About the text
The Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā is one of the most important and popular texts in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Despite its popularity it has, I believe, been widely misunderstood and misinterpreted. This new translation draws on research done on the text in recent years, particularly by Paul Harrison and Richard Jones, who have suggested alternative ways of interpreting the Sanskrit in key passages. These interpretations shed new light on the meaning of the text and rescue it from the quasi-mystical obscurantism in which it has languished for too long. My translation is, as far as I am aware, the first to combine the insights of both of these scholars.
I hope in the near future to be able to write a longer commentary to accompany my translation, but in the meantime I would suggest that in reading and reflecting on the text, you bear in mind the fundamental principle that all phenomena arise in dependence on conditions, and do not exist independently of causes or conditions. I believe this to be the key to a proper understanding of the text. For example, when the sutra says that “if a bodhisattva forms a perception of a living being, then they cannot be said to be a bodhisattva” what I think should be understood by this is that a true bodhisattva does not form a perception of a living being as something existing independently of causes and conditions. A bodhisattva instead perceives everything as dependently arising, and therefore (in the language of the later Perfection of Wisdom tradition) as svabhāvaśūnya, or empty of independent existence.
For those interested in reading more about the history of the Vajracchedikā and its interpretation, I would recommend Dharmacārin Jayarava’s articles The use of Negation in Vajracchedikā and Edward Conze: A Study in Contradiction, as well as Richard Jones’ book The Heart of Buddhist Wisdom. Paul Harrison’s Sanskrit edition of the text, which I have used as the basis for my translation, and Harrison’s own translation of the sutra are available on the Bibliotheca Polyglotta website at the University of Oslo.
The Piercing Thunderbolt of the Perfection of Wisdom
a translation of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā from Sanskrit (1)
Homage to Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha.
1. This is what I have heard. Once, the Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a great sangha of 1,250 monks. One morning, the Blessed One got dressed, took his robe and his bowl, and went into the great city of Śrāvastī to beg for alms. After begging for alms in the city, the Blessed One came back, washed his feet, and sat down in the seat that had been prepared for him. With his legs crossed and his body upright, he brought his attention to what was in front of him. A great many monks came to where the Blessed One was sitting. They prostrated themselves at his feet, circumambulated him three times, keeping him to their right, and sat down at one side.
2. One of the monks who had gathered there was the Venerable Subhūti. He rose from his seat, put his robe over one shoulder, and knelt down with his right knee on the ground. He then put his hands together and bowed to the Blessed One. He said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is extraordinary how the Blessed One, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha takes care of bodhisattvas, great beings, with the greatest of care, and how he protects them with the greatest protection. Blessed One, when someone has set out on the bodhisattva path, what should they base themselves on, how should they proceed, and how should they get to grips with their mind?”
The Blessed One replied to the Venerable Subhūti, saying “Excellent, Subhūti, excellent. It is quite true, Subhūti, that the Tathāgata takes care of bodhisattvas, great beings, with the greatest of care, and protects them with the greatest protection. Listen carefully Subhūti, and give what I am about to say your full attention. Here is what someone who has set out on the bodhisattva path should base themselves on, how they should proceed, and how they should get to grips with their mind.”
The Venerable Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One” and listened.
The Blessed One said to him, “Subhūti, those who have set out on the bodhisattva path should think like this:
3. ‘However many living beings there are altogether – including those who are born from an egg, born from a womb, born from moisture, and those who come into existence spontaneously, including those who have a physical form and those who do not, and including those who possess the faculty of perception, those who do not possess it, and those who neither possess it nor do not possess it – however many living beings there are when the term is defined in this way, I should lead them all to final liberation, to the realm of complete nirvana. When countless living beings have attained final liberation though, there will not be any living being who has attained final liberation.’ Why is this? Subhūti, if a bodhisattva forms a perception of a living being, then they cannot be said to be a bodhisattva. Why is this? Subhūti, anyone who forms a perception of a living being, a soul, or a person cannot be said to be a bodhisattva.
4. “Moreover, Subhūti, a bodhisattva should give a gift without basing themselves on any object. When they give a gift, they should not base themselves on anything. They should not base themselves on any visual form when giving a gift, nor on any sound, smell, taste, physical object, or mental object. Subhūti, a bodhisattva should give a gift in such a way that they do not base themselves on any perception of a characteristic. Why should they do this? Subhūti, it is not easy to measure the merit of a bodhisattva who gives a gift without basing themselves on anything.
