Buddhist Mahâyâna Texts — SBE Vol. 49 — trans. Cowell, Müller & Takakusu (1894)

p. 140as no-belief by the Tath^gata. And this is learned by children and ignorant persons ; and they who were preached as children and ignorant persons, O Subhuti, were preached as no-persons by the Tathagata, and therefore they are called children and ignorant persons.' (25) XXVI. * What do you think then, O Subhuti, is the Tathagata to be seen (known) by the possession of signs?' SubhCiti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat. So far as I know the meaning of the preaching of the Bhagavat, the Tathagata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs.' Bhagavat said: ' Good, good, SubhCiti, so it is, Subhuti ; so it is, as you say; a Tathagata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs. And why ? Because, O Subhuti, if the Tathagata were to be seen (known) by the possession of signs, a wheel-turning king also would be a Tathagata ^ ; therefore a Tathagata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs.' The venerable Subhuti spoke thus to the Bhagavat : ' As I understand the meaning of the preaching of the Bhagavat, a Tathdgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs.' Then the Bhagavat at that moment preached these two Gdthas : They who saw me by form, and they who heard me by sound, They engaged in false endeavours, will not see me.

' This prohahly refers to the ausjjicious signs discovered in .Sakyaniuni at his birth, which left it open whether lie should become a king or a iJuddha.

OR DIAMOND-CUTTER. I4I A Buddha is to be seen (known) from the Law ; for the Lords (Buddhas) have the Law-body; And the nature of the Law cannot be understood, nor can it be made to be understood. (26) XXVIL 'What do you think then, O Subhuti, has the highest perfect knowledge been known by the Tathagata through the possession of signs ? You should not think so, O Subhuti. And why ?

Because, O Subhuti, the highest perfect knowledge would not be known by the Tathagata through the possession of signs.

Nor should anybody, O Subhuti, say to you that the destruction or annihilation of any thing is proclaimed by those who have entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas.' (27) XXVIIL ' And if, O Subhuti, a son or a daughter of a good family were to fill worlds equal to the number of grains of sand of the river Gariga with the seven treasures, and give them as a gift to holy and fully enlightened Tathagatas ; and if a Bodhisattva acquired endurance in selfless and uncreated things, then the latter will on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable. * But, O Subhuti, a stock of merit should not be appropriated by a noble-minded Bodhisattva.

The venerable Subhuti said : ' Should a stock of merit, O Bhagavat, not be appropriated by a Bodhisattva ? Bhagavat said : ' It shoidd be appropriated, O Subhuti ; it should not be appropriated ; and therefore it is said : It should be appropriated.' (28)

142 THE VAGRAKKHEDIKA XXIX. * And again, O Subliiiti, if anybody were to say that the Tathagata goes, or comes, or stands, or sits, or hes down, he, O Subhuti, does not understand the meaning of my preaching. And why ? Because the word Tathagata means one who does not go to anywhere, and does not come from anywhere ; and therefore he is called the Tathagata (truly come), holy and fully enlightened.' (29) XXX.

' And again, O Subhuti, if a son or a daughter of a good family were to take as many worlds as there are grains of earth-dust in this sphere of a million millions of worlds, and reduce them to such fine dust as can be made with immeasurable strength, like what is called a mass of the smallest atoms, do you think, O Subhuti, would that be a mass of many atoms ? ' Subhuti said : ' Yes, Bhagavat, yes, Sugata, that would be a mass of many atoms.

And why ? Because, O Bhagavat. if it were a mass of many atoms, Bhagavat would not call it a mass of many atoms. And why ? Because, what was preached as a mass of many atoms by the Tathagata, that was preached as no-mass of atoms by the Tathagata ; and therefore it is called a mass of many atoms.

And what was preached by the Tathagata as the sphere of a million millions of worlds, that was preached by the Tathagata as no-sphere of worlds ; and therefore it is called the sphere of a million millions of worlds. And why ? Because, C) Bhagavat, if there were a sphere of worlds, there would exist a belief in matter ; and what was preached as a belief in matter b)- the Tathagata, that was