佛告須菩提 諸菩薩摩訶薩 應如是降伏其心 所有一切衆生之類 若卵生 若胎生 若濕生 若化生 若有色 若無色 若有想 若無想 若非有想非無想 我皆令入無餘涅槃而滅度之 如是滅度無量無數無邊衆生 實無衆生得滅度者 何以故 須菩提 若菩薩有我相人相衆生相壽者相 即非菩薩
Fó gào Xū pútí: Zhū púsà mōhēsà yīng rúshì jiángfú qí xīn. Suǒyǒu yīqiē zhòngshēng zhī lèi — ruò luǎn shēng, ruò tāi shēng, ruò shī shēng, ruò huà shēng; ruò yǒusè, ruò wúsè; ruò yǒuxiǎng, ruò wúxiǎng, ruò fēi yǒuxiǎng fēi wúxiǎng — wǒ jiē lìng rù wúyú nièpán ér mièdù zhī. Rúshì mièdù wúliàng wúshù wúbiān zhòngshēng, shí wú zhòngshēng dé mièdù zhě. Hé yǐ gù? Xū pútí, ruò púsà yǒu wǒ xiāng, rén xiāng, zhòngshēng xiāng, shòuzhě xiāng, jí fēi púsà.
Key Message
A true bodhisattva liberates innumerable beings yet harbors no thought of having liberated anyone.
▸Section 3, 'The True Purport of the Great Vehicle,' marks the point at which the Diamond Sutra's central teachings begin in earnest.
Section 3, 'The True Purport of the Great Vehicle,' marks the point at which the Diamond Sutra's central teachings begin in earnest. Responding to Subhuti's question, the Buddha declares that great bodhisattvas should subdue their minds thus: they must lead all sentient beings — those born from eggs, those born from wombs, those born from moisture, those born by transformation, those with form, those without form, those with perception, those without perception, those neither with nor without perception — all nine categories, into complete nirvana and liberate them. Yet astoundingly, the Buddha then declares: 'In truth, there is not a single sentient being who has been liberated.' This paradox is the heart of this section. If a bodhisattva clings to the four marks — the mark of self (我相), the mark of others (人相), the mark of sentient beings (衆生相), and the mark of a life span (壽者相) — then such a one is not a genuine bodhisattva. The ideal of the Mahayana bodhisattva is to liberate all beings while having no thought of having liberated anyone.