English
English version: After washing the feet, one spreads out the seat and sits down. 'Spreading out the seat and sitting' refers to spreading out the sitting mat and sitting in the lotus position. At that time, the elder Subhuti (one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, foremost in understanding emptiness) was in the assembly. He immediately rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, and with palms joined respectfully, said to the Buddha: 'Rare indeed, World Honored One (Bhagavan, one of the Buddha's titles, meaning 'Blessed One')! The Tathagata (one of the Buddha's titles, meaning 'Thus Come One') is skilled at protecting and mindful of all Bodhisattvas, and skilled at entrusting all Bodhisattvas.' The elder Subhuti is the initiator of this Sutra. He is called 'elder' because of his high virtue and old age. The Sanskrit word 'Subhuti' translates to 'Empty Birth' in Chinese, and is also known as 'Good Manifestation'. From 'rising from his seat' to 'respectfully', these are the respectful gestures for requesting the Dharma. 'Rare indeed' is a phrase praising the Buddha. 'Skilled at protecting and mindful' is for protecting and being mindful of the Bodhisattvas whose roots are now ripe, giving them the power of wisdom to enable them to accomplish their own practice, and giving them the power of teaching to enable them to gather and receive sentient beings. 'Skilled at entrusting' is for entrusting the Bodhisattvas whose roots are not yet ripe in the future, enabling those who have already attained the Great Vehicle to not abandon it, and enabling those who have not yet attained the Great Vehicle to advance further. Protecting and being mindful, and entrusting, are indeed rare things. The Buddha's virtue is vast, and there are no sentient beings that He does not liberate. However, even though the Buddha pays attention to liberating sentient beings through Prajna wisdom, He must wait for a request. Therefore, Good Manifestation observed the Buddha's intention, first praised 'Rare indeed', and then asked his question. 'World Honored One, when good men and good women generate the mind of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (unexcelled, right and perfect enlightenment), how should they abide? How should they subdue their minds?' This is the beginning of the question. 'Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi' translates to 'Unexcelled, Right and Perfect Enlightenment' in Chinese. The meaning of the question is that the Tathagata protects and is mindful of, and entrusts, the Bodhisattvas of the present and future, enabling them to achieve Buddhahood. Although these Bodhisattvas have generated the Bodhi mind, vowed to liberate sentient beings, and seek to attain Buddhahood, they do not know how their minds should abide in the Great Vehicle, and how they should subdue their deluded minds, so that they can reach Buddhahood without regressing? The Buddha said: 'Excellent, excellent! Subhuti, just as you have said, the Tathagata is skilled at protecting and mindful of all Bodhisattvas, and skilled at entrusting all Bodhisattvas. Now listen carefully, and I will explain it to you. When good men and good women generate the mind of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, they should abide in this way, and subdue their minds in this way.' Subhuti replied: 'Yes, World Honored One, I am very eager to hear.' Since Good Manifestation praised and asked his question, he skillfully aligned with the Buddha's intention. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
