Diamond Sutra – Neither the past, the present nor the future mind can be found
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.”
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