5. “Subhūti, do you think that it is easy to measure how much space there is to the east?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, it is not”.
“Do you think that it is easy to measure how much space there is to the south, to the west, to the north, below, above, or in any direction at all?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, it is not”.
The Blessed One said, “Exactly, Subhūti, exactly. In just the same way, it is not easy to measure the merit of a bodhisattva who gives a gift without basing themselves on anything. That is how a bodhisattva should give a gift, which is an action that creates merit.
“Subhūti, do you think that a tathāgata can be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess?”
Subhūti said, “A tathāgata cannot be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess. Why is this? The Tathāgata has explained that the possession of physical characteristics in fact lacks any possession of physical characteristics.”
The Blessed One then said to the Venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, if there are any physical characteristics, then there is a misunderstanding. If there are no characteristics, then there is no misunderstanding. A tathāgata can therefore be perceived by means of the fact that their physical characteristics lack any characteristics.”
6. The Venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in times to come, in the future, in the five-hundred year period when the true Dharma is destroyed(2), will there be any living beings who will perceive the truth of the words of this sutra when they hear them?”
The Blessed One said, “Don’t speak like that, Subhūti. In times to come, in the future, in the five-hundred year period when the true Dharma is destroyed, there will be bodhisattvas, great beings with many good qualities, moral and wise, who will perceive the truth of the words of this sutra when they hear them. Moreover, Subhūti, those bodhisattvas will not have worshipped only one buddha. They will not have planted roots of virtue with only one buddha. Those bodhisattvas, Subhūti, those great beings will have worshipped many buddhas, and planted roots of virtue with many buddhas. They will attain one-pointed clarity of mind when they hear the words of this sutra.”
“The Tathāgata knows these bodhisattvas, Subhūti. The Tathāgata sees them, Subhūti. All of these bodhisattvas, Subhūti, will obtain an immeasurable amount of merit. Why is this? Subhūti, these bodhisattvas will not form a perception of an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person. They will not form a perception of a phenomenon, nor will they form a perception of the absence of a phenomenon. They will neither perceive these things nor not perceive them. Why is this? Subhūti, if these bodhisattvas were to form a perception of a phenomenon then they would grasp hold of the idea of an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person. If they were to form a perception of the absence of a phenomenon then they would grasp hold of the idea of an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person. Why is this? Subhūti, one should not take hold of the idea of a phenomenon, nor of the idea of the absence of a phenomenon. It was with this deeper meaning in mind that the Tathāgata said, ‘You should understand that this discourse on the Dharma is like a raft. You should leave the Dharma, and certainly what is not the Dharma, behind you. You should understand that this discourse on the Dharma is like a raft. You should leave phenomena, and certainly the absence of phenomena, behind you.’” (3)
7. The Blessed One then said to the Venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, do you think that there is any unsurpassed, perfect awakening that the Tathāgata has awoken to? Is there any phenomenon that the Tathāgata has identified as unsurpassed, perfect awakening?”
Subhūti said, “Blessed One, as I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has said, there is no phenomenon of unsurpassed, perfect awakening that the Tathāgata has awoken to, and there is no phenomenon that the Tathāgata has identified as such. Why is this? It is because the Dharma that the Tathāgata has taught is ungraspable and ineffable. It is neither a phenomenon nor the absence of a phenomenon. Why is this? It is because the Noble Ones arise from the unconditioned. (4)
8. “Subhūti, do you think that if a son or daughter of good family were to fill this billion-fold world-system with the seven kinds of precious substances and then give it as a gift, they would obtain a great deal of merit by doing so?”
Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One. Yes, Sugata, a great deal. That son or daughter of good family would obtain a great deal of merit by doing so. Why is this? Blessed One, it lacks any quantity. It is on this basis that the Tathāgata has said that a quantity of merit lacks any quantity.”
The Blessed One said, “If though, Subhūti, a son or daughter of good family were to fill this billion-fold world-system with the seven kinds of precious substances and then give it as a gift, but someone else were to grasp just one four-line verse of this discourse on the Dharma and then teach it and illuminate it for others, this second person would obtain even more merit – immeasurably, incalculably more. Why is this? It is because this is what the unsurpassed, perfect awakening of the tathāgatas is born from, Subhūti. This is what buddhas are born from, what blessed ones are born from. What is the reason for this? It is because what are known as ‘the unique qualities of a buddha’ lack any unique qualities of a buddha.
