To strengthen the disciples’ trust and memory, and to help them realize the truth of his words, the Buddha continues with solemnity: “The Tathāgata is the true speaker, the fact speaker, the one who speaks in accordance with reality, who does not deceive, and who does not speak falsely.” This serves as a reassurance to those who may still harbor doubts: the Tathāgata does not deceive you, so you should not doubt him. The Tathāgata is the one who can speak the truth of all phenomena, revealing their true nature. The Tathāgata neither lies nor deceives. Having reached the ultimate truth of existence, everything the Buddha teaches is guiding all sentient beings toward the same goal, without contradiction, ensuring that all will ultimately reach the same destination.
The Buddha then said, “The Dharma attained by the Tathāgata is neither real nor unreal.” In earlier discussions about Dharma, such as in Segment 7, when the Buddha asks Subhūti, “Does the Tathāgata have taught anything?” and in Segment 10, when the Buddha asks, “When the Tathāgata was with Buddha Ranjita, did he attain any Dharma?” Subhūti replies, “The Tathāgata did not attain any Dharma when he was with Buddha Ranjita.” From these prior exchanges, we should understand that the Buddha’s teachings serve as a remedy for the delusions of sentient beings. When sentient beings are lost, they cannot transform their delusion into wisdom without the Buddha’s right perception. They cannot awaken from the dream. In this sense, the Buddha’s Dharma is true and not false; it is real and substantial, and it is what all sentient beings must rely on.
When beings awakened from the dream of samsara, all the practices, paths of liberation, and teachings they have followed are revealed to be, like the dream itself, illusory and unreal. The Buddha worries that some disciples may hear the teaching that “all phenomena are illusory” and mistakenly conclude that the Buddha’s teachings themselves are unreal, leading them to abandon the precepts and practices. To address this potential misunderstanding, the Buddha reiterates, “The Dharma attained by the Tathāgata is neither real nor unreal.” It is not real, nor can it be entirely negated. While sentient beings are in delusion, the Dharma serves as both a refuge and a guiding light toward liberation.
The Buddha then made a metaphor about almsgiving. The original text reads: “Subhūti, when a Bodhisattva’s mind is attached to the Dharma and practices almsgiving, it is like a person entering a dark room where nothing can be seen. When a Bodhisattva’s mind is not attached to the Dharma and practices giving, it is like a person with eyes, under the sunlight, everything can be seen.”
On the Bodhisattva path, if the practitioner follows the Buddha’s wisdom of prajñā in their practice of almsgiving—by recognizing that the giver, the gift, and the receiver are all empty, and by performing the act of almsgiving without seeking or expecting anything in return—they can gradually detach from the myriad phenomena of the world and come to see the true nature of all phenomena. This process, as suggested by the Buddha’s metaphor, is like sunlight dispelling the darkness of ignorance in the heart of the Bodhisattva.
However, if the practitioner’s almsgiving is tainted by attachment—if they give with the expectation of receiving something in return or seeking a reward. Even if they give abundantly over an extended period, they will remain trapped in ignorance and darkness. The wisdom of prajñā will not shine through, and unable to realize the emptiness.
The Buddha then encouraged all his disciples, including future generations such as us, to accept, believe, read, recite, and practice the wisdom contained in this sutra. To highlight the immense benefits of this wisdom, the Buddha emphasized the great merits it would bring, stating: “Subhūti, in the future, if there are good men and women who are able to read and recite this sutra, believe in it, accept and practice it, the Tathāgata, relying on the boundless wisdom of the Buddha, can assert with complete certainty that these individuals will accumulate immeasurable and limitless merits.”
In Segment 15, the Buddha provides a further metaphor: “Subhūti, suppose there is a good man or good woman who gives their body and life as alms each morning, with an amount equal to the sands of the Ganges; again at noon, with an amount equal to the sands of the Ganges; and once more in the afternoon, with an amount equal to the sands of the Ganges. If this continues for hundreds, thousands, millions of eons, giving their body and life in this way, there is another person who, upon hearing this sutra, generates complete faith. Fortune and virtue surpass that of the former individual. How much more so if they write, accept, practice, read, recite, and explain it to others!”
The Buddha then concludes: “Subhūti, in summary, this sutra contains inconceivable, immeasurable and boundless merits; it was originally spoken by the Tathāgata for the benefit of Bodhisattvas who arise the wish to save themselves and others, and for those who seek the highest and most perfect awareness. If someone is able to practice, read, recite, and widely explain this sutra, the Tathāgata can affirm that this person will achieve inconceivable, immeasurable, and boundless merits. Such a person is carrying the Tathāgata’s highest and most perfect teachings.”
Why is this so? “Subhūti, if a person is only interested in pursuing and studying teachings that are not the highest and most perfect, and makes choices within various concepts related to self, person, sentient beings and lifespan, they will certainly be unable to hear, accept, or comprehend the teachings in this sutra. Don’t mention that they will recite it or explain it to others”
Here, the Buddha introduces the concept of “those who delight in lesser dharma” What does it mean to be a “delighter in lesser dharma”? It refers to those who are attached to concepts such as self or lifespan, and thus seek teachings that focus on immortality, supernatural powers, or magical arts. These individuals are delights in lesser dharma and are unable to listen to and accept the Buddha’s teaching on the emptiness even if they feel that it makes sense after hearing it, they will not abide in the right perceptions of true emptiness to practice it.