印可云。善哉善哉。当为汝说也。而又诫约云。应如是住如是降伏其心。善现即会佛意故。唯然应之愿闻是法。然一经之大要。不过善现所问安住大乘降伏妄心。如来所答修行之法。亦不出乎理事二行破执断疑而已。具见下文。 佛告须菩提。诸菩萨摩诃萨应如是降伏其心 善现双问安住降伏。如来但答降伏其心者。盖降伏妄心必安住大乘。举降伏则摄安住矣。 所有一切众生之类。若卵生。若胎生。若湿生。若化生 人与旁生具有四生。诸天地狱中阴惟是化生。鬼通胎化二生。皆属欲界。 若有色 色界天。 若无色 无色界天。 若有想 识处天。 若无想 无所有处天。 若非有想非无想 非想非非想处天。 我皆令入无余涅槃而灭度之。如是灭度无量无数无边众生。实无众生得灭度者。何以故。须菩提。若菩萨有我相人相众生相寿者相。即非菩萨 此一段是菩萨所修理观具乎四心。谓广大心胜心常心不颠倒心。慈氏颂云。广大第一常。其心不颠倒。第一即胜心也。经云所有一切众生之类者。所怀之境广此大心也。云我皆令入无余涅槃者。此胜心也。无余涅槃即如来究竟彼岸也。云实无众生得灭度者。了生佛一如。此常心也。无我人众生寿者。此不颠倒心也 现代汉语译本： 印可（认可）说：‘好啊，好啊。应当为你解说。’又告诫说：‘应当这样安住，这样降伏自己的心。’善现（须菩提的别名，意为‘善于显现真理者’）立即领会了佛陀的意图，所以回答‘是的，愿意听闻这个法。’然而，一部经的大要，不过是善现所问的如何安住大乘（Mahayana，佛教的一个主要流派，强调菩萨的利他精神），降伏妄心；如来所回答的修行之法，也不超出从理和事两个方面修行，破除执着，断除疑惑而已。具体见下文。 佛告诉须菩提（Subhuti，佛陀的十大弟子之一，以解空第一著称）：‘诸位菩萨摩诃萨（Bodhisattva-Mahasattva，伟大的菩萨）应当这样降伏其心。’善现同时问了安住和降伏，如来只回答降伏其心，是因为降伏妄心必定安住于大乘。说了降伏，就包含了安住。 ‘所有一切众生之类，若卵生，若胎生，若湿生，若化生’——人和旁生具有四种出生方式。诸天地狱和中阴身只有化生。鬼道众生有胎生和化生两种。这些都属于欲界（Kamadhatu，佛教宇宙观中的一个领域，众生受欲望支配）。 ‘若有色’——色界天（Rupadhatu，佛教宇宙观中的一个领域，众生有物质形体但无强烈欲望）。 ‘若无色’——无色界天（Arupadhatu，佛教宇宙观中的一个领域，众生没有物质形体，只有精神存在）。 ‘若有想’——识处天（Vijnanayatana，无色界天的第二层，专注于识）。 ‘若无想’——无所有处天（Akincanyayatana，无色界天的第三层，专注于一无所有）。 ‘若非有想非无想’——非想非非想处天（Naivasamjnanasamjnatayatana，无色界天的最高层，既非有想也非无想）。 ‘我都让他们进入无余涅槃（nirvana，佛教术语，指从轮回中解脱）而灭度。’像这样灭度无量无数无边的众生，实际上没有众生真正得到灭度。为什么呢？须菩提，如果菩萨有我相（认为有一个真实的自我），人相（将自己与他人对立），众生相（将众生视为独立的个体），寿者相（执着于寿命的长短），那就不是菩萨。’这一段是菩萨所修的理观，具备四种心：广大心、胜心、常心、不颠倒心。慈氏菩萨（Maitreya，未来佛）的颂词说：‘广大第一常，其心不颠倒。’第一就是胜心。经中说‘所有一切众生之类’，所怀的境界广大，这就是大心。说‘我都让他们进入无余涅槃’，这就是胜心。无余涅槃就是如来（Tathagata，佛的称号之一）究竟的彼岸。说‘实际上没有众生得到灭度’，是了悟众生与佛没有区别，这就是常心。没有我相、人相、众生相、寿者相，这就是不颠倒心。
English
English version: The Buddha approved, saying: 'Excellent, excellent. I should explain it for you.' And further cautioned: 'One should dwell in this way, subdue one's mind in this way.' Subhuti (another name for Sudatta, meaning 'good giver') immediately understood the Buddha's intention, and so replied, 'Yes, I wish to hear this Dharma (teachings of the Buddha).' However, the main point of a sutra (Buddhist scripture) is nothing more than what Sudatta asked: how to abide in the Mahayana (a major branch of Buddhism emphasizing the altruistic spirit of Bodhisattvas), and subdue the deluded mind; the method of practice that the Tathagata (one of the titles of the Buddha) answered does not go beyond cultivating from the two aspects of principle and practice, breaking attachments, and cutting off doubts. See the following text for details. The Buddha told Subhuti (one of the ten major disciples of the Buddha, known for his understanding of emptiness): 'All Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas (great Bodhisattvas) should subdue their minds in this way.' Sudatta asked about both abiding and subduing, but the Tathagata only answered about subduing the mind, because subduing the deluded mind necessarily leads to abiding in the Mahayana. Mentioning subduing includes abiding. 'All kinds of beings, whether born from eggs, born from wombs, born from moisture, or born by transformation' – Humans and animals have four kinds of birth. The hells and intermediate states only have transformation birth. Ghosts have both womb birth and transformation birth. These all belong to the Desire Realm (Kamadhatu, a realm in Buddhist cosmology where beings are dominated by desires). 