Segment 21 / Speaking the UnspeakableThe Buddha says to Subhūti, “Do not think that the Tathāgata holds the thought, ‘I have taught the Dharma.’ Do not think in this way. Why? Because if someone says, ‘The Tathāgata has taught Dharma,’ they are slandering the Buddha, as they do not comprehend what I have been conveying. Subhūti, for the one who teaches the Dharma, there is no Dharma to teach. This is what is meant by teaching the Dharma.”
At that moment, the wise Subhūti askes the Buddha, “World-Honored One, will there ever be sentient beings in the future who, upon hearing this Dharma, will develop faith?” The Buddha responds, “Subhūti, those are neither sentient beings nor not living beings. Why? The Tathāgata says the so-called sentient beings are not sentient beings, but just called sentient beings.”
The primary teaching of this Segment is that the Buddha instructs Subhūti: “Do not think that the Tathāgata holds the thought, ‘I should teach the Dharma.’ Do not have that thought, and why is this? If someone asserts that the Tathāgata has taought Dharma, they are slandering the Buddha and still do not understand everything I have said. Subhūti, for the one who teaches the Dharma, there is no Dharma to teach. This is called teaching the Dharma.”
This question was posed to Subhūti by the Buddha earlier in the seventh Segment. The original text states: “Subhūti, what do you think? Has the Tathāgata attained the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness? Has the Tathāgata taught the Dharma?” Subhūti responds, “As I understand the Buddha’s teaching, there is no fixed Dharma called the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, nor is there any fixed Dharma that the Tathāgata can teach.” The dialogue between the Buddha and Subhūti in this Segment aims to dissolve the disciples’ attachment to the fruition and the Buddha’s teaching.
In the thirteenth Segment, when the Buddha refers to the title of this sutra, the Diamond Sutra, he asks Subhūti the same question once again. The original text reads: “Subhūti, what do you think? Does the Tathāgata have any Dharma to teach?” Subhūti’s response is as follows: “World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata has nothing to teach.”
Here, Subhūti speaks from the perspective of “the Tathāgata’s true emptiness”, affirming that the Tathāgata has no Dharma to impart. In the state of true emptiness, there is no self, no person, no sentient beings; thus, there is nothing to communicate.
At this juncture in the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha reiterates this point to Subhūti, saying: “Subhūti, do not think that the Tathāgata will have the thought, ‘I should teach the Dharma.’ If someone asserts that the Tathāgata has something to say, it is a slander against the Buddha, as they fail to comprehend my true teaching. Subhūti, the one who speaks the Dharma has nothing to say; this is what is meant by peaking the Dharma.”
In this passage, the Buddha emphasizes the “true emptiness of the Tathāgata” has no even a single thought. For example, we often say that emptiness giving rise to wondrous existence, and might expect that upon the realization of emptiness, every thought would manifest supernatural powers as the wondrous function, etc. However, the Buddha teaches that in the true emptiness, there is no one thought, no miraculous powers, and nor wisdom. So, when the Buddha teaches the Dharma, it is akin to an echo reverberating in an empty valley, or a wild goose flying across the vast sky, leaving no trace behind. The Tathagata liberates all beings, yet in emptiness, not a single thought arises, nor is there any Dharma to speak of.”
The Vimalakīrti Sutra states: “The true Dharma-speaker neither speaks nor shows; The true Dharma-hearer neither hears nor attains.” Practitioners must understand that all phenomena are originally empty and tranquil. All names and concepts are merely provisional labels.” They should understand that in true emptiness, nothing is born.
At this point, the wise Subhūti inquires, “World-Honored One, will there be sentient beings in the future who, upon hearing this teaching, will generate faith?”
The Buddha responds, “Subhūti, they are not sentient beings, all sentient beings is Buddha in the true nature. Therefore, I say they are not sentient beings. But It is not that they are not sentient beings either (for all beings are deluded and ensnared in samsara). From this perspective, I say they are sentient beings. However, Subhūti, you should understand that in the true emptiness of the Tathāgata’s realm, sentient beings do not truly exist; they are merely conventional named as sentient beings.”
Here, the Buddha completely deconstructs the concept of sentient beings, guiding the disciples to return to the “true emptiness of the Tathāgata” from the point view of Dharma-hearer, and dispelling the illusion in their minds, that is, as hearers of the Dharma, they are still ordinary sentient beings.
In this Segment, Subhūti again expresses concern for future generations. He asks the Buddha whether sentient beings in the future will be able to generate faith upon hearing such teachings. Unlike in previous instances, where the Buddha assured him that, there will be surely some people who keep precepts and cultivate fortunes, and those who are not attached to various forms, will be able to develop faith in, accept and practice the teachings. This time, the Buddha aims to thoroughly dismantle the concept of “sentient beings” and remove from the minds of his disciples the notion that they are not the Tathāgata.
In previous teachings, the Buddha consistently emphasized that bodhisattvas should not attach to the notion of sentient beings, as all phenomena are illusory. In their future cultivation and realization, disciples should neither cling to the concept of sentient beings, nor seek rewards, understanding, or merit. The Buddha’s teachings in the Diamond Sutra are designed to progressively dismantle disciples’ attachments. Upon hearing the Dharma, each disciple should be able to immediately settle into a state of no-self and no-sentient-being.
Although the disciples understand that there are no sentient beings to be saved, they are still in the process of receiving the Dharma. As a result, they still have a distinction between the Dharma-hearing sentient beings and the Buddha. They have not yet reached the stage of non-duality with the Tathāgata. This distinction becomes evident in Subhūti’s later wrong answer of the Buddha’s question. Thus, from the perspective of the Tathāgata’s true emptiness, the Buddha tells Subhūti: “In the true emptiness of the Tathāgata, there are no sentient beings, and of course, there is no Buddha. The inherent nature of sentient beings is the same as the Tathāgata’s, with no difference. The sentient beings you are concerned about are not truly sentient beings. However, because these sentient beings have not yet fully realized this truth, they remain caught in delusion and samsara. Therefore, they are also described as not non-sentient beings. Subhūti, from the perspective of the Tathāgata, all sentient beings in the three realms and six paths do not truly exist; neither does the Buddha. They are merely conventional designations.”
About breaking “the concept of the sentient being”, I recall once being in a meditative state in which I saw a pangolin that had lived for tens of thousands of years. It had cultivated to the point that its physical body had transformed into light, and it could even freely shift into human form. However, it had not enlightened. It remained firmly attached to the belief that it was still a pangolin, considering its shell—through which it could freely enter and exit—as its treasure, and believed it was its true body. When I told it that it was neither a pangolin nor any form it could transform into, but that its true nature was that of the Tathāgata, it immediately awakened and discarded its shell. Thus, the “sentient being view” in our minds cannot always be discarded simply by refraining from attachment to the forms of other sentient beings. The deep attachment to the perception of our own body and mind also constitutes the notion of sentient beings.