The Profound Meaning of the Diamond Sutra in Consciousness-Only (61)

Original text: 世尊。佛说我得无诤三昧。人中最为第一。是第一离欲阿罗汉。我不作是念。我是离欲阿罗汉。世尊。我若作是念。我得阿罗汉道。世尊则不说须菩提是乐阿兰那行者。以须菩提实无所行。而名须菩提是乐阿兰那行。

Explanation: Subhūti said: World-Honored One, the Buddha has said that I have attained the meditative concentration (samādhi) of non-contention, that among all humans I am the foremost, the most superior, and that I am the foremost arhat free from desire. World-Honored One, I do not have such a thought: 'I am an arhat free from desire.' World-Honored One, if I had such a thought: 'I have attained the path and fruit of an arhat,' then the World-Honored One would not say that Subhūti is one who delights in the practice of aranya (quietude). It is because Subhūti truly has nothing to attain, nothing to do, and nothing to practice that Subhūti is named one who delights in the practice of aranya. An arhat of the fourth fruit has not only eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), but has also eradicated attachment to self; the manas' craving and attachment toward one's own five aggregates (pañca-skandha) have been completely severed, the conceit of self has been completely severed, and the mind is utterly without self. Since there is no self, one will not contend with others over superiority and inferiority, right and wrong, gossip, length and shortness, strength and weakness; the mind becomes tranquil and cool — this is the meditative concentration (samādhi) of non-contention. And Subhūti is the most non-contentious, the most tranquil, the most accommodating toward people and affairs.

Being free from desire means departing from all kinds of desires, all the hopes and cravings belonging to the desire realm, chiefly the desire between men and women, including wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, and the five sense objects of form, sound, scent, taste, and touch. After attaining the first fruit (srotāpanna), when the first dhyāna arises and the state of the form realm manifests, body and mind experience extreme bliss, because this blissful contact far surpasses the various pleasures of the desire realm, and also surpasses the pleasure of sexual desire. One then no longer delights in sexual desire, no longer delights in the five sense objects of the desire realm, and no longer delights in wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep — this is the severance of desire. Then, severing anger as well means the five lower fetters are completely severed, and one becomes an arhat of the third fruit (anāgāmin); the arhat of the fourth fruit is all the more one who has severed and departed from desire.

Subhūti severed desire most thoroughly and is the foremost person free from desire. Yet Subhūti has no thought that 'I am an arhat free from desire.' If Subhūti had this thought, then he would have a self and would have the matter of being free from desire, and his mind would not be tranquil or pure; the World-Honored One would then not say that Subhūti is one who delights in the practice of quietude. Because Subhūti's mind has no affairs, is without desire and without contrivance, and he sees as empty all dharmas within the eighteen realms, regarding all formations as empty, Subhūti accordingly has nothing to practice; within the empty and illusory dharmas, the false dharmas, there is nothing to be done — everything done is empty, and there is truly no such affair. Only thus is Subhūti one who delights in the practice of quietude, one who acts without any contrived action.