Six

This having been said, the venerable Subhuti asked the Buddha, "Bhagavan, will there be any beings in the future, in the final epoch, in the final period, in the final five hundred years of the dharma-ending age, who give perception to the truth of the words spoken here?"

The Buddha said, "Subhuti, do not ask, `Will there be any beings in the future, in the final epoch, in the final period, in hte final five hundred years of the dharma-ending age, who give birth to a perception of the truth of the words of a sutra such as that spoken here?' Surely, Subhuti, in the future, in the final epoch, in the final period, in the final five hundred years of the dharma-ending age, there will be fearless bodhisattvas who are capable, virtuous, and wise who give birth to a perception of the truth of the words of a sutra such as that spoken here.

"Indeed, Subhuti, such fearless bodhisattvas will have honored not just one buddha, and they will have planted auspicious roots before not just one buddha. Surely, Subhuti, such fearless bodhisattvas will have honored countless hundreds and thousands of buddhas, and they will have planted auspicious roots before countless hundreds and thousands of buddhas. In the words of a sutra such as that spoken here, they are sure to gain perfect clarity of mind. The Tathagata knows them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha knowledge. And the Tathagata sees them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha vision. The Tathagata is aware of them, Subhuti. For they all produce and receive a measureless, infinite body of merit.

"And how so? Because, Subhuti, these fearless Bodhisattvas do not create the perception of a self. Nor do they create the perception of a being, a life or a soul. Nor Subhuti, do these fearless bodhisattvas create the perception of a dharma, much less the perception of no dharma. Subhuti, they do not create a perception, nor no perception.

"And why not? Because, Subhuti, if these fearless Bodhisattvas created the perception of a dharma, they would be attached to a self, a being, a life, and a soul. Likewise, if they created the perception of no dharma, they would be attached to a self, a being, a life, and a soul.

"And why not? Because surely, Subhuti, fearless bodhisattvas do not cling to a dharma, much less to no dharma. This is the meaning behind the Tathagata's saying, 'A dharma teaching is like a raft. If you should let go of dharmas, how much more so no dharmas.'" [Red Pine]

Subhuti then asked Buddha: "In the future, in the last five centuries when the way is obscured, will any beings understand the truth of these teachings?"

Buddha answered: "Do not say this, Subhuti! Even then, in the remote future, there will be beings who will understand the truth when there words are taught. There will even then be Bodhisattvas meritorious in conduct, practiced in virtue and full of wisdom who will understand the truth when they hear these teachings. Such Bodhisattvas, Subhuti, will not have honored just one Buddha alone, nor will they have rooted their merit under just one Buddha. Rather, these Bodhisattvas, who will have serene faith awakened upon hearing the words of this teaching, will have honored and rooted themselves in merit under countless buddhas. They are known to the Tathagata through his buddha-thought; they are seen by the Tathagata by his buddha-eye. Hence they are fully known to the Tathagata, and they will all acquire and produce inestimable merit.

"And why? Because, Subhuti, these Bodhisattvas will have no perception of an egotistic self, neither of a separate entity nor of a soul, no perception of a personality. Nor will they even have a perception of dharma or a dharma, for in them there will be neither perception nor non-perception.

"How can this be? If these Bodhisattvas, Subhuti, should perceive either dharma or a dharma, they would think of an ego, a separate entity, a soul or a personality. Therefore the Tathagata has taught this saying with a hidden meaning: 'Those who know that the teachings about dharma are like a raft, should renounce dharma, even more, renounce adharma.'"[Joushua Pritikin]

Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, will anyone who gets to hear this exposition develop genuine faith?"

Buddha told Subhuti, "Don't talk that way. In the last five hundred years after the death of the Realized One, there will be those who keep the precepts and do good deeds who will be capable of conceiving belief in this exposition, considering it to be true. You should know that these people will have planted roots of goodness, not with one, two, three, four or five buddhas, but with infinite thousands of myriads of buddhas. They will conceive pure belief on hearing this exposition for even a moment.

"Subhuti, the Realized One knows and sees all those beings attaining infinite belessings this way. Why? These beings have no more image of self, image of a person, image of a being, or image of a liver of life. They have no image of truth, and no image of nontruth either.

"Why? If these beings minds grasped at appearances, they would be attached to a self, person, being, and liver of life. If they grapsed at an image of truth, they would be attached to a self, person, being, and liver of life. Why? If they grasped at an image of nontruth, they would be attached to a self, person, being, and liver of life.

"Therefore, you should not grasp at truth and not grasp at untruth. In this sense the Realized One always says you mendicants know the truth I teach is like a raft; even the truth is to be relinquished, let alone non-truth."[Thomas Cleary]