Segment 14. the Emptiness of Forms and the Cessation / Segment 15. the Merit of Upholding the Sutra / Segment 16. the Ability to Purify Karmic Obstacles
At this point, Subhūti, upon hearing the sutra, profoundly grasped its meaning. He shed tears, sobbed sorrowfully and addressed the Buddha, saying: “How extraordinary, World-Honored One! The Buddha has expounded such profound sutra, which I have never encountered, since I have acquired the wisdom eyes. World-Honored One! If someone hears this sutra in the future and cultivates pure and sincere faith, they will come to realize the true nature of all phenomena. Such people will have achieved the highest and the rarest merit. World-Honored One! True nature is not the forms as seeing, that is why Tathagata says it is merely named as true nature. World-Honored One! Now that I have heard this sutra, I have no difficulty in believing, understanding, accepting and practicing it. Yet, in the last five hundred years of the last epoch, if someone hears this sutra and believes, understands, accepts and practices it, this person will be exceedingly rare.
Why is this so? Because this person has no notions of self, person, sentient beings and lifespan. Why is this? As the form of self is not the form as we see, so as the form of person, sentient beings, and lifespan. Why is this? When one has detached from all forms, this person is called a Buddha.” The Buddha responded to Subhūti, affirming: “Indeed, indeed! Those who hear this sutra with no shock fear and trepidation, you should know they are truly rare. Why is this the case? Subhūti! The first pāramitā, spoken of by the Buddha, is not really the first pāramitā; it is merely named as the first pāramitā. Similarly, the pāramitā of perfection of patience, taught by the Buddha, is not truly the pāramitā of perfection of patience; it is only named so. Why? Subhūti! In the past life, when King Kali dismembered my body, at that time, I had no notion of self, person, sentient beings and lifespan. Why is this?
Had I held any notion of self, person, sentient beings and lifespan at that time, I would have become angered and hartred. Subhūti! Furthermore, in my past five hundred lifetimes as an ascetic practicing forbearance, in each life, I harbored no notion of self, person, sentient beings and lifespan. Therefore, Subhūti, a bodhisattva should be detached from all forms and aspire for the surpassed, complete equal and complete awareness.
To let the true nature appears, a Bodhisattva should not attach to the formation, nor to the sound, smell, taste, touch and dharma, the mind should abide nowhere and let the true nature appear. If the mind abide in anything, it is in falsehood then. Hence, the Buddha proclaimed, ‘A bodhisattva’s mind should remain unattached when offering alms.’
Subhūti, a bodhisattva, in order to benefit all sentient beings, should engage in the act of giving alms in this manner. The Buddha stated: “All forms are non-forms, not the forms as seeing. All sentient beings are, in truth, non-sentient beings, not sentient beings as seeing.” Subhūti, the Buddha speaks the ultimate truth, the actual truth, a truth that is in accordance with the nature of reality. Buddha speaks of no deceitful or heterodox., the Dharma that the Buddha has realized is not real nor illusory. Subhūti, if a bodhisattva’s mind becomes attached to the dharma and then gives alms, it is akin to a person entering a dark room where nothing is perceptible. However, if the bodhisattva’s mind does not cling to the dharma and gives alms, it is like a person with clear vision under sunshine, able to see everything. Subhūti, in the future, should there be good men or women who is able to accept, practice, read and recite this sutra, the Buddha will recognize and acknowledge them with Buddha’s wisdom, and they will all attain immeasurable and inconceivable merit.
