Diamond Sutra – Neither the past, the present nor the future mind can be found – 金刚经 – 过去心不可得，现在心不可得，未来心不可得

After learning that the Buddha possesses 5 eyes, which penetrate different levels of truth of this world, the Buddha explains how this penetration works.  He explained, there are many worlds he sees, as numerous as the sands in the Ganges River, and there are many beings in each of these numerous worlds with different minds.  Yet, all these different minds in different worlds are known to the Buddha.  How could it be possible?  Does it sound familiar with the notion of omni-science (all knowing) in some of other major religions in the world?

Not only did the Buddha described this from his subjective reality, he also explained that it (the penetration of truth) can be achieved when we transcend our mind, which habitually dwells on the concepts of the self, in the time frame of past or future, and on the concept or descriptions of the present (as  suppose to the reality of the present).  Therefore, the Buddha concluded: neither the past, the present nor the future mind can be found (can be used to find ultimate reality, or could be dwelled on as stable reality).

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须菩提！于意云何？恒河中所有沙，佛说是沙不？
如是，世尊！如来说是沙。
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata say that the sand-grains in the Ganges are sand-grains?”
“Yes, World Honoured One, the Tathagata says they are sand-grains.”

须菩提！于意云何？如一恒河中所有沙，有如是沙等恒河，是诸恒河所有沙数，佛世界如是，宁为多不？
甚多，世尊！
“Subhuti, what do you think? If there were as many Ganges rivers as sand-grains in the Ganges, and if there were as many Buddha realms as sandgrains of all these Ganges rivers, would there be many world systems?”
“Many, World Honoured One!”

佛告须菩提：尔所国土中，所有众生，若干种心，如来悉知。何以故？
如来说：诸心皆为非心，是名为心。所以者何？
须菩提！过去心不可得，现在心不可得，未来心不可得。
“The Buddha said the living beings in all these world systems have many different minds which are all known to the Tathagata. Why?”
“Because the minds the Tathagata speaks of are not minds, but are (expediently) called minds. And why?”
“Because, Subhuti, neither the past, the present nor the future mind can be found.”上一节讨论到佛陀有5眼，来穿透这个世界不同层次的的真理。在这节，佛陀继续解释这是如何发生的。 佛说，他看到很多的世界，就如印度恒河里的沙那么多，而这么多的世界里同时有着无数的众生并各有着的不同思想。然而，所有世界里的众生的思想佛都能了了分明，一一知晓。  听起来是不是很像世界其他主流宗教所讲的的全知和全能的概念？ 这怎么可能？

这不单是个宗教性的描述，更是佛陀他本人（和很多以后的大师们）的主观现实。佛陀说，当我们超越我们的心灵，我们的自我，和过去，现在，未来的概念时，真理就会显现。所以佛说：过去心不可得，现在心不可得，未来心不可得（这三个心都不能用来寻找真理，也不会是永久不变的真理）。

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须菩提！于意云何？恒河中所有沙，佛说是沙不？
如是，世尊！如来说是沙。

须菩提！于意云何？如一恒河中所有沙，有如是沙等恒河，是诸恒河所有沙数，佛世界如是，宁为多不？

甚多，世尊！

佛告须菩提：尔所国土中，所有众生，若干种心，如来悉知。何以故？

如来说：诸心皆为非心，是名为心。所以者何？
须菩提！过去心不可得，现在心不可得，未来心不可得。