9. “Subhūti, do you think that a stream-entrant would think to themselves, ‘I have attained the goal of stream-entry’?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, they would not. Why is this? It is because they have not entered anything, Blessed One. That is how the phrase ‘stream-entrant’ is used. They have not entered any particular experience of visual form, of sound, of smell, of taste, of a physical object, or of a mental object. That is how the phrase ‘stream-entrant’ is used.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that a once-returner would think to themselves, ‘I have attained the goal of becoming a once-returner’?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, they would not. What is the reason for this? It is because there is no phenomenon which enters the state of being a once-returner. That is how the phrase ‘once-returner’ is used.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that a non-returner would think to themselves, ‘I have attained the goal of becoming a non-returner’?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, a non-returner would not think to themselves, ‘I have attained the goal of becoming a non-returner’. Why is this? It is because there is no phenomenon which views itself as being a non-returner. That is how the phrase ‘non-returner’ is used.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that an arhat would think to themselves, ‘I have attained the goal of becoming an arhat’?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, they would not. Why is this? It is because there is no phenomenon which can be called an arhat. Blessed One, if an arhat thought to themselves ‘I have attained the goal of becoming an arhat’ then they would be grasping hold of an idea of an essential self, of a being, of a soul, of a person.
“Blessed One, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha has said that I am the foremost of those who dwell free from the defilements. I am an arhat, Blessed One, free from the passions. Yet I do not think to myself, ‘I am an arhat’. Blessed One, if I had thought to myself ‘I have attained the goal of becoming an arhat’, then the Tathāgata would not have said that I am ‘the foremost of those who dwell free from the defilements.’ This son of good family, Subhūti, does not dwell anywhere. That is how the phrase ‘dwell free from the defilements’ is used.”
10. The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that there is any phenomenon that the Tathāgata got from the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha Dīpaṃkara?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, there is no phenomenon that the Tathāgata got from the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha Dīpaṃkara.”
The Blessed One said, “Any bodhisattva, Subhūti, who was to say, ‘I will create a buddha-field adorned with an abundance of wonderful qualities’ would be speaking falsely. Why is this? A buddha-field adorned with an abundance of wonderful qualities in fact lacks any wonderful qualities. That is how the phrase ‘a buddha-field adorned with an abundance of wonderful qualities’ is used.
“Therefore, Subhūti, a bodhisattva should cultivate a mind that is not based on anything. They should not cultivate a mind that is based on visual forms, nor a mind that is based on sounds, smells, tastes, physical objects, or mental objects. They should not cultivate a mind that is based on anything whatsoever.
“Subhūti, it is as if there were a person whose physical being was like Mount Meru, the King of Mountains. Do you think that person’s physical being would be large, Subhūti?”
Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One, it certainly would be. Why is this? The Tathāgata has explained that it in fact lacks any being. That is how he uses the phrase ‘physical being’. It is no being at all. That is how he uses the phrase ‘physical being’.”
11. The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that if there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, there would be a great many grains of sand in all those rivers?”
Subhūti said, “That would be a great many Ganges Rivers, Blessed One, and the number of grains of sand in all those rivers would be vastly greater still.”
The Blessed One said, “Let me tell you, Subhūti, let me make it clear. If there were as many world-systems as there were grains of sand in all those rivers, and if a woman or a man were to fill all of those world-systems with the seven kinds of precious substances and then give them to the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha as a gift, do you think, Subhūti, that they would they obtain a great deal of merit by doing so?”
Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One. Yes, Sugata, a great deal. That woman or man would obtain a great deal of merit by doing so.”
The Blessed One said, “If though, Subhūti, someone were to fill that many world-systems with the seven kinds of precious substances and then give them as a gift, but someone else were to grasp just one four-line verse of this discourse on the Dharma and then teach it to others, this second person would obtain even more merit – immeasurably, incalculably more.
12. “What is more, Subhūti, any spot of earth where just one four-line verse of this discourse on the Dharma is recited or taught will become a sacred place for the whole world with its devas, titans, and human beings. It goes without saying, Subhūti, that those who bear this discourse on the Dharma in mind will attain the most extraordinary, wonderful qualities. On that spot of earth the Teacher dwells, or one who stands in his stead.”
