Section 8
Original Sanskrit
भगवानाह । तत्किं मन्यसे सुभूते यः कश्चित्कुलपुत्रो वा कुलदुहिता वेमं त्रिसाहस्रमहासाहस्रं लोकधातुं सप्तरत्नपरिपूर्णं कृत्वा तथागतेभ्योऽर्हद्भ्यः सम्यक्संबुद्धेभ्यो दानं दद्यात् । अपि नु स कुलपुत्रो वा कुलदुहिता वा ततो निदानं बहु पुण्यस्कंधं प्रसुनुयात् । सुभूतिराह । बहु भगवन् बहु सुगत स कुलपुत्रो वा कुलदुहिता वा ततो निदानं पुण्यस्कंधं प्रसुनुयात् । तत्कस्य हेतोः । योऽसौ भगवन्पुण्यस्कंधस्तथागतेन भाषितः अस्कंधः स तथागतेन भाषितः । तस्मात्तथागतो भाषते पुण्यस्कंधः पुण्यस्कंध इति । भगवानाह । यश्च खलु पुनः सुभूते कुलपुत्रो वा कुलदुहिता वेमं त्रिसाहस्रमहासाहस्रं लोकधातुं सप्तरत्नपरिपूर्णं कृत्वा तथागतेभ्योऽर्हद्भ्यः सम्यक्संबुद्धेभ्यो दानं दद्यात् यश्चेतो धर्मपर्यायादंतशश्चतुष्पादिकामपि गाथामुद्गृह्य परेभ्यो विस्तरेण देशयेत्संप्रकाशयेदयमेव ततो निदानं बहुतरं पुण्यस्कंधं प्रसुनुयादप्रमेयमसंख्येयं । तत्कस्य हेतोः । अतो निर्जाता हि सुभूते तथागतानामर्हतां सम्यक्संबुद्धानामनुत्तरा सम्यक्संबोधिरतो निर्जाताश्च बुद्धा भगवंतः । तत्कस्य हेतोः । बुद्धधर्मा बुद्धधर्मा इति सुभूतेऽबुद्धधर्माश्चैव ते तथागतेन भाषिताः । तेनोच्यंते बुद्धधर्मा इति ॥८॥
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.
The Blessed One said to him: "What do you think, Subhūti? If a son or daughter of good family were to fill this threefold thousand-great-thousand world-system with the seven treasures, and give them as an offering to the Tathāgatas, the Worthy, the Perfectly Awakened, would that son or daughter gain much merit from it?" Subhūti answered: "Much, Blessed One, much, Sugata. That son or daughter would gain much merit. Why? The heap of merit the Blessed One has spoken of is no heap; the Tathāgata has said so, and therefore he speaks of a heap of merit." The Blessed One said: "Moreover, Subhūti, if a son or daughter of good family filled this threefold thousand-great-thousand world-system with the seven treasures and gave them as an offering to the Tathāgatas, the Worthy, the Perfectly Awakened, and if someone took up even a four-line verse of this teaching and taught it to others in full, the merit of that one would be far greater, immeasurable and countless. Why? All the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, and the supreme perfect awakening of the Buddhas arise from this teaching. Why? Subhūti, the Buddha-dharmas the Tathāgata has spoken of are no Buddha-dharmas; therefore they are called Buddha-dharmas." [8]
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.
The Buddha said: "What do you think, Subhūti? Suppose a good man or woman filled a world as large as three thousand great thousands with the seven treasures, and gave them to the Tathāgatas, the Worthy, the Fully Awakened Ones. Would that person gain a great deal of merit from this?" Subhūti said: "Yes, Blessed One, a great deal. That person would gain a great deal of merit. Why? The heap of merit the Blessed One spoke of is no heap; the Tathāgata has said so, and that is why he calls it a heap of merit." The Buddha said: "Now suppose a good man or woman fills a world as large as three thousand great thousands with the seven treasures and gives them to the Tathāgatas, the Worthy, the Fully Awakened Ones, and suppose someone takes up even four lines of this teaching and explains them to others in full. That person's merit would be far greater, and it could not be counted. Why? All the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, and the full awakening of the Buddhas come from this teaching. The Buddha-teachings the Tathāgata spoke of are not really Buddha-teachings. That is why they are called Buddha-teachings." [8]
About this section
Section 8 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 8 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Buddhist tradition.
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