Subhūti, if a good man or woman offers body, as alms as many lives as the grains of sand of the Ganges river in the morning, at the middle day, and also in the evening, continue doing so for countless eons, and yet another person hears this sutra and holds sincere faith in it, the virtune of the latter person is far greater than the previous one. How much more so if someone engages in writing, accepting, practicing, reciting, and explaining of it to others! Subhūti, in sum, this sutra possesses immeasurable, inconceivable, and boundless merit. The Buddha teaches it for those who aspire to enter the great vehicle of Mahayana, the highest of vehicles. If someone is able to accept, practice, read, recite, and widely explain this sutra, the Buddha will know and acknowledge them, and they will all achieve merit beyond measure, beyond conception, beyond limitation and inconceivable. Such persons, then, are those who undertake the Tathagata’s Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Why is this so? Subhūti, those who adhere to lesser teachings, who remain attached to the perception of the self, persons, sentient beings and lifespan, are incapable of hearing, accepting, reading, reciting, or explaining this sutra to others. Subhūti, in all places and at all times, whenever this sutra is present, it should be revered and worshiped by all beings in the world, including gods, humans, and asuras. It should be honored, worshiped, circumambulated, and offerings of flowers and incense should be made around it.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a virtuous man or woman accepts, practices, reads, recites, sutra and is disparaged by others, the negative karma accumulated from past lives, which might have led them to the lower realms, will be completely eradicated because of this disparagement. This person then will achieve anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Subhūti, I recall, in countless eons past, before the time of the Dipamara Buddha, I served and made offerings to eight hundred forty million billion Buddhas, without allowing a single opportunity to pass. If, in the future, anyone is capable of accepting, practicing, reading, reciting, or explaining this sutra, the accrued merit by this person will far exceed the merit I accumulated from serving those Buddhas as mine cannot be reckoned as one hundredth, one thousandth, one ten thousandth or one hundred thousandth part, actually no computation or comparison is possible. Subhūti, if a virtuous man or woman in the last period of the Buddha kalpa accepts, practices, reads, recites, or explains this sutra, if I fully state the merit this person will gain, it will create derangement, doubt and disbelief in the minds of listeners.
Subhūti, you should know that the meaning of this sutra is beyond comprehension, and its rewards are equally inconceivable.
The general idea of these three Segments is that, upon hearing the Buddha speak up to this point, Subhūti finally gained a profound understanding of the teachings imparted by the Buddha. Overcome with joy and emotion, he could not contain his tears and said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! You have expounded this profound and subtle sutra, and although I have diligently practiced and have wisdom eyes, which are able to discern all truth and falsehood, however, I have never heard a teaching like this before.”
“World-Honored One, if there are individuals fortunate enough to hear this sutra, they genuinely believe in its teachings with clean and unwavering faith, they will not be deceived by the arising and ceasing of all phenomena. The true nature of the universe will appear to them. In this case, such a person will have attained the rarest and most unique merit in the world.”
“World-Honoured One, when I speak of the ‘true nature, ’I do not imply that the universe and all phenomena possess a fixed, immutable reality or essence. Rather, this is merely a conventional designation. If sentient beings are not deceived by these illusory, this state of awakening is called seeing the ‘true nature.’
“World-Honored One, now that I have heard and understood this sutra, it is not difficult for me to believe, comprehend, and practice it. However, in the future, during the final five hundred years of the Dharma’s decline, if there are sentient beings who hear this sutra and are able to believe, understand, accept and practice it, such individuals will be exceedingly rare, like a precious treasure among people! Why do I say this? It is because such individuals will be liberated from the concepts of self, person, sentient beings, and the lifespan. Sentient beings attached to the concepts of self, person, sentient beings, and lifespan, all these are all illusory and empty, not real. It may be said that one is called a Buddha when one detaches from all forms.”
In this passage, Subhūti expresses his deep admiration and reverence. After the Buddha’s Parinirvana, if there are people who are not deluded by the concepts of self, persons, sentient beings, or lifespan, and who can genuinely believe, accept, and practice this sutra, such beings will be extraordinarily rare. This is indeed true. In the present day, many individuals study Dharma and aspire to attain unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness. However, they fail to practice by dwelling calmly on the right perception of emptiness, rather with a strong desire for what one seeks and what one gains, they are always accompanied by calculation, attachment, and the making of choices regarding oneself, others and all living beings. Despite their intention to walk the great path, they are more inclined toward the lesser path, seeking temporary peace or worldly rewards such as wealth, longevity, or miraculous powers etc. Yet, if one comes to realize that all phenomena are unborn, it can’t be said to be extinguished or denied and then is able to detach from all forms while still engaging with it, such an individual can truly be called a Buddha.
The Buddha affirms to Subhūti, “Indeed, precisely so. If there are individuals who, upon hearing such words, are neither astonished nor fearful, and do not perceive them as too profound or difficult to comprehend, such individuals are exceedingly rare and precious. Subhūti, Tathāgata says that this is the most effective method, the one capable of breaking all attachments and enabling beings to traverse from the shore of samsara to the shore of liberation. However, this ‘most effective method ’does not exist as an inherently fixed dharma; it is merely a conventional term used for communicative purposes.”