13. At these words, the Venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is the name of this discourse on the Dharma? How should I remember it?”
The Blessed One replied, “Subhūti, the name of this discourse on the Dharma is ‘The Perfection of Wisdom’, and that is how you should remember it. Why is this? Subhūti, the very Perfection of Wisdom that the Tathāgata has explained in fact lacks any perfection.
“Subhūti, do you think that there is any phenomenon whatsoever that the Tathāgata has explained?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, there is no phenomenon whatsoever that the Tathāgata has explained.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, if you took all of the particles of earth in this billion-fold world-system, would that be a great number of particles?”
Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One, it would. The Tathāgata has explained that particles of earth in fact lack any particles. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘particles of earth’. The Tathāgata has explained that world-systems in fact lack any system. This is how he uses the phrase ‘world-system’.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha can be perceived by means of the thirty-two physical characteristics of a great man?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, they cannot. Why is this? Blessed One, the Tathāgata has explained that the thirty-two physical characteristics of a great man in fact lack any characteristics. It is on this basis that the phrase ‘the thirty-two physical characteristics of a great man’ is used.”
The Blessed One said, “If though, Subhūti, a woman or a man were to sacrifice their own body as many times over as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, but someone else were to grasp just one four-line verse of this discourse on the Dharma and then teach it to others, this second person would obtain even more merit – immeasurably, incalculably more.”
14. The impact of hearing the Dharma brought the Venerable Subhūti to tears. Wiping his tears away as they continued to fall, he said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is extraordinary, it is most extraordinary that the Tathāgata has given this discourse on the Dharma. In all the time since knowledge arose in me, Blessed One, I have never heard a discourse on the Dharma like this. When this sutra is being spoken, those who understand that this is the way things are will attain the most extraordinary, wonderful qualities. Any understanding of the way things are though, Blessed One, in fact lacks any understanding. It is on this basis that the Tathāgata speaks of ‘an understanding of the way things are’.
“When this discourse on the Dharma is being given, Blessed One, it is not extraordinary for me to engage with it and have confidence in it. Those living beings, Blessed One, who grasp this disourse on the Dharma, who master it, and who bear it in mind will attain the most extraordinary, wonderful qualities.
“Still, Blessed One, they will not form a perception of an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person. Why is this? A perception of an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person in fact lacks any perception. Why is this? Buddhas, blessed ones, are free of any kind of perception.”
At this, the Blessed One said to the Venerable Subhūti, “Exactly Subhūti, exactly. When this sutra is being spoken, those living beings who are able to hear it without becoming fearful or afraid will attain the most extraordinary, wonderful qualities. Why is this? Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that this is the supreme perfection, just as countless other buddhas, other blessed ones have explained that this is the supreme perfection. That is how he uses the phrase ‘supreme perfection’.”
“The Tathāgata’s perfection of patient acceptance, Subhūti, in fact lacks any perfection. Why is this? Subhūti, when King Kaliṃga cut the flesh from every part of my body, I did not perceive an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person. Indeed, I had no perception or lack of perception whatsoever. Why is this? It is because, Subhūti, if I had had a perception of an essential self at that time, I would also have had a perception of hatred. If I had had a perception of a living being, a soul, or a person at that time, I would also have had a perception of hatred. I remember, Subhūti, that I have lived five hundred times as the sage Kṣāntivādin. During those lives, I did not have any perception of an essential self, of a living being, of a soul, or of a person.
“Therefore Subhūti, a bodhisattva, a great being, should eliminate any kind of perception, and cultivate a mind set on unsurpassed, perfect awakening. They should cultivate a mind which is not based on visual forms, a mind which is not based on sounds, smells, tastes, or physical objects. They should not cultivate a mind which is based on phenomena, and they should not cultivate a mind which is based on the absence of phenomena. They should cultivate a mind which is not based on anything. Why is this? It is because a mind that is based on something in fact lacks any basis. This is why the Tathāgata has said that a bodhisattva should give a gift without basing themselves on any visual form.
“Subhūti, this is how a bodhisattva should give gifts for the benefit of all living beings, with any perception of a living being in fact lacking any perception. The living beings that the Tathāgata has spoken of in fact lack any being. Subhūti, the Tathāgata speaks what is true. The Tathāgata speaks the truth, he speaks of things the way they are. The Tathāgata does not speak falsely.
