The Profound Meaning of Vijñaptimātratā in the Diamond Sutra (61)

World-Honored One, the Buddha says that I have attained the samadhi of non-contention, being the foremost among humans, the first desireless Arhat. I do not have the thought, 'I am a desireless Arhat.' World-Honored One, if I had the thought, 'I have attained the Arhat path,' then the World-Honored One would not say that Subhuti is one who delights in the practice of solitude. Because Subhuti truly has nothing to do, nothing to practice, therefore Subhuti is called one who delights in the practice of solitude.

Explanation: Subhuti said: World-Honored One, the Buddha says that I have attained the samadhi of non-contention, being the foremost among all śrāvakas, the most excellent, the Arhat who is most thoroughly free from desire. World-Honored One, I do not have such a thought, 'I am a desireless Arhat.' World-Honored One, if I had such a thought, 'I have attained the fruit of the Arhat path,' then the World-Honored One would not say that Subhuti is one who delights in the practice of solitude. Because Subhuti truly has nothing to attain, nothing to do, nothing to practice, therefore Subhuti is called one who delights in the practice of solitude. The fourth fruit Arhat not only eradicated the view of self, but also eradicated the attachment to self; the craving and attachment of the mental faculty towards the five aggregates of self are completely eradicated; conceit is completely eradicated; the mind is completely without self. Since there is no self, one does not engage in arguments with others about superiority or inferiority, right or wrong, right and wrong, long and short, strong and weak; the mind becomes tranquil and cool; this is the samadhi of non-contention. And Subhuti is the most non-contentious, the most tranquil, the most compliant with people and things.

Desirelessness means leaving behind all kinds of desires, all hopes and cravings of the desire realm, primarily sexual desire, including wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, and the five sense objects: form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. After attaining the first fruit, one develops the first dhyāna; the realm of form appears; body and mind experience supreme bliss. Because this blissful contact is far superior to all kinds of bliss in the desire realm, and surpasses the bliss of sexual desire, thus one does not delight in sexual desire, does not delight in the five sense objects of the desire realm, does not delight in wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep; this is the eradication of desire. Then, by eradicating hatred, the five lower fetters are completely eradicated, and one becomes a third fruit Arhat. Then the fourth fruit Arhat is even more free from desire and desirelessness.

Subhuti eradicated desire most thoroughly; he is the foremost desireless person. However, Subhuti does not have the thought, 'I am a desireless Arhat.' If Subhuti had this thought, then he would have a self, there would be the matter of desirelessness, the mind would not be tranquil, not pure, and the World-Honored One would not say that Subhuti is one who delights in the practice of solitude. Because in Subhuti's mind, there is nothing to do, no desire, non-action; moreover, he sees all dharmas in the eighteen realms as empty; he considers all actions to be empty; therefore Subhuti has nothing to practice; in the empty and illusory dharmas, there is nothing to be done; all that is done is empty, without substance. Thus Subhuti is one who delights in the practice of solitude, one who does nothing.