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The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra
NOTHING ATTAINED, NOTHING SPOKEN
CHAPTER 7
Sutra:
“Subhuti, what do you think? Has the Tathagata attained anuttarasamyaksambodhi? Has the Tathagata spoken any dharma?”
Subhuti said, “As I understand what the Buddha has said, there is no concrete dharma called anuttarasamyaksambodhi, and there is no concrete dharma which the Tathagata has spoken. And why? The dharmas spoken by the Tathagata cannot be grasped and cannot be spoken. It is neither dharma nor no dharma. And why? Unconditioned dharma distinguishes worthy sages.”
Commentary:
Tathagata is a Sanskrit word which translates as “Thus Come One.” It is the first of the ten titles of the Buddha. It means that the Buddha has realized the Way which is “Thus” and he has “come” to accomplish right enlightenment.
Has the Tathagata attained anuttarasamyaksambodhi? Attained is defined in relation to “lost.” When something has been lost it may be attained. In the sentence one should replace the word “attained” with the word “lost”; did the Tathagata lose anuttarasamyaksambodhi? If he did not lose it, then it is impossible for him to attain it again. That explanation should make the meaning clear. If one looks at both sides of the question one will truly understand.
Anuttarasamyaksambodhi is the unsurpassed, proper and equal, right enlightenment.
Has the Tathagata spoken any dharma? One can also turn it around and ask, “Has the Tathagata not spoken dharma?” If one says that he has not spoken dharma, he has. If one says that he has, then why did he himself ask if he had or not? What should one reply at that point? The Buddha asked the question to test Subhuti’s wisdom. If he had prajna wisdom he would understand the principle.
As to whether the Tathagata had attained anuttarasamyaksambodhi, Subhuti made no reply. He said, “My idea of what the Buddha has said is that there is no such thing as anuttarasamyaksambodhi.” There is no dharma by that name. There being none, what could be attained or what lost? Why is there no such dharma? Because there is no concrete dharma which the Tathagata could speak. What the Tathagata speaks of as anuttarasamyaksambodhi is nothing more than a name. In actuality even the name is empty and without independent existence. Since it basically does not exist what could be attained? What could be lost?
The teaching is spoken because there are people. The medicine is prescribed because there is sickness. The dharma which the Tathagata speaks cannot be grasped. It is like sweeping the floor when it is dusty. Who speaks? Who sweeps? The dharma spoken is dharma-dust which the Tathagata sweeps away. It cannot be grasped. It is not dharma and not no dharma. What dharma is there? There are none. There isn’t anything at all.
Therefore, that which distinguishes the worthy sages is unconditioned dharma. Unconditioned dharma is non-active and devoid of marks, characterized by its lack of marks. Basically the Buddhadharma does not need to be studied. No one is apart from it; everyone is capable of knowing it. When attachment is relinquished the Buddhadharma appears. If attachments are not relinquished the more one grasps the less one has. Before everything has been put down, nothing can be picked up. It is necessary to put attachments down with the left hand and with the right hand pick up real mark prajna. But to say one can pick up prajna is just a figure of speech. That is not to say there is actually something which can be grasped with the hands. If one could grasp all of empty space in one fist, then one could grasp hold of real mark prajna. If unable to grasp all of empty space with one swipe of the hand, one should make no futile attempt to clutch at real mark prajna. Real mark prajna exhausts empty space and pervades the dharma realm. All things are basically within real mark prajna. How could a firmer grip than that be had? It is simply because of attachments that the basic substance of the dharma body has not been attained, and one’s original face not recognized. The Sixth Patriarch said,
Originally Bodhi has no tree,
The bright mirror has no stand.
riginally there is not a single thing:
Where can dust alight?
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