Commentary on the Diamond Sutra: Why Did Subhuti Not Have the Thought "I Am a Desire-Free Arhat"?

Chapter Nine: The Single Mark and the Markless
Original Text: “World-Honored One, the Buddha says that I have attained the samadhi of non-contention, being foremost among humans, and that I am the foremost Arhat free from desire. I do not entertain the thought, ‘I am an Arhat free from desire.’ World-Honored One, if I were to entertain such a thought—‘I have attained the fruition of Arhatship’—then the World-Honored One would not say that Subhuti is one who delights in the practice of solitude. It is precisely because Subhuti has nothing to practice that he is called Subhuti, one who delights in the practice of solitude.”

Explanation: To demonstrate that an Arhat has no thought of being an Arhat, Subhuti said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, the Buddha says I have attained the samadhi of non-contention, being foremost among humans, the foremost Arhat free from desire. Yet I do not give rise to such a thought, believing myself to be an Arhat free from desire. World-Honored One, if I were to entertain such a thought—‘I have attained the fruition of Arhatship’—then you, World-Honored One, would not say that Subhuti is one who delights in the practice of solitude. It is because Subhuti’s mind is empty and without action that he is called Subhuti, one who delights in the practice of solitude.”

Subhuti is also known as “Born of Emptiness,” as he constantly perceives the emptiness and stillness of the world. Having attained the samadhi of non-contention, he never disputes with worldly people. Whatever worldly people say—east, south, west, or north—he agrees, for to him, all worldly speech is empty, rendering disputes over superiority, inferiority, length, or brevity unnecessary. Subhuti harbors no desires or thoughts toward the world; his mind is empty, markless, wishless, and actionless. He is the foremost Arhat free from desire among humans, yet Subhuti has never had the thought “I am an Arhat free from desire,” nor does he proclaim himself as such. He does not cling to the notion of self or to the notion of being an Arhat, for to do so would make him an ordinary person attached to marks, and the World-Honored One would not then say that Subhuti delights in the practice of solitude. It is precisely because Subhuti’s mind is perpetually empty and still, free from desire and seeking, that the World-Honored One praises him as one who delights in the practice of solitude.

Ordinary people, in contrast to Subhuti, enjoy boasting and promoting themselves everywhere, regardless of whether their claims hold truth. They relish disputes, seeking attention, admiration, and worship, striving to stand out. In essence, they seek to promote themselves, craving recognition from the world to satisfy their sense of self. This is the mark of an ordinary person. Without the notion of self, ordinary people feel incapable; they live constantly within the four marks of self, which serve as their lifelong spiritual sustenance, indispensable to them. When this “self” is suppressed, it feels like a fish out of water. Ultimately, whether one possesses the Way or not is revealed through actions; conduct of body, speech, and mind most clearly reflects a person’s level of thought and wisdom.

The Fourth Fruit Arhat has not only eradicated the view of self but also severed all attachment to the self. The mental faculty’s craving and clinging to the five aggregates of self are utterly exhausted; self-conceit is extinguished, leaving the mind completely devoid of “I.” Since there is no “I,” there is no inclination to dispute superiority, inferiority, right, wrong, length, or strength with others. The mind becomes still and cool—this is the samadhi of non-contention. Subhuti is the most non-contentious, the most tranquil, and the most accommodating toward people and events.

Freedom from desire means departing from all kinds of desires, all hopes and cravings of the desire realm, primarily sexual desire, including wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, sleep, and the six dusts of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma. After attaining the First Fruit, one develops the first dhyāna, and the realm of form manifests. Body and mind experience supreme bliss, as this joy far surpasses all pleasures of the desire realm, including sexual pleasure. Thus, one no longer delights in sexual desire, the five dusts of the desire realm, or wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, and sleep. Desire is then severed. Upon further eradicating anger, the five lower fetters are completely cut, and one becomes a Third Fruit practitioner. The Fourth Fruit Arhat, then, is even more free from desire.

Subhuti’s freedom from desire is the most thorough; he is the foremost person free from desire. Yet Subhuti has no thought of “I am an Arhat free from desire.” If he had such a thought, he would possess a “self” and the notion of “freedom from desire,” causing his mind to become unquiet and impure. Then, the World-Honored One would not say that Subhuti delights in the practice of solitude. It is precisely because Subhuti’s mind is free from affairs, desireless and actionless, and because he regards all dharmas within the eighteen realms as empty, perceiving all actions as empty, that Subhuti has nothing to practice. Within empty, illusory dharmas, there is nothing to be done; all actions are empty, without substance. Thus, Subhuti is truly one who delights in the practice of solitude—a practitioner of non-action.