Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) · 11 of 19 · tr. E.B. Cowell, F. Max Müller, and J. Kakakusu
Section 1k
Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A gift should not be given by a Bodhisattva who believes in anything, it should not be given by one who believes in form, sound, smell, taste, or anything that can be touched." 'And again, O Subhûti, a Bodhisattva should in such wise give his gift for the benefit of all beings.
And why?
Because, O Subhûti, the idea of a being is no-idea.
And those who are thus spoken of by the Tathâgata as all beings are indeed no-beings.
And why?
Because, O Subhûti, a Tathâgata says what is real, says what is true, says the things as they are; a Tathâgata does not speak untruth.
'But again, O Subhûti, whatever doctrine has been [1.
See before, chap.
iv.] perceived, taught, and meditated on by a Tathâgata, in it there is neither truth nor falsehood.
And as a man who has entered the darkness would not see anything, thus a Bodhisattva is to be considered who is immersed in objects, and who being immersed in objects gives a gift.
But as a man who has eyes would, when the night becomes light, and the sun has risen, see many things, thus a Bodhisattva is to be considered who is not immersed in objects, and who not being immersed in objects gives a gift.
'And again, O Subhûti, if any sons or daughters of good families will learn this treatise of the Law, will remember, recite, and understand it, and fully explain it to others, they, O Subhûti, are known by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-knowledge, they are seen, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-eye.
All these beings, O Subhûti, will produce and hold fast an immeasurable and innumerable stock of merit.' (14) XV.
'And if, O Subhûti, a woman or man sacrificed in the morning as many lives as there are grains of sand in the river Gangâ and did the same at noon and the same in the evening, and if in this way they sacrificed their lives for a hundred thousands of niyutas of ko t îs of ages, and if another, after hearing this treatise of the Law, should not oppose it, then the latter would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable.
What should we say then of him who after having written it, learns it, remembers it, understands it, and fully explains it to others?
'And again, O Subhûti, this treatise of the Law is incomprehensible and incomparable.
And this treatise of the Law has been preached by the Tathâgata for the benefit of those beings who entered on the foremost path (the path that leads to Nirvâ n a), and who entered on the best path.
And those who will learn this treatise of the Law, who will remember it, recite it, understand it, and fully explain it to others, they are known, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-knowledge, they are seen, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-eye.
All these beings, O Subhûti, will be endowed with an immeasurable stock of merit, they will be endowed with an incomprehensible, incomparable, immeasurable and unmeasured stock of merit.
Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.
[auto] The text explicitly instructs the Bodhisattva to put aside all ideas and not depend on form or anything, mirroring radical non-grasping.
Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.
The text references doctrines 'meditated on by a Tathâgata' and instructs to 'frame his mind'.
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
[auto] The passage relies heavily on paradoxical statements like 'what is believed is not believed' and 'neither truth nor falsehood' to convey insight.
Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).
The instruction to have 'no idea of a self' and believe in nothing aligns with the radical emptiness of will and self.
The Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena lack independent self-nature; emptiness as the positive recognition that things arise only in dependence on conditions — distinct from kenoma's mere deficiency.
[auto] The passage centrally defines reality through emptiness, stating 'the idea of a being is no-idea' and 'all beings are indeed no-beings'.
Effortless action aligned with the spontaneous flow of the Dao; non-coercive, non-striving conduct that yields results without forcing — the sage acts without acting.
Giving gifts 'not being immersed in objects' reflects action without attachment or striving.