For instance, individuals who are attached to lesser dharma will not practice almsgiving with a mind that seeks nothing and expects nothing in return, nor will they approach patience with the understanding that all phenomena are illusory. Deep down, they remain attached to the self, fearing harm or discomfort. They may even engage in meditation or study all kinds of magic arts, but only to display their uniqueness or to showcase their individuality. Thus, the Buddha asserts: “Those who delight in lesser dharma cannot truly hear, accept, recite, or explain the highest prajna wisdom contained in this sutra.”
Why is that such individuals cannot abide in the right perception of emptiness? The reason is that they are already deeply attached to notions such as the self, person, sentient beings, and lifespan. This attachment inclines them to seek and accept teachings that are not ultimate, they are unable to truly hear, accept, read, recite the emptiness perceptions of Mahayana, nor will they explain to others.
Subhūti, wherever this sutra is found, all beings, including humans, devas, asuras etc, should show reverence. They should regard that place as sacred, as if it contains the relics of the Buddha, and should express their respect by bowing, circumambulating, and offering incense and flowers.
In Segment 16, the Buddha continues: “Moreover, Subhūti, if a good man or good woman, through their faith in, practice of, and reading and recitation of this sutra, encounters contempt, ridicule, or insult from others, and if this person had previously accumulated negative karma in past lives—such as committing evil deeds that would result in rebirth in the three lower realms— then the mistreatment they face will serve to eliminate their past negative karma. Furthermore, they will attain the highest and most perfect enlightenment.”
Here, the Buddha points out that the wisdom in this sutra can erase negative karma. If a person’s bad karma should be reborn in the lower realms, but through accepting and practicing the wisdom of this sutra, they face ridicule and insult in the present life, their past negative karma is eliminated as a result. This illustrates how great karmic suffering can be transformed into something small, even into nothingness. What would have been a fall into the three lower realms is instead manifested as mere verbal contempt from others, and this individual will eventually achieve the highest, the most perfect enlightenment.
Hearing the Buddha speak in this manner, I find these words particularly inspiring, especially when considering the age of the Dharma’s decline (mappo).
I am reminded of a friend of mine who, at the time, was practicing the Diamond Sutra. When he read this passage, he said to me, “I must have accumulated many bad deeds over countless lifetimes, and even in this life, I have not done much right. The Buddha says that as long as I accept, practice, read and recite the Diamond Sutra, if someone ridicules me, I can eliminate my negative karma and attain enlightenment. But I am struggling because I haven’t found anyone to look down on me. Since you are my friend, please help me and ridicule me!”
This, of course, is a jest. In reality, if one truly comprehends the Buddha’s teachings on non-self, and non-sentient beings, one recognizes that the initial thought, that of the reader who has committed bad deeds and is destined for hell, is illusory. The subsequent thought, that of the one who observes the first thought, is the one who ridicule the previous one. Through the realization of non-self and non-persons, that negative karma has been eradicated already, and thus the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness can be attained.
If, during the course of practicing and realizing the wisdom of prajna and emptiness, you face ridicule or slander from others, remember the Buddha’s words. Rather than becoming angry, you should bow in gratitude, recognizing that such treatment serves to eliminate your negative karma. In fact, in recent decades, if you have shared the wisdom of prajna and emptiness with others, you may have been dismissed as superstitious or neglecting the proper business. Even merely mentioning the name of Diamond Sutra could provoke ridicule, no need to accept, practice, read and recite. However, in recent years, an increasing number of people have begun to seek the truth of life and the meaning of existence, and as a result, the ridicule and ignorance that once prevailed have diminished considerably.
The Buddha then recalled: “Subhūti, I remember an era of countless immeasurable eons in the past, when I was in the presence of the Buddha Dipankara. During that time, I encountered 840 billion myriad of Buddhas, to whom I offered service and made offerings with a sincere heart, never neglecting any of these rare opportunities. If, after my Nirvana in the future age of the Dharma’s decline, there are beings who, with faith, uphold, practice, read and recite this sutra, the merits they will accumulate will vastly exceed the merits I gained through serving and offering to those Buddhas. My own merit cannot be compared to even a fraction—one hundredth, one thousandth, one ten-thousandth, or one hundred millionth—of the merit they will accrue. It is beyond measure or calculation.”
Subhūti, should there be good men and women, after my Nirvana in the future age of the
Dharma’s decline, who have faith in, practice, read and recite this sutra, the fortune, virtues and merits they will gain are so profound that some may find them incomprehensible, and may doubt or disbelieve them upon hearing them.
Subhūti, you should understand that the meaning of this sutra is inconceivable, and the karmic results of practicing it are also inconceivable.
In this passage, the Buddha not only praises the merit derived from accepting, practicing, reading and reciting, this sutra but also stresses that the karmic results are beyond ordinary understanding. As we know, the Buddha’s teachings are rooted in the law of cause and effect: one reaps what one sows, with good actions leading to good results and bad actions leading to negative outcomes. By engaging with the Diamond Sutra and understanding the Buddha’s prajna wisdom, we are planting a virtuous cause. However, the result of this cause is beyond imagination—it is inconceivable. Prajna wisdom brings the phenomenal manifestations of all merits. The Buddha says: “if He we are to describe the full extent of the merits and benefits arising from prajna wisdom, some individuals would become confused and doubtful, unable to accept or believe it.” I believe that, despite the significant advancements in science today, we still lack a complete understanding of the true nature of all life. Even if the Buddha were to reveal the merits of prajna wisdom in the present day, it would likely not only provoke doubt among non-Buddhists but also cause confusion and unease among those who deeply believe in the Buddha’s teachings. This is because the results are so extraordinary and beyond the scope of ordinary human comprehension.