“However, Subhūti, in the Dharma that the Tathāgata has awoken to and taught, there is no truth and no falsehood. Subhūti, a bodhisattva who has fallen into perceiving objects, and who gives a gift that they have fallen into perceiving as an object, should be regarded as being like someone who has fallen into darkness. A bodhisattva who gives a gift without having fallen into perceiving objects should be regarded as being like someone whose vision is intact and who can see all kinds of different forms when the sun rises at daybreak.
“Subhūti, the Tathāgata knows those sons and daughters of good family who will grasp this discourse on the Dharma, bear it in mind, speak it to others, and master it. The Tathāgata sees them, Subhūti. The Tathāgata is awake to them. All of those living beings will obtain an immeasurable amount of merit.
15. “Subhūti, if one morning a woman or a man were to sacrifice their own body as many times over as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, then do so again at noon and in the evening, and if they were to continue to sacrifice their own body in this way for a hundred thousand million trillion eons, but someone else were to hear this discourse on the Dharma and not reject it, this second person would obtain even more merit – immeasurably, incalculably more. What then of someone who copies it out, grasps its meaning, bears it in mind, speaks it aloud, masters it, and then teaches it and illuminates it in full for others?
“Subhūti, this discourse on the Dharma is inconceivable and incomparable. This discourse on the Dharma has been given by the Tathāgata for the benefit of those living beings who have set out on the highest path, the best path. The Tathāgata knows those who will grasp this discourse on the Dharma, bear it in mind, speak it aloud, and master it. The Tathāgata sees them. All of those living beings will obtain an immeasurable amount of merit, an inconceivable, incomparable, incalculable, limitless amount of merit. Those living beings will all bear my awakening on their shoulders. Why is this? Subhūti, this Dharma cannot be heard by those whose inclinations are inferior. It cannot be heard by those who hold wrong views about an essential self, a being, a soul, or a person. They will not be able to grasp it, bear it in mind, speak it aloud, or master it. That simply cannot happen.
“What is more, Subhūti, any spot of earth where this sutra is illuminated will become a place to be revered, a place to be worshipped and circumambulated by the world with its devas, titans, and human beings. That spot of earth will become a sacred place.
16. “Those sons and daughters of good family, Subhūti, who grasp sutras like this, bear them in mind, and master them will be despised. They will be greatly despised. Whatever actions those living beings have performed in previous lives that would bring them misfortune, through being despised they will mitigate those impure actions from previous lives and attain the awakening of a buddha.
“I remember, Subhūti, that in the past, an incalculable eon and more ago, before the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha Dīpaṃkara, there were eighty-four hundred thousand million trillion buddhas that I served without fail. However, Subhūti, if you take the quantity of merit I obtained by serving all of those buddhas, those blessed ones, without fail and compare it to the quantity of merit that will be obtained in the future, in the final five hundred years of the Dharma, by those who will grasp this sutra, bear it in mind, speak it aloud, and master it, then this first quantity of merit, Subhūti, does not even amount to a hundredth part of the second quantity. It does not even amount to a thousandth part, a hundred thousandth part, a hundred thousand millionth part of the second quantity. The difference is so immeasurable and incalculable that no analogy or comparison can be made.
“Subhūti, if one were to try to put into words the extent of the merit of all those sons and daughters of good family who will obtain merit at that time, then living beings would go insane, they would lose their minds. This discourse on the Dharma, Subhūti, is truly inconceivable, as are its effects.”
17. He said, “Blessed One, when someone has set out on the bodhisattva path, what should they base themselves on, how should they proceed, and how should they get to grips with their mind?”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, someone who has set out on the bodhisattva path should think like this: ‘I should lead all living beings to final liberation, to the realm of complete nirvana. When living beings have attained final liberation though, there will not be any living being who has attained final liberation.’ Why is this? Subhūti, if a bodhisattva forms a perception of a living being, a soul, or a person, then they cannot be said to be a bodhisattva. Why is this? Subhūti, anyone who forms a perception of a living being, a soul, or a person cannot be said to be a bodhisattva. Why is this? Subhūti, there is no phenomenon called ‘someone who has set out on the bodhisattva path’.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that there is any phenomenon that came from the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara by means of which the Tathāgata awoke to unsurpassed, perfect awakening?”
