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The Venerable Subhuti replied: “As far as I have understood the Lord Buddha’s teaching, there is no independently existing object of mind called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, nor is there any independent existing teaching that the Tathagata gives. Why? The teachings that the Tathagata has realised and spoken of cannot be conceived of as separate, independent existences and therefore cannot be described. The Tathagata’s teaching is not self-existent nor is it nonself-existent. ”

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At that time,  the Venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha,  “World-Honoured One, may I ask you again that if daughters or sons of good family want to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled,  awakened mind, what should they rely on and what should they do to master their thinking? 

The Buddha replied, “Subhuti,  a good son or daughter who wants to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind should do it in this way: ‘We must lead all beings to the shore of awakening,  but,  after these beings have become liberated, we do not, in truth, think that a single being has been liberated. Why is this so? Subhuti, if a bodhisattva is still caught up in the idea of self,  a person, a living being or a life span,  that person is not an authentic bodhisattva. Why is that? 

Subhuti, in fact, there is no independently existing object of mind called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. What do you think, Subhuti? In ancient times, did he attain anything called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind? 

No, World-Honoured One. According to what I understand from the teachings  of the Buddha, there is no attaining of anything called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. 

The Buddha said, “Right you are, Subhuti. In fact, there does not exist the so-calked highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind that the Tathagata attains. [.. ]  Why? Tathagata means the suchness of all things (dharmas). Someone would be mistaken to say that the Tathagata has attained the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind to be attained. Subhuti, the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind that the Tathagata has attained is neither graspable nor elusive. That is why the Tathagata has said”All dharmas are Buddhadharma”. What are called dharmas are, in fact, not all dharmas. That is why they are called dharmas.