17. All Dharmas Are Non-Dharmas
Then Subhuti addressed the Buddha, “World Honored One, if good men and good women resolve to attain unsurpassed complete enlightenment, how should they abide their mind, and how should they subdue their thoughts?” The Buddha said to Subhuti: “Good men and good women who resolve to attain unsurpassed complete enlightenment should think like this: ‘I will liberate all sentient beings by bringing them to nirvana.’ Yet when all sentient beings have been liberated, not a single sentient being has actually attained nirvana. Why not? Subhuti, if Wisdom Sutra bodhisattvas abide in the notions of a self, a person, a sentient being, or a life span, they are not bodhisattvas. Why? Subhuti, there is actually no resolve for the attainment of unsurpassed complete enlightenment.
“Subhuti, what do you think? When the Tathagata met Dipankara Buddha, did he obtain anything in order to realize unsurpassed complete enlightenment?” “No, World Honored One. As I understand the meaning of your teaching, when you met Dipankara Buddha, there was nothing to obtain for the realization of unsurpassed complete enlightenment.” The Buddha said, “So it is, Subhuti, so it is. There is indeed nothing that can produce the unsurpassed complete enlightenment of the Tathagata. Subhuti, if there were something that could produce the unsurpassed complete enlightenment of the Tathagata, Dipankara Buddha would not have foretold, ‘You will attain Buddhahood in the future, with the name Shakyamuni.’ It is precisely because there is actually nothing to be obtained in unsurpassed complete enlightenment that Dipankara Buddha foretold, ‘You will attain Buddhahood in the future, with the name Shakyamuni.’
Why? This is because ‘tathagata’ means ‘all phenomena (dharmas) as they really are.’ If someone says that the Tathagata attained unsurpassed complete enlightenment, Subhuti, there is in fact, nothing to attain in the Buddha’s unsurpassed complete enlightenment. Subhuti, the unsurpassed complete enlightenment attained by the Tathagata is neither real nor unreal. Therefore the Tathagata teaches that all dharmas are the Buddha Dharma. Subhuti, the so-called ‘all dharmas’ are not dharmas at all. Therefore they are called ‘all dharmas.’
“Subhuti, take the example of a person with an immense, perfect body.” Subhuti said, “World Honored One, the person with the immense, perfect body has no such body; therefore it is called an immense, perfect body.” “Subhuti, so it is with a bodhisattva. If someone says, ‘I will bring countless sentient beings to nirvana,’ then he is not a bodhisattva. Why? Subhuti, there is actually no such thing called a bodhisattva. Therefore the Buddha says that all phenomena are free from the ideas of a self, a person, a sentient being, or a life span. Subhuti, if a bodhisattva says ‘I will transform the world into a Buddha world,’ then he is not a bodhisattva. Why? The Tathagata teaches that one who transforms the world is not the one who transforms the world. That is to transform the world. Subhuti, if a bodhisattva realizes the Dharma of non-self, the Tathagata says this is a real bodhisattva.”
究 竟 無 我 分 第 十 七
爾時須菩提白佛言•世尊•善男子善女人•發阿耨多 羅三藐三菩提心•云何應住•云何降伏其心•佛告須 菩提•善男子善女人•發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心者• 當生如是心•我應滅度一切眾生•滅度一切眾生已• 而無有一眾生實滅度者•何以故•須菩提•若菩薩有 我相•人相•眾生相•壽者相•即非菩薩•所以者 何•須菩提•實無有法•發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心 者•
須菩提•於意云何•如來於然燈佛所•有法得阿耨多 羅三藐三菩提不•不也•世尊•如我解佛所說義•佛 於然燈佛所•無有法•得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提•佛 言•如是如是•須菩提•實無有法•如來得阿耨多羅 三藐三菩提•須菩提•若有法•如來得阿耨多羅三 藐三菩提者•然燈佛即不與我授記•汝於來世•當 得作佛•號釋迦牟尼•以實無有法•得阿耨多羅三 藐三菩提•是故然燈佛與我授記•作是言•汝於來 世•當得作佛•號釋迦牟尼•何以故•如來者•即諸 法如義•若有人言•如來得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提•須 菩提•實無有法•佛得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提•須菩 提•如來所得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提•於是中無實無 虛•是故如來說一切法•皆是佛法•須菩提•所言一 切法者•即非一切法•是故名一切法•
須菩提•譬如人身長大•須菩提言•世尊•如來說人 身長大•即為非大身•是名大身•須菩提•菩薩亦如 是•若作是言•我當滅度無量眾生•即不名菩薩•何 以故•須菩提•實無有法•名為菩薩•是故佛說一切 法•無我•無人•無眾生•無壽者•須菩提•若菩薩 作是言•我當莊嚴佛土•是不名菩薩•何以故•如來 說莊嚴佛土者•即非莊嚴•是名莊嚴•須菩提•若菩 薩通達無我法者•如來說名真是菩薩•