He said, “There is no phenomenon that came from the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara by means of which the Tathāgata awoke to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.”
The Blessed One then said to the Venerable Subhūti: “Exactly, Subhūti, exactly. There is no phenomenon that came from the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha Dīpaṃkara by means of which the Tathāgata awoke to unsurpassed, perfect awakening. Subhūti, if there were any phenomenon that the Tathāgata had awoken to, then the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara would not have predicted my awakening by saying, ‘Young brahmin, in the future you will become a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha by the name of Śākyamuni.’ Subhūti, because there is no phenomenon of unsurpassed, perfect awakening that the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha has awoken to, the Tathāgatha Dīpaṃkara did predict my awakening by saying, ‘Young brahmin, in the future you will become a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha by the name of Śākyamuni.’
“Why is this? Subhūti, the word ‘tathāgata’ means the same as the word ‘reality’.
“Subhūti, if someone were to say, ‘The Tathāgata has awoken to unsurpassed, perfect awakening’, they would be speaking falsely. Subhūti, there is no phenomenon of unsurpassed, perfect awakening that the Tathāgata has awoken to. In the Dharma that the Tathāgata has awoken to, Subhūti, there is no truth and no deception. That is why the Tathāgata says ‘All phenomena are the Dharma-teachings of the Buddha’. ‘All phenomena’, Subhūti, in fact all lack any phenomenon. That is how he uses the phrase ‘all phenomena’.
“Subhūti, it is as if there were a person with a very large body.”
Subhūti said, “The Tathāgata has explained that a person like that with a very large body in fact lacks any body, Blessed One. That is how he uses the phrase ‘a very large body’.”
The Blessed One said, “Exactly, Subhūti. Any bodhisattva who says, ‘I will lead living beings to final liberation’ cannot be said to be a bodhisattva. Why is this? Subhūti, is there any phenomenon that can be called ‘a bodhisattva’?”
Subhūti said, “No, Blessed One, there is not.”
The Blessed One said, “It is on this basis, Subhūti, that the Tathāgata says that all phenomena are without any essential self, living being, soul, or person.
“Subhūti, any bodhisattva who says ‘I will create a buddha-field adorned with an abundance of wonderful qualities’ should be described in the same way. Why is this? Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that a buddha-field adorned with an abundance of wonderful qualities in fact lacks any wonderful qualities. That is how he uses the phrase ‘a buddha-field adorned with an abundance of wonderful qualities’.
“Subhūti, a bodhisattva who is passionately devoted to the phrase ‘All phenomena are without an essential self’ – that is who the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened Buddha calls a bodhisattva.
18. “Subhūti, do you think that the Tathāgata has a physical eye?"
He said, “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata does have a physical eye.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that the Tathāgata has a divine eye, an eye of wisdom, a Dharma-eye, a buddha-eye?”
He said, “Yes, Blessed One, the Tathāgata does have a divine eye, an eye of wisdom, a Dharma-eye, a buddha-eye.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that if there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, and there were as many world-systems as there were grains of sand in all those rivers, that would be a great many world-systems?”
Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One. Yes, Sugata, that would certainly be a great many world-systems.”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, I would know the many different streams of thought of all the living beings in those world-systems. Why is this? Streams of thought in fact lack any streams. That is how the phrase ‘streams of thought’ is used. Why is this? Subhūti, you can’t get hold of a thought in the past, you can’t get hold of a thought in the future, and you can’t get hold of a thought in the present.
19. “Subhūti, do you think that if a son or daughter of good family were to fill this billion-fold world-system with the seven kinds of precious substances and then give it as a gift, they would obtain a great deal of merit by doing so?”
Subhūti said, “Yes, Blessed One. Yes, Sugata, a great deal.”
The Blessed One said, “Exactly, Subhūti, exactly. That son or daughter of good family would obtain a great deal of merit by doing so. Subhūti, if there were in fact a quantity of merit, the Tathāgata would not have spoken of ‘a quantity of merit’.”
“Subhūti, do you think that a tathāgata can be perceived by means of the perfection of their physical body?”
He said, “No, Blessed One, a tathāgata cannot be perceived by means of the perfection of their physical body. Why is this? The Tathāgata has explained that the perfection of the physical body in fact lacks any perfection. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘the perfection of the physical body’.
