須菩提 於意云何 可以身相見如來不 不也世尊 不可以身相得見如來 何以故 如來所說身相 即非身相 佛告須菩提 凡所有相 皆是虛妄 若見諸相非相 則見如來
Xū pútí, yú yì yún hé? Kě yǐ shēn xiāng jiàn Rúlái fǒu? Bù yě, Shì zūn. Bù kě yǐ shēn xiāng dé jiàn Rúlái. Hé yǐ gù? Rúlái suǒ shuō shēn xiāng, jí fēi shēn xiāng. Fó gào Xū pútí: Fán suǒ yǒu xiāng, jiē shì xūwàng. Ruò jiàn zhū xiāng fēi xiāng, zé jiàn Rúlái.
Key Message
When one sees through the illusory nature of all forms, truth is revealed — and that is to see the Tathāgata.
▸Section 5, 'Seeing the Truth as It Really Is,' addresses how one can truly see the Tathāgata in accordance with reality, and contains one of the most luminous passages in the entire Diamond Sutra.
Section 5, 'Seeing the Truth as It Really Is,' addresses how one can truly see the Tathāgata in accordance with reality, and contains one of the most luminous passages in the entire Diamond Sutra. The Buddha asks Subhuti: 'Can the Tathāgata be seen through physical marks (身相)?' Subhuti replies: 'No, he cannot,' explaining that 'the physical marks the Tathāgata has spoken of are not in reality physical marks.' The Buddha then proclaims the supreme verse of the Diamond Sutra: 'All that has marks is illusory (凡所有相 皆是虛妄). If one sees all marks as no-marks, then one sees the Tathāgata (若見諸相非相 則見如來).' This teaches that the true nature of the Tathāgata does not reside in any fixed form, and that truth is revealed only when one penetrates the illusory nature of all appearances.