Nineteen

"Subhuti, what do you think---if someone were to fill the universe with precious substances to use for giving in charity, would this person gain many blessing because of this?"

"Yes, World Honored One. This person would gain very many belsings because of this."

"Subhuti, if blessings had substance, the Realized One would not say that many blessings are gained. Because blessings are nonexistent, therefore the Realized One says many blessings are gained." [Translation by Thomas Cleary]

[This section omitted from Pritikin]

"Subhuti, what do you think? If some noble son or daughter filled the billion worlds of this universe with the seven jewels and gave them all as a gift to the tathagatas, the arhans, the fully-enlightened ones, would the body of merit produced as a result by that noble son or daughter be great?"

Subhuti replied, "Great, indeed, Bhagavan. It would be great Sugata."

The Buddha said, "So it would, Subhuti. So it would. The body of merit produced as a result by that noble son or daughter would be immeasurably, infinitely great. And how so? A body of merit, Subhuti, a `body of merit' is spoken of by the Tathagata as no body. Thus is it called a `body of merit.' Subhuti, if there were a body of merit, the Tathagata would not have spoken of a body of merit as a `body of merit.'" [Translation by Red Pine]