Explanation of the Diamond Sutra: Why the Retribution of Receiving and Upholding This Sutra Is Inconceivable

Original text of Chapter Sixteen: The Ability to Purify Karmic Obstacles: 须菩提。我念过去无量阿僧祗劫。于然灯佛前。得值八百四千万亿那由他诸佛。悉皆供养承事。无空过者。若复有人。于后末世。能受持读诵此经。所得功德。于我所供养诸佛功德。百分不及一。千万亿分乃至算数譬喻。所不能及。

Explanation: Subhūti, I recall that in past lives, throughout immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas, before I met Dīpaṃkara Buddha, I encountered immeasurable Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones. For so many Buddhas and World-Honored Ones, I personally made the fourfold offerings of food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicine, and I also attended upon each Buddha, obeying every instruction of the Buddhas. I missed none of the Buddhas when they appeared in the world; I encountered them all.

If there is another person, in the later age when the Buddha's Dharma is about to perish, who can receive, hold, read, and recite this Diamond Sutra, the merit this person obtains will be even greater than the merit I accumulated from making offerings to immeasurable Buddhas over immeasurable lifetimes. The merit of my offerings to immeasurable Buddhas does not even reach one percent of the merit this person gains from receiving, holding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sutra—not even one part in thousands, millions, or billions. No number or analogy can describe or compare it; it is beyond words. The merit of receiving, holding, reading, and reciting the Diamond Sutra admits no analogy; the merit is immense, extending all the way to buddhahood.

This is because what the Diamond Sutra points to is purely unconditioned dharma. When one cultivates and perfects this unconditioned dharma, one will perfect the Buddha-way and swiftly attain buddhahood. Therefore, the merit of upholding the Diamond Sutra is of course immensely vast; no merit of any conditioned dharma can compare with it. This is the World-Honored One recounting what happened before he met Dīpaṃkara Buddha, that is, before he attained realization as an eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva. At that time, the World-Honored One's mind had not yet reached true pure unconditionedness; he was still engaging in conditioned and tainted conduct, and his worldly offerings to the Buddhas were offerings marked by attachment, tainted offerings. Therefore, none of those Buddhas gave the Bodhisattva Śākyamuni a prediction of future buddhahood. Only when the Bodhisattva Śākyamuna's mental conduct reached pure unconditionedness, cultivating to the immovable ground of the eighth bhūmi and meeting Dīpaṃkara Buddha, did Dīpaṃkara Buddha give him the prediction of future buddhahood. By that time, the World-Honored One had already encountered immeasurable Buddhas.

"Eight hundred forty million trillion nayutas" is an Indian expression; in Chinese it should be four thousand eight hundred million trillion, representing an uncountable, innumerable quantity. We should know that in the course of cultivating the Buddha-way, we will all encounter and make offerings to immeasurable Buddhas—not only the fourfold offerings, but also personally attending upon the Buddhas. Most important and most crucial is to make the offering of Dharma, for the offering of Dharma is supreme. The so-called offering of Dharma means personally following the Buddhas to study the various Buddhadharmas, and also universally teaching sentient beings to cultivate and study the Buddhadharma together, propagating the Buddha's teachings on his behalf. If one can cultivate in accordance with the Buddha's teachings, gradually according with the unconditioned purport within the Buddhadharma until the mind-ground reaches pure unconditionedness, this is the true offering to the Buddhas, and one will certainly receive the Buddhas' prediction.

Original text: 须菩提。若善男子善女人。于后末世。有受持读诵此经。所得功德。我若具说者。或有人闻。心则狂乱。狐疑不信。须菩提。当知是经义。不可思议。果报亦不可思议。

Explanation: Subhūti, if there are good men and good women who, in the later age when the Buddha's Dharma is about to perish, can receive, hold, read, and recite this Diamond Sutra, the merit they obtain is extremely, extremely abundant. If I were to describe it in detail—what exactly the merit this person obtains is like, how much there is, and what specifically it includes—then some people, hearing me say this, would have their minds thrown into frenzy and confusion, full of doubt and unable to believe. Subhūti, from this we should know how inconceivable, profound, and unfathomable the deep Dharma meaning contained in this Diamond Sutra is; and the retribution for receiving and upholding this Diamond Sutra is likewise inconceivable.

This shows that the merit of upholding the Diamond Sutra is so supremely extraordinary that ordinary people cannot imagine or believe it. By cultivating and studying according to the principles in the Diamond Sutra and realizing the prajñā true mind of suchness, from then on one's merit and wisdom will gradually expand, and one's wisdom will become ever more profound and marvelous. When both merit and wisdom are fully perfected, one will become the Supreme Man and Supreme Honored One in the world of the three realms. This retribution is truly inconceivable and beyond thought; this retribution and merit could not be exhausted by telling or praising for countless kalpas.