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that a tathāgata can be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess?”
He said, “No, Blessed One, a tathāgata cannot be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess. Why is this? The Tathāgata has explained that the possession of physical characteristics in fact lacks any possession of physical characteristics. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘the possession of physical characteristics’.”
21. The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, do you think that the Tathāgata thinks to himself, ‘I have taught the Dharma’? Subhūti, if someone were to say, ‘The Tathāgata has taught the Dharma’, that person would be talking about me on the basis of a misunderstanding. Why is this? Subhūti, although people speak of ‘teaching the Dharma’, there is no phenomenon called ‘teaching the Dharma’ that you can get hold of.”
He said, “Blessed One, in the future, will there be any living beings who will have faith in Dharma-teachings like these when they hear them?”
The Blessed One said, “Subhūti, they will not be beings, and they will not lack being. Why is this? Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that all living beings in fact lack any being. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘all living beings’.
22. “Subhūti, do you think that there is any phenomenon of unsurpassed, perfect awakening that the Tathāgata has awoken to?”
He said, “No, Blessed One. There is no phenomenon of unsurpassed, perfect awakening that the Tathāgata has awoken to.”
The Blessed One said, “Exactly, Subhūti, exactly. Not even the most miniscule of phenomena can be found or got hold of in it. That is how the phrase ‘unsurpassed, perfect awakening’ is used.
23. “However, Subhūti, that phenomenon is just the same as any other phenomenon. It is not different at all. That is how the phrase ‘unsurpassed, perfect awakening’ is used. Because unsurpassed, perfect awakening is without any essential self, soul, or person, it is awoken to as being the same as all wholesome phenomena. (5) Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that wholesome phenomena in fact lack any phenomenon. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘wholesome phenomena’.
24. “Subhūti, if someone were to gather a pile of the seven kinds of precious substances as great as all the Mounts Meru, the Kings of Mountains, in a billion-fold world-system and then give it as a gift, but someone else were to grasp just one four-line verse of this Perfection of Wisdom and teach it to others, then that first quantity of merit, Subhūti, would not even amount to a hundredth part of the second quantity. No comparison can be made.
25. “Subhūti, do you think that the Tathāgata thinks to himself, ‘I have liberated living beings’? That is not the right way of looking at things, Subhūti. Why is this? There can be no living being who has been liberated by the Tathāgata. If there were, then he would be grasping hold of the idea of an essential self, a living being, a soul, a person. Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that grasping hold of the idea of an essential self in fact lacks any grasping, but ordinary, immature people still grasp at it. Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that ordinary, immature people in fact lack any people. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘ordinary, immature people’.
26. “Subhūti, do you think that a tathāgata can be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess?”
He said, “Yes, Blessed One, a tathāgata can be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess.”
The Blessed One said, “But Subhūti, if a tathāgata can be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess, then a king of the entire world would also be a tathāgata.”
He said, “Then as I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has said, a tathāgata cannot be perceived by means of the physical characteristics they possess.”
The Blessed One then spoke these verses:
Those who saw me by means of my physical form
and followed me by means of my voice
have made the wrong kind of effort.
Those people will not see me.
A buddha should be seen from the Dharma,
a tathāgata has a Dharma-body.
Yet, the nature of the Dharma is unknowable.
It cannot be known.
27. “Subhūti, do you think that the Tathāgata awoke to unsurpassed, perfect awakening by means of the physical characteristics he possesses? That is not the right way of looking at things, Subhūti. The Tathāgata did not awake to unsurpassed, perfect awakening by means of the physical characteristics he possesses.
“Moreover, Subhūti, if someone who had set out on the bodhisattva path were to claim to have removed or destroyed any phenomenon then again, Subhūti, that is not the right way of looking at things. Someone who has set out on the bodhisattva path will not claim to have removed or destroyed any phenomenon.
28. “Subhūti, if a son or daughter of good family were to fill as many world-systems as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River with the seven kinds of precious substances and then give them to the tathāgatas, the arhats, the perfectly awakened buddhas as a gift, and if a bodhisattva were to attain the patient acceptance of the fact that phenomena are without any essential self and are unarisen, that bodhisattva would obtain a much greater quantity of merit by doing so. However, Subhūti, the bodhisattva should not accept that quantity of merit.”
He said, “Blessed One, surely that quantity of merit should be accepted?”
