The Diamond Sutra, passage 139

[10] Concerning the manner of begging an alms: “As a bee, injuring not the flower, or its colour, or its scent, flies away, taking the nectar, so let a sage go through the village.”—_Questions of King Milinda_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 117

[40] Compare Beal’s rendering in the Kin-Kong-King, “Tathagata is the explanation as it were of all systems of Law.” See also _The Book of the Manifesting of the One and Manifold_ in _The Song Celestial_, the verse commencing:—

The Diamond Sutra, passage 100

[16] Dr Edkins, in his scholarly work _Chinese Buddhism_, seems to have regarded “the Law or body of doctrine” as an accurate definition of Dharma.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 178

The Lord Buddha also controverts the theory, enunciated by Ananda, that the mind is secreted somewhere within the organs of sense; which assumption is based upon a notion that the seeing eye, and differentiating mind, are mysteriously correlated.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 466

Subhuti thereupon enquired of the Lord Buddha, saying: “Honoured of the Worlds! in what respect are enlightened disciples unaffected by considerations of ‘reward or merit’?” The Lord Buddha replied, saying: “Enlightened disciples do not aspire, in a spirit of covetousness, to rewards commensurate with their merit; therefore, I declare that they are entirely unaffected by considerations of ‘reward or merit.’”[2]

The Diamond Sutra, passage 264

“In twelve years from the commencement of his public teaching, Buddha’s doctrines had spread over sixteen Indian kingdoms.”—_Chinese Buddhism_. Edkins.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 60

In the twenty-ninth chapter of _The Diamond Sutra_, wherein is expounded “the majesty of the absolute,” Sakyamuni declared that a disciple who affirms that “Buddha” comes or goes, obviously has not understood the meaning of his instruction. Because, as we learn from our text, the idea “Buddha” implies neither coming from anywhere, nor going to anywhere. This purely spiritual concept of Buddha seems to have seized the imagination, and inspired the writer of the _Yuen-Chioh Sutra_,[39] to whom are ascribed the following significant lines:—

The Diamond Sutra, passage 114

[38] Compare the following lines from _The Song Celestial_.—

The Diamond Sutra, passage 377

[1] “Let a man restraining all these remain in devotion.... For he, whose senses are under his control, possesses spiritual knowledge. Attachments to objects of sense arise in a man who meditates upon them; from attachment arises desire; from desire passion springs up; from passion comes bewilderment; from bewilderment, confusion of the memory; from confusion of the memory, destruction of the intellect; from destruction of the intellect, he perishes.”—_Bhagavad-Gita_. J. Cockburn Thomson.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 348

“The Lord Buddha delivered this Scripture specifically for those who are entered upon the path which leads to Nirvana, and for those who are attaining to the ultimate plane of Buddhic thought.[1] If a disciple rigorously observes, studies, and widely disseminates the knowledge of this Scripture, the Lord Buddha entirely knows and perceives that for such an one there will be a cumulative merit, immeasurable, incomparable, illimitable, and inconceivable.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 483

[2] “Bhagavat said, and a belief in matter itself, O Subhuti, is inestimable and inexpressible; it is neither a thing nor a no-thing, and this is known by children and ignorant persons.”—_The Vagrakkhedika_. Max Müller.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 292

The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying:[2] “What think you? Did the Lord Buddha formulate a precise system of Law or doctrine?” Subhuti replied, saying: “Honoured of the Worlds! The Lord Buddha did not formulate a precise system of Law or doctrine.”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 370

The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “What think you? When the Lord Buddha was a disciple of Dipankara Buddha, was there bequeathed to him any Law whereby he attained to supreme spiritual wisdom?” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! inasmuch as I am able to comprehend the meaning of the Lord Buddha’s discourse, when the Lord Buddha was a disciple of Dipankara Buddha, there was no Law bequeathed to him whereby he attained to supreme spiritual wisdom.”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 383

As Milton regarded “Paradise” to be “regained” in the wilderness, and not on Calvary; in like manner the Buddhist poets indicate a belief that the experience of their Master under the Bo-Tree was the most eventful in his history. That is the reason they regard the Bo-Tree with a reverence resembling the Christian veneration of the Cross. (Compare Davids’ _Buddhism_.)

The Diamond Sutra, passage 138

[9] Buddha has said, “the wise priest never asks for anything; he disdains to beg; it is a proper thing for which he carries the alms-bowl; and this is his only mode of solicitation. But when he is sick, he is permitted to ask for any medicine that he may require, without being guilty of any transgression.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 336

Unexpectedly meeting the Lord Buddha, they were greatly astonished at his dignified bearing and edifying conversation. When the prince awoke from his siesta, he was irritated to find that his ladies had disappeared. Instituting an immediate search, he became filled with implacable rage upon discovering them in the society of a hermit. The incident, as narrated in the Chinese text, proved to be a distressing sequel to the modest ladies’ innocent adventure. (Compare _Chinese Annotations_, etc.)

The Diamond Sutra, passage 424

[3] “Bhagavat said: These, O Subhuti, are neither beings nor no-beings. And why? Because, O Subhuti, those who were preached as beings, beings indeed, they were preached as no-beings by the Tathagata, and therefore they are called beings.”—_The Vagrakkhedika_. Max Müller.

The Diamond Sutra

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