In this passage, Subhūti first expresses his understanding. He believes that upon hearing the Buddha’s teachings in this manner, an individual could directly realize their true nature and attain Buddhahood. Subhūti, one of the Buddha’s ten chief disciples, recognized as “the foremost in understanding emptiness,” is an Arhat who has already renounced worldly desires and is no longer subject to the fluctuating desires or conditions of the body and mind. He is well-versed in the teachings of emptiness—the doctrine that both the self and all phenomena are empty—but what deeply moves him here is the Buddha’s presentation of emptiness from a fresh and novel perspective. He had never encountered such an explanation before, which is why he is overcome with joy and moved to tears.
Subhūti speaks on behalf of all those newly ardent good man or woman. He perceives the Buddha’s explanation as deeply resonant, one that can penetrate the hearts of listeners and facilitate their experience of sudden enlightenment.
However, with the passage of time, contemporary listeners face significant challenges in fully grasping the Buddha’s teachings. One factor is the archaic language of the texts, which can be difficult to interpret. Additionally, without a solid of meditation, it is difficult to fully comprehend the profundity of the Buddha’s teaching.
In this context, Subhūti once again expresses his compassion for the beings who will live in the “five hundred years after the Buddha’s passing.” There has been some debate within Buddhist scholarship regarding the specific meaning of this time period. Personally, I interpret this as referring to the final five hundred years of the Dharma—the “Mappo” period—when the Buddha’s teachings will be less widely practiced or understood I even feel they talked about us. Some scholars, however, suggest it refers to the five hundred years immediately following the Buddha’s Parinirvana. Regardless of the precise interpretation, it is clear that Subhūti is referring to a time after the Buddha’s passing.
Why does Subhūti make this statement? From his perspective, while the Buddha was still present in the world, even if people did not understand the doctrine of emptiness, lacked faith, or had doubts, they could directly approach the Buddha with questions. The Buddha would then teach according to the needs of the questioner, dispelling their uncertainties. However, in the five hundred years following the Buddha’s passing, during the age of the Dharma’s decline (the Mappo period), the Buddha has passed away long time ago. People would be left with only the texts of these teachings. If confusion or doubt arose, they may not find a teacher to solve those doubts. This is why Subhūti repeatedly expresses concern for the beings of the Mappo era. His concern stems from his compassionate Bodhisattva heart, with the hope that the Buddha’s teachings will continue to benefit sentient beings indefinitely.
At this juncture, Subhūti says: “In the last five hundred years of the Mappo period after the Buddha’s passing, if someone believes in, understands, accept, and practices this sutra, they will be exceedingly rare.” The Buddha then adds: “Furthermore, if, upon hearing this sutra, someone is not astonished, frightened, and not think it is profound and difficult to practice, such a person is truly rare.”
Upon hearing this, some of you may be thinking, “In contemporary times, many individuals hear the Diamond Sutra, and none seem astonished or frightened.” The reason for this is that very few people truly grasp its meaning, and even fewer sincerely believe in and practice its teachings. As a result, most individuals remain unaffected, neither astonished, fearful, nor daunted.
If one truly comprehends the Buddha’s words detaching from all forms and awakening from the delusions of life, it would be akin to someone waking from a nightmare, breaking into a cold sweat. They would realize how they have clung to the transient concerns of the world—such as names, fame, desires, and lust—tirelessly pursuing success, arguing over gains and losses, and seeking validation of oneself through fame, fortune, and relationships.
With our limited human perspective of three dimensions, constrained by the narrow scope of our sensory faculties (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought), we yearn for permanence and perfection of life. Yet, in this world of fleeting and indistinct forms, we become attached, constantly cycling through birth and death, driven by greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt, thereby generating karma that leads to the three evil paths. All of this arises because we lack the complete wisdom and insight that the Buddha embodies.
When we genuinely understand the Buddha’s realm of full awareness, and perfect wisdom, a single moment of awakening might reveal how close we were to falling into the three evil paths. Upon this realization, a chill might run down our spine, and cold sweat might pour from our head. A great Bodhisattva, who has long been trapped in the human realm, upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching, would be struck by their own ignorance and awakens. Some Śrāvakas, disciples who have followed the Buddha for a long time, listening to his teachings and diligently practicing the precepts, may find themselves startled or frightened upon hearing that all phenomena are empty and that words and concepts are mere conventional labels, to detach all form is to be a Buddha—if they do not experience immediate realization.
Thus, the Buddha says, “If someone, upon hearing the words and phrases of this teaching, is not astonished, frightened, or alarmed, it is exceedingly rare.” The term “exceedingly rare” refers to those great Bodhisattvas who have detached from all forms, not to beings who have not yet understood the teachings.