is time to such a teaching?

  Asanga says, “Deep yet firm in meaning, this transcends other sutras. Because of its great pure connection, its merit has no equal.” (25) The expression gadha-gambhira (deep yet firm) refers to rivers that are fordable despite their apparent depth. According to Vasubandhu, this teaching is deep because no self or being is found to exist, and it is firm because despite such a realization, bodhisattvas are not alarmed, frightened, or distressed. The “pure connection” (shuddha-anvaya) refers to the lineage of the buddhas.

  Han Ch’ing-ching says, “The ‘force of this dharma’ refers to the power of prajna.”

  Seng-chao says, “Subhuti sighs that he was so late in understanding this and laments that he had not heard this earlier.”

  Tao-yuan says, “Although the sutra’s second part [note: the first part includes chapters One through Eight] continues through Chapter Sixteen, the essential meaning is stated in its entirety in Chapter Thirteen. Hence, this preliminary conclusion. In Chapter Two, Subhuti exclaims, ‘How remarkable’ when he sees the Buddha putting the perfection of wisdom into practice in such daily activities as wearing his robe and begging for food. Here, he exclaims ‘How remarkable’ upon gaining his own insight into prajna wisdom. We know from Chapter Nine that Subhuti’s previous attainments were unique, but they did not include an understanding of this teaching.”

  Hui-neng says, “Subhuti was an arhan and first among the Buddha’s five-hundred chief disciples in his understanding of emptiness. How is it he had never heard such a teaching? What Subhuti had obtained in the past was the wisdom eye of a shravaka. Despite
past compassion, he remained unenlightened. Hence, he shed tears upon hearing the truth of this sutra.”

  Sheng-yi says, “Shravakas only cut off the obstruction of the passions but not the obstruction of what they know. Although they eliminate the attachment to a self, the attachment to dharmas remains. Upon hearing the teaching of the Diamond Sutra, Subhuti not only realized the emptiness of attachment to a self, he also realized the emptiness of attachment to dharmas and was able to see the true appearance of all dharmas.”

  Tao-ch’uan says, “Walking into the distance, traveling since your youth / crossing so many rivers, climbing so many peaks / until one day you find the road to your old home / and finally you realize how long a trip it’s been.”

  Textual note: The first sentence is not included by Bodhiruci. After dharma-paryaya (dharma teaching), Kumarajiva and Yi-ching have shen chieh yi-chu (the meaning of which he deeply understood). Neither Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, Paramartha, Dharmagupta, Yi-ching, nor the Stein or Gilgit Sanskrit editions nor the Khotanese or Tibetan translations includes yavad ayan dharma-paryayas tathagatena bhashito agrayana-sanprasthitanan arthaya shreshtha-yana-sanprasthitanam arthaya (this dharma teaching which the Bhagavan speaks for the benefit of those beings who seek the foremost of paths, for the benefit of those who seek the best of paths). A number of commentators feel this was added later in an effort to distinguish the Mahayana path from those of other Buddhist sects. In place of yato me jnanam utpannam (from which my awareness is born), Kumarajiva and Bodhiruci have wo ts’ung-hsi-lai suo-te hui-yen (from when I formerly obtained the wisdom eye).

  They shall be the most remarkably blessed of bodhisattvas,

  Bhagavan, who hear what is said in this sutra

  and give birth to a perception of its truth. And how so?

  Bhagavan, a perception of its truth is no perception

  of its truth. Thus does the Tathagata speak of a

  perception of its truth as a ‘perception of its truth.’

  In Chapter Six, Subhuti wondered if anyone in the future would believe this teaching. Since then, Subhuti has himself come to believe it and no longer asks if anyone else shall do so. For anyone who gives birth to the thought of liberating all beings will necessarily be reborn wherever beings exist. And upon hearing this teaching in future lives, they will believe it once more, just as they do now. But only those beings who set forth on the bodhisattva path shall be capable of such belief. For only those who set forth on the bodhisattva path can believe that a teaching that is no teaching can liberate all beings.

  Tao-ch’uan says, “Mountains and rivers, the great earth, where do they come from? Listen to my song: ‘Far off I see the shape of a mountain / nearby I hear the sound of water / spring passes and flowers remain / people come and birds aren’t frightened / one by one everything appears / every creature is basically the same / if you say that you don’t know / it’s just because it’s so clear.’”

