
‘And why, O Subhūti, the name of Tathāgata? It expresses true suchness.
And why Tathāgata, O Subhūti? It expresses that he had no origin.
And why Tathāgata, O Subhūti? It expresses the destruction of all qualities.
And why Tathāgata, O Subhūti? It expresses one who had no origin whatever.
And why this? Because, O Subhūti, no-origin is the highest goal.
‘And whosoever, O Subhūti, should say that, by the holy and fully enlightened Tathāgata, the highest perfect knowledge has been known, he would speak an untruth, and would slander me, O Subhūti, with some untruth that he has learned.

And why? Because there is no such thing, O Subhūti, as has been known by the Tathāgata with regard to the highest perfect knowledge. And in that, O Subhūti, which has been known and taught by the Tathāgata, there is neither truth nor falsehood.
Therefore, the Tathāgata preaches: “All things are Buddha-things.” And why? Because what was preached by the Tathāgata, O Subhūti, as all things, that was preached as no-things; and therefore all things are called Buddha-things.
The Vagrakkhedika or diamond-cutter (Diamond Sutra),
in Buddhist Mahayana Texts (Sacred Books of the East), F. Max Muller
Oxford University Press 1894
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Categories: Art, Buddhism, Encyclopedia, Foundations of Buddhism, Mahayana
Is Buddhism now sure about Muller’s right understanding of that text?
Am not a Sanskrit scholar, however the meaning is very direct and insightful.
‘And why, O Subhūti, the name of Tathāgata? It expresses true suchness.
And why Tathāgata, O Subhūti? It expresses that he had no origin.
And why Tathāgata, O Subhūti? It expresses the destruction of all qualities.
And why Tathāgata, O Subhūti? It expresses one who had no origin whatever.
And why this? Because, O Subhūti, no-origin is the highest goal.
Expresses the meaning of the Buddha calling himself the Tathāgata.
If you wish to go deeper in to the Prajnaparamita Texts I recommenced, Perfect Wisdom, Translated by Edward Conze
There is also the wonderful The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom: With the Divisions of the Abhisamayalankara also Translated by Edward Conze.
Good luck with as the Buddha puts it: ‘the mark of no mark’.
R
Lovely. Thank you. I always thought it was the Vajrachchedikaprajnaparamita Sutra, or the Vajrachchedika (Diamond Cutting) Sutra.
Max Muller used ‘The Vagrakkhedika or diamond-cutter’ in 1894. Wonder if they were still formulating the Romanising of Sanskrit?
R