Chapters 13 Naming of the sūtra

Then Subhūti addressed the Buddha, saying: "World Honored One, what should we call this scripture, and how should we practice it?"

The Buddha said to Subhūti: "This scripture is called the Diamond of Transcendent Wisdom. You should practice it according to this name. And why? That which the Buddha calls 'transcendent wisdom' is not transcendent wisdom. Subhūti, what does this mean? Does the tathāgata have a teaching to explain?"

Subhūti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, the Tathāgata has no teaching to explain."

"Subhūti, what do you think? Are not the tiniest particles contained in the worlds of three thousand galaxies great in number?"

Subhūti said, "Extremely great in number, World Honored One."

"Subhūti, the Tathāgata teaches that tiny particles are not tiny particles. Therefore they are called tiny particles. The Tathāgata teaches that worlds are not worlds. Therefore they are called worlds."

"Subhūti, what do you think? Can the Tathāgata be discerned by means of his thirty-two bodily characteristics?"

"No, he cannot, World Honored One. One cannot discern a Tathāgata by means of his thirty-two bodily characteristics. And why not? Because the thirty-two bodily characteristics that are taught by the Tathāgata are in fact not characteristics. Therefore they are called the thirty-two characteristics."

"Subhūti, if a good son or good daughter dedicates lifetimes as numerous as the sands in the Ganges river to charitable acts, and there were another person who memorized as much as a four-line verse of this scripture and taught it to others, the merit of the latter person would be by far greater."