'If with form' – the Form Realm (Rupadhatu, a realm in Buddhist cosmology where beings have material form but no strong desires). 'If without form' – the Formless Realm (Arupadhatu, a realm in Buddhist cosmology where beings have no material form, only mental existence). 'If with thought' – the Realm of Consciousness (Vijnanayatana, the second level of the Formless Realm, focusing on consciousness). 'If without thought' – the Realm of Nothingness (Akincanyayatana, the third level of the Formless Realm, focusing on nothingness). 'If neither with thought nor without thought' – the Realm of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception (Naivasamjnanasamjnatayatana, the highest level of the Formless Realm, neither with nor without thought). 'I will lead them all into Nirvana without remainder (nirvana, a Buddhist term referring to liberation from the cycle of rebirth) and liberate them.' In this way, immeasurable, countless, and boundless beings are liberated, but in reality, no being is truly liberated. Why? Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva has the perception of self (believing in a real self), the perception of person (opposing oneself to others), the perception of beings (seeing beings as independent individuals), the perception of lifespan (clinging to the length of life), then they are not a Bodhisattva.' This passage is about the principle contemplation cultivated by Bodhisattvas, possessing four minds: vast mind, supreme mind, constant mind, and non-inverted mind. The verse of Maitreya (the future Buddha) says: 'Vast, supreme, constant, its mind is not inverted.' Supreme is the supreme mind. The sutra says 'All kinds of beings,' the realm embraced is vast, this is the vast mind. Saying 'I will lead them all into Nirvana without remainder' is the supreme mind. Nirvana without remainder is the ultimate shore of the Tathagata (one of the titles of the Buddha). Saying 'In reality, no being is liberated' is realizing that beings and Buddhas are not different, this is the constant mind. Without the perception of self, person, beings, or lifespan, this is the non-inverted mind. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。若有四相谓之四倒。若一众生不令灭度。及见众生实灭度者。则未能了达本源。遂有我人众生寿者四相。不名菩萨。我者。于五蕴中妄计有我我所。人者。妄计我生人中异于余趣。众生者妄计五蕴和合而生。寿者。妄计我受一期果报。一期果报即若长若短寿命也。此皆颠倒妄想亦名四见。菩萨能用般若妙智。照了性空本无四相。名降伏其心。否则非菩萨也。 复次须菩提。菩萨于法应无所住行于布施。所谓不住色布施。不住声香味触法布施。须菩提。菩萨应如是布施。不住于相 此一段理观兼事行也。不住是理观。布施是事行。于法者。六尘诸法也布者普也。施者舍也。菩萨所修六度万行。以布施为初度摄后五度。盖施有三种。资生施。无畏施。法施也。资生施者。施以财物资他生也。无畏施者。持戒不恼无冤。忍辱不报有冤。法施者。精进不倦说法。禅定不差机说法。智慧不颠倒说法。然一切布施不过六尘。所谓六尘如床敷卧具饮食汤药之类是也。世人行施心希果报。是为著相。菩萨行施了达三轮体空故。能不住于相。三轮者。谓施者受者及所施物也。佛告善现。应如是不住于相而行施者。盖欲菩萨降伏妄心也。 何以故。若菩萨不住相布施。其福德不可思量。须菩提。于意云何。东方虚空可思量不 现代汉语译本：如果执着于我相、人相、众生相、寿者相，就叫做四倒（四种颠倒的知见）。如果有一个众生没有被度化，或者认为众生确实会被灭度，那就是没有了达万法的本源。因此才会有我相、人相、众生相、寿者相这四种执着，这样的人不能称为菩萨。‘我’，是指在五蕴（色、受、想、行、识）中错误地认为有‘我’和‘我所’（属于我的东西）。‘人’，是指错误地认为我生在人道，不同于其他的生命形态。‘众生’，是指错误地认为五蕴和合而生。‘寿者’，是指错误地认为我承受一期的果报，这一期的果报就是寿命的长短。这些都是颠倒的妄想，也叫做四见。菩萨能够运用般若（智慧）的妙用，照见万法性空，本来就没有四相，这就叫做降伏其心。否则就不是菩萨。 其次，须菩提，菩萨对于一切法，应该不执着于任何事物而行布施，也就是不执着于色、声、香、味、触、法而行布施。须菩提，菩萨应该这样布施，不执着于一切相。这一段是理观和事行的结合。‘不住’是理观，‘布施’是事行。‘于法’，指的是六尘（色、声、香、味、触、法）诸法。‘布’是普遍的意思，‘施’是舍弃的意思。菩萨所修的六度万行，以布施为最初的法门，统摄后面的五度。布施有三种：资生施、无畏施、法施。资生施，是用财物来帮助众生。无畏施，是持戒不恼害众生，没有冤仇；忍辱不报复有冤仇的人。法施，是精进不懈地说法，禅定不错误地说法，智慧不颠倒地说法。然而一切布施都离不开六尘，比如六尘中的床、卧具、饮食、汤药等等。世人行布施，心里希望得到果报，这就是着相。菩萨行布施，了达施者、受者和所施之物这三轮都是空性的，所以能够不执着于相。佛告诉须菩提，应该这样不执着于相而行布施，这是为了让菩萨降伏妄心。 为什么呢？如果菩萨不执着于相而行布施，那么他的福德是不可思议的。须菩提，你认为怎么样？东方的虚空可以测量吗？