The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra | Page 5

is a shrine and should be venerated with formal
ceremonies, circumambulations, and offerings of flowers and incense."
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"Furthermore, Subhuti, if a son or daughter of good family, while
reciting and practicing this sutra, is disdained or slandered, his or her
misdeeds committed in past lives, including those that could bring
about an evil destiny, will be eradicated, and he or she will attain the
fruit of the most fulfilled, awakened mind. Subhuti, in ancient times
before I met Buddha Dipankara, I had made offerings to and had been
attendant of all 84,000 multi-millions of buddhas. If someone is able to
receive, recite, study, and practice this sutra in the last epoch, the
happiness brought about by this virtuous act is hundreds of thousands
times greater than that which I brought about in ancient times. In fact,
such happiness cannot be conceived or compared with anything, even
mathematically. Such happiness is immeasurable.
"Subhuti, the happiness resulting from the virtuous act of a son or
daughter of good family who receives, recites, studies, and practices
this sutra in the last epoch will be so great that if I were to explain it
now in detail, some people would become suspicious and disbelieving,
and their minds might become disoriented. Subhuti, you should know
that the meaning of this sutra is beyond conception and discussion.
Likewise, the fruit resulting from receiving and practicing this sutra is
beyond conception and discussion."

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At that time, the Venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha,
"World-Honored One, may I ask you again that if daughters or sons of
good family want to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind, what should they rely on and what should they do to master their
thinking?"
The Buddha replied, "Subhuti, a good son or daughter who wants to
give rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind should do it in
this way: 'We must lead all beings to the shore of awakening, but, after
these beings have become liberated, we do not, in truth, think that a
single being has been liberated.' Why is this so? Subhuti, if a
bodhisattva is still caught up in the idea of
a self, a person, a living being or a life span, that person is not an
authentic bodhisattva. Why is that?
"Subhuti, in fact, there is no independently existing object of mind
called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. What do you think,
Subhuti? In ancient times, when the Tathagata was living with Buddha
Dipankara, did he attain anything called the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind?"
"No, World-Honored One. According to what I understand from the
teachings of the Buddha, there is no attaining of anything called the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind."
The Buddha said, "Right you are, Subhuti. In fact, there does not exist
the so-called highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind that the Tathagata
attains. Because if there had been any such thing, Buddha Dipankara
would not have predicted of me, 'In the future, you will come to be a
Buddha called Shakyamuni.' This prediction was made because there is,
in fact, nothing that can be attained that is called the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind. Why? Tathagata means the suchness of all
things (dharmas). Someone would be mistaken to say that the
Tathagata has attained the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind since
there is not any highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind to be attained.

Subhuti, the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind that the Tathagata
has attained is neither graspable nor elusive. This is why the Tathagata
has said, 'All dharmas are Buddhadharma.' What are called all dharmas
are, in fact, not all dharmas. That is why they are called all dharmas.
"Subhuti, a comparison can be made with the idea of a great human
body."
Subhuti said, "What the Tathagata calls a great human body is, in fact,
not a great human body."
"Subhuti, it is the same concerning bodhisattvas. If a bodhisattva thinks
that she has to liberate all living beings, then she is not yet a
bodhisattva. Why? Subhuti, there is no independently existing object of
mind called bodhisattva. Therefore, the Buddha has said that all
dharmas are without a self, a person, a living being, or a life span.
Subhuti, if a bodhisattva thinks, 'I have to create a serene and beautiful
Buddha field, that person is not yet a bodhisattva. Why? What the
Tathagata calls a serene and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact a
serene and beautiful Buddha field. And that is why it is called a serene
and beautiful Buddha field. Subhuti, any bodhisattva who thoroughly
understands the principle of non-self and non-dharma is called by the
Tathagata an authentic bodhisattva."
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"Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the human eye?"
Subhuti replied,"Yes, World-Honored One, the Tathagata does