  Textual note: This section and the next are condensed and edited together in the translations of Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, and Yi-ching. Before Subhuti’s reply, Bodhiruci, Paramartha, and Yi-ching interpolate the exchange from Chapter Thirteen regarding the name of the sutra (Yi-ching), or they have prajna-paramita (Bodhiruci and Paramartha). Dharmagupta and Hsuan-tsang have chung-sheng (beings) in place of bodhisattvas, as do the Gilgit and Stein editions as well as the Tibetan. However, this must be a mistake considering the meaning of the passage. Also, in Chapter Six the Buddha countered Subhuti’s reference to “beings” with “bodhisattvas” as to who would believe such a teaching in the future. After ya iha sutre bhashyamane shrutva (who hear what is said in this sutra), Kumarajiva has hsin-hsin ch’ing-ching (and who are pure of heart). As they do elsewhere, Kumarajiva and Bodhiruci have hsiang (appearance) for sanjna (perception). In the penultimate sentence, I have gone along with Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, Dharmagupta, and Hsuan-tsang (as well as the Tibetan and the Stein edition), all of which have shih-hsiang-che tse shih fei-hsiang (a perception of its truth is no perception), or the equivalent, instead of bhuta-sanjna sa eva abhuta sanjna (a perception of its truth is no perception of its truth), which is present in the Conze, Müller, and Gilgit Sanskrit editions and Paramartha’s Chinese translation (as shih-hsiang-che shih fei yu hsiang). I’ve opted for the former, as it agrees with the pattern of usage established elsewhere in the sutra. For bhuta-sanjna-utpada (give birth to a perception of its truth), see also the beginning of Chapter Six.

  “Hearing such a dharma teaching as this, Bhagavan,

  it is not remarkable that I should trust and believe

  it. But in the future, Bhagavan, in the final epoch,

  in the final period, in the final five hundred years

  of the dharma-ending age, Bhagavan, those beings

  who grasp this dharma teaching and memorize it,

  recite it, master it, and explain it in detail to others,

  they shall be most remarkably blessed.

  Subhuti is foremost among the Buddha’s disciples in his understanding of emptiness and must have been aware of how difficult it was for his contemporaries to grasp and believe a teaching that transcends both existence and non-existence. And since understanding diminishes over cosmic time, Subhuti was also aware that beings in the future would have even greater obstacles to surmount in comprehending such a teaching. And yet the greater the difficulty in understanding such a teaching, the greater the merit. Thus those who do so in the future shall be most blessed of all.

  Seng-chao says, “Upon meeting a buddha or a sage, to believe is not difficult. To believe when the Way has disappeared, that is most remarkable.”

  Fu Hsi says, “For an ordinary person to believe this teaching is like a lotus rising from a fire.”

  Hui-neng says, “During the last five hundred years when the end of the Dharma is approaching and the age of sages is in the distant past, all that exists is the teaching of the written word. If someone has a doubt, there is nowhere to go to resolve it, and people cling steadfastly to their delusions. They remain unaware of birthlessness, run around becoming attached to forms, and continue being reborn in the realms of existence. At such a time as this, those who hear this profound sutra and believe it with a pure heart and realize the truth of birthlessness are truly remarkable. Thus, they are said to be most remarkably blessed.”

  Tao-ch’uan says, “Walking, standing, sitting, reclining, wearing clothes, eating food, what else is there? My song goes: ‘Water isn’t hot / fire isn’t cold / dirt isn’t wet / water isn’t dry / the diamond feet walk the earth / the flagpole points to heaven / when someone believes this teaching / the Dipper moves from north to south.’”

  Textual note: The Khotanese does not include this section. Kumarajiva shortens the time frame to tang wei-lai-shih, hou-wu-pai-sui (during future ages, during the last five hundred years), while Bodhiruci, Paramartha, Dharmagupta, and Yi-ching shorten it further to tang lai-shih / yu wei-lai-shih (during future ages). After the final phrase, Paramartha has tse yu wu-shang hsi-yu-chih-fa erh kung hsiang-ying (they will be in accord with the highest and rarest truth).

  Moreover, Bhagavan, they shall not create the perception of a self, nor shall they create the perception of a being, the perception of a life, or the perception of a soul. They shall neither create a perception nor no perception. And why not? Bhagavan, the perception of a self is no perception, and the perception of a being, a life, or a soul is also no perception. And why not? Because buddhas and bhagavans are free of all perceptions.”

  Subhuti restates what he sees as the one condition necessary for implementing this teaching: freedom from perceptions. If the mind contains a single delusion, it doesn’t have room for emptiness. And if it doesn’t have room for emptiness, it doesn’t have room for prajna. Still, there is more to this teaching than emptiness and prajna. Although Subhuti has advanced since claiming in Chapter Seven that “sages arise from what is uncreated,” he still thinks freedom from perceptions is the defining attribute of a bodhisattva, that an
yone who is free of perceptions of a self, a being, a life, and a soul must be on the path to buddhahood. But this is the mind-set of an arhan, not a bodhisattva. What Subhuti does not yet realize is that perceptions and no perceptions are all grist for a bodhisattva’s dharma mill and are the means by which bodhisattvas, as Lao-tzu said, “empties the mind / but fills the stomach.” (Taoteching: 3)

  Li Wen-hui says, “You should realize that such beings are not attached to either side, nor do they dwell in the middle. They abide nowhere. These are called buddhas. First comes the emptiness of people, next comes the emptiness of dharmas, and last comes the emptiness of emptiness. The tathagatas of the past, present, and future all realize this truth. Hence, they are called buddhas.”