Cap. XXVIII.—On not receiving and not coveting the reward of virtuous conduct.
Subhúti, if a Bodhisatwa use in charity as much of the seven precious substances as would fill sakwalas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges; and if another man clearly understand the non-individual character of all conditions of being, and by patient endurance obtain perfection, the meritorious happiness of this Bodhisatwa exceeds that of the former. What then Subhúti, as far as all the Bodhisatwas are concerned there can be no such thing as the appreciation of reward.
Subhúti asked Buddha: World-honoured one! what is this you say, that Bodhisatwas cannot be said to appreciate reward?
Subhúti, the reward which a Bodhisatwa enjoys ought to be connected with no covetous desire; this is what I mean by non-appreciation of reward.
Cap. XXIX.—The dignity appertaining to complete rest and composure (Nirváṅa).
Subhúti, if there be a man who speaks of Tathágata as coming or going, as sitting or sleeping, this man understands not the secret of the system which I declare. For why? That which is Tathágata has no where whence to come, and no where whither he can go, and is therefore named “Tathágata.”
Cap. XXX.—The characteristic of the “One Harmonious Principle.”
Subhúti, if a disciple, male or female, were to divide as many great chiliocosms as, there are into small particles of dust, do you think that the whole mass of these particles would be numerous or not? Subhúti replied: Very numerous, world-honoured one! but yet if all these particles were such in reality, Buddha would not then have spoken of them in words. What then, if Buddha speaks of all these particles, then they are not really what they are called, it is but a mere name, world-honoured one! Tathágata speaks of the great chiliocosm, but this is nothing real—the term great chiliocosm is but a mere name. What then? if this universe be really something substantial, then it is but the characteristic[17] of the “one great harmonious principle.”[18] But Tathágata declares that this also is something unreal—it is only an empty name.
Subhúti, this characteristic of the one “harmonious principle,” is a thing which cannot be spoken of in words; it is only the vain philosophy of the world, which has grasped the idea of explaining this.
Cap. XXXI.—Thus there will be no more any acquired knowledge.