The Blessed One said, “It should be accepted, but not grasped at. That is how the word ‘accepted’ is used.
29. “Moreover, Subhūti, if someone were to say that the Tathāgata comes or goes, stands sits, or lies down, then they have not understood the meaning of what I have said. Why is this? Subhūti, a tathāgata has not come from anywhere and has not gone anywhere. That is how the phrase ‘a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha’ is used.
30. “Subhūti, if a son or daughter of good family were to take as many world-systems as there are particles of earth in this billion-fold world-system and grind them all to a powder so fine that it was like a collection of atoms, do you think, Subhūti, that that would be a large collection of atoms?”
He said, “Yes, Blessed One, that would be a large collection of atoms. Why is this? Blessed One, if there were a collection of atoms, the Blessed One would not call it ‘a collection of atoms’. Why is this? The Blessed One has explained that a collection of atoms in fact lacks any collection. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘a collection of atoms’.
“The Tathāgata has explained that when he speaks of a billion-fold world-system, it in fact lacks any system. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘a billion-fold world-system’. Why is this? Blessed One, if there were a system that would mean that an object was being grasped at. The Tathāgata has explained that grasping at an object in fact lacks any grasping. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘grasping at an object’.”
The Blessed One said, “Grasping at an object, Subhūti, is a phenomenon which is inexpressible and ineffable, but ordinary, immature people still grasp at it.
31. “Why is this? Subhūti, if someone were to say that the Tathāgata had put forward the view that there is an essential self, a living being, a soul, or a person, would they be correct, Subhūti?”
He said, “No, Blessed One. Why is this? Blessed One, the Tathāgata has explained that the view that there is an essential self in fact lacks any view. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘the view that there is an essential self’.”
The Blessed One said, “In this way, Subhūti, someone who has set out on the bodhisattva path should understand all Dharma-teachings and be passionately devoted to them, but they should be passionately devoted to them in such a way that no perception of a phenomenon, no perception of a Dharma-teaching, is present. Why is this? Subhūti, the Tathāgata has explained that the perception of a phenomenon, the perception of a Dharma-teaching, in fact lacks any perception. That is how he uses the phrase, ‘perception of a phenomenon’.
32. “Subhūti, if a bodhisattva, a great being, were to fill immeasurably, incalculably many world-systems with the seven kinds of precious substances and give them as a gift, and a son or daughter of good family were to grasp just one four-line verse of this Perfection of Wisdom, bear it in mind, teach it, master it, and illuminate it in full for others, this second person would obtain even more merit – immeasurably, incalculably more. How should it be illuminated? It should not be made manifest. That is how the word ‘illuminate’ is used.”
You should understand
that anything constructed is like
a shooting star, a defect of vision,
a lamp, an illusion,
morning dew or hoar frost,
a bubble, a dream,
a flash of lightning, or a thunder cloud.
This is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Subhūti, the monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen, the whole world with its devas, human beings, titans and gandharvas were all delighted, and rejoiced at what the Blessed One had said.
Notes
The title of this text is normally translated as “The Diamond Sutra”. However, the Sanskrit word vajra can equally refer to lightning, as well as to diamond.
It was traditionally believed that the Dharma would go through five stages of decline, each lasting five hundred years. The period Subhūti is referring to here is the third and final one.
The Sanskrit word dharma can refer either to the Buddha’s teaching or to phenomena, depending on the context. There are therefore (at least) two possible ways of translating the phrase kolopamaṃ dharmaparyāyaṃ ājānadbhiḥ dharmāḥ eva prahātavyāḥ prāg evādharmāḥ:
You should understand that this discourse on the Dharma is like a raft. You should leave the Dharma, and certainly what is not the Dharma, behind you.
and:
You should understand that this discourse on the Dharma is like a raft. You should leave phenomena, and certainly the absence of phenomena, behind you.
In the Sanskrit, the phrase is only given once, but it is clearly intended to be read with these two meanings simultaneously. Because this double meaning is so important, I have chosen to include both of these interpretations in the translation, one after the other.
The ‘unconditioned’ (asaṃskṛta) is a synonym for nirvana or awakening. It refers to the state of not being conditioned by greed, hatred, or delusion. See for example the Asaṅkhatasutta SN.43.12
The phrase “wholesome phenomena” here translates kuśalā dharmāḥ, which can also be translated as “good qualities”