Section 16
Original Sanskrit
अपि तु ये ते सुभूते कुलपुत्रा वा कुलदुहितरो वेमानेवंरूपान्सूत्रांतानुद्गृहीष्यंति धारयिष्यंति वाचयिष्यंति पर्यवाप्स्यंति योनिशश्च मनसिकरिष्यंति परेभ्यश्च विस्तरेण संप्रकाशयिष्यंति ते परिभूता भविष्यंति सुपरिभूताश्च भविष्यंति । तत्कस्य हेतोः । यानि च तेषां सुभूते सत्त्वानां पौर्वजन्मिकान्यशुभानि कर्माणि कृतान्यपायसंवर्तनीयानि दृष्ट एव धर्मे परिभूततया तानि पौर्वजन्मिकान्यशुभानि कर्माणि क्षपयिष्यंति बुद्धबोधिं चानुप्राप्स्यंति ॥
अभिजानाम्यहं सुभूते अतीतेऽध्वन्यसंख्येयैः कल्पैरसंख्येयतरैर्दीपंकरस्य तथागतस्यार्हतः सम्यक्संबुद्धस्य परेण परतरेण चतुरशीतिबुद्धकोटिनियुतशतसहस्राण्यभूवन्ये मयारागिता आराग्य न विरागिताः । यच्च मया सुभूते ते बुद्धा भगवंत आरागिता आराग्य न विरागिता यच्च पश्चिमे काले पश्चिमे समये पश्चिमायां पंचशत्यां सद्धर्मविप्रलोपकाले वर्तमाने इमानेवंरूपान्सूत्रांतानुद्गृहीष्यंति धारयिष्यंति वाचयिष्यंति पर्यवाप्स्यंति परेभ्यश्च विस्तरेण संप्रकाशयिष्यंति । अस्य खलु पुनः सुभूते पुण्यस्कंधस्यांतिकादसौ पौर्वकः पुण्यस्कंधः शततमीमपि कलां नोपैति सहस्रतमीमपि शतसहस्रतमीमपि कोटितमीमपि कोटिशततमीमपि कोटिसहस्रतमीमपि कोटिनियुतशतसहस्रतमीमपि संख्यामपि कलामपि गणनामप्युपमामप्युपनिषदमपि यावदौपम्यमपि न क्षमते ॥
सचेत्पुनः सुभूते तेषां कुलपुत्राणां कुलदुहितॄणां वाहं पुण्यस्कंधं भाषेयं यावत्ते कुलपुत्रा वा कुलदुहितरो वा तस्मिन्समये पुण्यस्कंधं प्रसविष्यंति प्रतिगृहीष्यंति उन्मादं सत्त्वा अनुप्राप्नुयुश्चित्तविक्षेपं वा गच्छेयुः । अपि तु खलु पुनः सुभूते अचिंत्योऽतुल्योऽयं धर्मपर्यायस्तथागतेन भाषितः । अस्याचिंत्य एव विपाकः प्रतिकांक्षितव्यः ॥१६॥
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Sanskrit of F. Max Müller’s 1881 Anecdota Oxoniensia edition, all 32 sections, with the printed section numbers kept.
"Moreover, Subhūti, the sons and daughters of good family who take up such a teaching, hold it, recite it, learn it, reflect on it rightly, and explain it widely to others will be reviled, will be utterly reviled. Why? Whatever evil karma they created in former lives, karma that would lead to the lower realms, will be exhausted in this life through the contempt they now meet. They will exhaust that karma and attain the awakening of the Buddhas."
"Subhūti, I recall that in countless and yet more countless aeons long past, before the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara, the Worthy, the Perfectly Awakened, I pleased eighty-four koṭis of niyutas of hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and having pleased them I never displeased them. Yet if in the last age, in the last five hundred years when the true teaching has declined, sons and daughters of good family take up such a teaching, hold it, recite it, learn it, and explain it widely to others, the merit of these later ones will far exceed my merit from those offerings. My merit would not come to a hundredth part of theirs, nor to a thousandth, nor to a hundred-thousandth, nor to a ten-millionth, nor to a hundred-koṭi part, nor to a thousand-koṭi part, nor to a hundred-thousand-niyuta-koṭi part, nor to any count, part, reckoning, comparison, or likeness at all."
"Subhūti, if I were to speak in full of the merit of such people, beings would go mad, or their minds would be thrown into confusion. This teaching, Subhūti, is inconceivable and incomparable, and its fruit is inconceivable too." [16]
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Sanskrit, covering all 32 sections with the printed section numbers.
"Subhūti, sons and daughters of good families who take up this teaching, keep it, recite it, learn it, think about it rightly, and explain it widely to others will be looked down on, and looked down on all the more. Why? Any evil deeds they did in past lives, deeds that would lead them to the lower worlds, will be used up in this life, because people look down on them now. Through this they will use up those old deeds and reach the awakening of the Buddhas."
"Subhūti, I remember that countless and more than countless ages ago, before the Tathāgata Dīpaṃkara, I honored and pleased eighty-four koṭis of niyutas of hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and having pleased them I never displeased them. But if, in the last age, in the last five hundred years when the true teaching has declined, sons and daughters of good families take up this teaching, keep it, recite it, learn it, and explain it widely, their merit would be far greater than mine from those offerings. My merit would not come to a hundredth of theirs, nor a thousandth, nor a hundred-thousandth, nor a ten-millionth, nor a hundred-millionth, nor a thousand-millionth, nor any part that can be counted or compared."
"Subhūti, if I told in full the merit of such people, beings would go mad, or their minds would be thrown into confusion. This teaching, Subhūti, cannot be imagined or compared, and what it brings is also beyond imagining." [16]
About this section
Section 16 is part of Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) by Unknown. This page sets the Sanskrit original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 16 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Buddhist tradition.
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