Subhuti said to the Buddha, “By what name shall we know this Sutra, so that it can be honored and studied?”
The lord Buddha replied, “This Sutra shall be known as
‘The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion’.
By this name it shall be revered and studied and observed. What does this name mean? It means that when the Buddha named it, he did not have in mind any definite or arbitrary conception, and so named it. This Sutra is hard and sharp, like a diamond that will cut away all arbitrary conceptions and bring one to the other shore of Enlightenment.”
“What do you think, Subhuti? Has the Buddha taught any definite teaching in this Sutra?”
“No lord, the Buddha has not taught any definite teaching in this Sutra.”
“What do you think, Subhuti? Are there many particles of dust in this vast universe?”
Subhuti replied: “Yes, many, Most Honored One!”
“Subhuti, when the Buddha speaks of particles of dust, it does not mean I am thinking of any definite or arbitrary thought, I am merely using these words as a figure of speech. They are not real, only illusion. It is just the same with the word universe; these words do not assert any definite or arbitrary idea, I am only using the words as words.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Buddha be perceived by means of his thirty-two physical characteristics?”
“No, Most Honored One. The Buddha cannot be perceived by his thirty-two physical characteristics. Why? Because the Buddha teaches that they are not real but are merely called the thirty-two physical characteristics.”
“Subhuti, if a good and faithful person, whether male or female, has, for the sake of compassion and charity, been sacrificing their life for generation upon generation, for as many generations as the grains of sands in 3,000 universes; and another follower has been studying and observing even a single section of this Sutra and explains it to others, that person’s blessings and merit would be far greater.”
