The Diamond Sutra: VIII

SECTION: VIII

“须菩提！于意云何？

若人满三千大千世界七宝以用布施，是人所得福德，宁为多不？

Subhuti ! Out of thought say ? If a person filled three thousand, many thousand worlds, spreading and bestowing the seven treasures does that person acquire happiness and virtue, 宁为多不？

“若复有人，于此经中受持，乃至四句偈等，为他人说，其福胜彼。

If again someone from within the scripture hit the mark, accepting and maintaining confidence even four lines of verse awaiting afterwards to tell other people (then) his happiness is surpassing that.

何以故？须菩提！一切诸佛，及诸佛阿耨多罗三藐三菩提法，皆从此经出。

须菩提！所谓佛法者，即非佛法。

What is the reason? Subhuti ! definitely all the various Buddhas and various Buddha’s greatest passing over to Shen unity and the one Awakening and Dharma teaching's in all cases comply with and come out of this scripture’s rising.

Subhuti ! what is called a Buddha Dharma teacher namely, is not Buddha Dharma teaching.

NOTE

In India the seven treasures (七寶), were considered as (1) suvarṇa (金, gold); (2) rūpya (銀, silver); (3) vaiḍūrya (琉璃, aquamarine); (4) sphaṭika (頗梨, crystal); (5) musāragalva (硨磲, conch shell or white coral); (6) lohita-muktikā (赤珠, ruby); and (7) aśmagarbha (瑪瑙, emerald).

While it would be interesting to use the seven noble treasures (七聖財). of (1) confidence, (2) wisdom, (3) observing the precepts, (4) hearing teachings, (5) having a sense of shame, (6) having a sense of dishonor, and (7) discarding afflictions, here they are not warranted.

Neither is there the sense of spreading wealth in and of itself, but generating the beneficial properties of those precious materials.

Translation of E.B. Cowell, F. Max Mulller, and J. Takakusu

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, if a son or daughter of a good family filled this sphere of a million millions of worlds with the seven gems or treasures, and gave it as a gift to the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas, would that son or daughter of a good family on the strength of this produce a large stock of merit?'

Subhûti said: 'Yes, O Bhagavat, yes, O Sugata, that son or daughter of a good family would on the strength of this produce a large stock of merit. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, what was preached by the Tathâgata as the stock of merit, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-stock of merit.

Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A stock of merit, a stock of merit indeed!"'

Bhagavat said: 'And if, O Subhûti, the son or daughter of a good family should fill this sphere of a million millions of worlds with the seven treasures and should give it as a gift to the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas, and if another after taking from this treatise of the Law one Gâthâ of four lines only should fully teach others and explain it, he indeed would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit immeasurable and innumerable.

And why? Because, O Subhûti, the highest perfect knowledge of the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas is produced from it; the blessed Buddhas are produced from it. And why? Because, O Subhûti, when the Tathâgata preached:

"The qualities of Buddha, the qualities of Buddha indeed!" they were preached by him as no-qualities of Buddha. Therefore they are called the qualities of Buddha.'

tyranslation of Lobsang Chunzin & Michael Roach

And the Conqueror said,

Yes Subhuti, suppose that someone did do this: suppose they

did take all these planets, and cover them with the seven kinds

of precious substances, and offer them as a gift to the One

Gone Thus, the Destroyer of the Foe, the Totally Enlightened

One, the Buddha. And now suppose that someone else held

but a single verse of four lines from this particular presentation

of the Dharma, and explained it to others, and taught it

correctly. This second person would create much more merit

from their action; their merit would be countless, and beyond

all calculation.

And I say to you further, o Subhuti: any place where even just

a single verse of four lines from this particular presentation of

the Dharma is read out loud, or has ever before been read out

loud, thereby becomes a temple; it becomes a place where the

entire world, along with its gods, and men, and demigods, can

come and pay them honor.

And if this is so, then there is no need to say that any person

who takes up this particular presentation of the Dharma, or

who holds it, or who reads it, or who comprehends it, or who

thinks of it in the proper way, thereby becomes someone who

is truly wondrous. And this is because we can then say that

the Teacher himself is in that place, as is every other spiritual

teacher who has ever lived.

Thus did the Buddha speak.

And then the junior monk Subhuti addressed the following words, with

great respect, to the Conqueror:

O Conqueror, what is the name of this particular presentation

of the Dharma? How are we to consider it?

Then the Conqueror spoke the following to the junior monk Subhuti:

Subhuti, this particular presentation of the Dharma is known

as the "perfection of wisdom," and that is how you should

consider it.

Why is it so? Because, o Subhuti, that same perfection of

wisdom spoken by the Ones Thus Gone is a perfection of

wisdom that does not even exist. And this is precisely why we

can call it the "perfection of wisdom."

O Subhuti, what do you think? Is there any dharma at all which the

Ones Thus Gone ever speak?

And Subhuti respectfully replied,

O Conqueror, none of the dharmas ever spoken by the Ones Thus

Gone exists at all....

Translation of Shan jian

Subhuti ! Out of thought say? If a person filled three thousand, many thousand worlds, spreading and bestowing the seven treasures does that person acquire happiness and virtue, 宁为多不？

Subhuti ! what is called a Buddha Dharma teacher namely, is not Buddha Dharma teaching.

COMMENTARY

This short section has several small points in the new translation that differ in an important way from the other translations. They may seem insignificant at first glance, but they are not.

With regard to the four lines it is made clear in this Chinese version that it is insufficient to simply learn and then recite the four lines. Only if the four lines (or more) have been learned and understood for the express purpose of afterwards presenting them to others are they really valid. If one learns Dharma for oneself then one learns no dharma at all.

The second difference occurs in the last line. It is not just that "none of the dharmas ever spoken by the Ones Thus Gone exists at all" but that if a "teacher" believes himself to be a Dharma teacher he or she cannot teach the Dharma. The presence of Identity is sufficient to cloud the presented teachings.