2024년 11월 30일(토)_금강경 Chapter 30

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제 30 · 일합이상一合理相 | 하나로 합한 이치

Section 30: The principle of the unity of appearances

Chapter 30. Oneness of Natural Law

"Subhuti, what do you think? If a virtuous man or woman were to grind the 3,000 grand thousand worlds to dust particles, would there be many particles?" Subhuti replied, "World Honoured One, there would be many indeed. Why? If the dust particles were a real substance, the Buddha would not have called them dust particles. Why? What the Buddha calls dust particles are not dust particles. They are called dust particles."

"World Honoured One, what the Tathagata calls the 3,000 grand thousand worlds are not worlds, but are called worlds. Why? Should the worlds be real, they ought to be one compounded feature. That which the Tathagata calls one compounded feature is not one compounded feature. It is called one compounded feature."

"Subhuti, the one compounded feature is not describable. It may only become the work of greed and attachment by ordinary people."

<30> 一合理相

The integral Principle

Subhuti, if a good man or a good woman ground an infinite number of galaxies of worlds to dust, would the resulting minute particles be many? Subhuti replied: Many indeed, World-honoured One! Wherefore? Because if such were really minute particles Buddha would not have spoken of them as minute particles. For as to this, Buddha has declared that they are not really such. "Minute particles" is just the name given to them. Also, World-honoured One, when the Tathagata speaks of galaxies of worlds these are not worlds; for if reality could be predicted of a world it would be a self-existent cosmos and the Tathagata teaches that there is really no such thing. "Cosmos" is merely a figure of speech. 〔Then Buddha said〕: Subhuti, words cannot explain the real nature of a cosmos. Only common people fettered with desire make use of this arbitrary method.

Chapter 30. 일합이상분一合理相 | 하나로 합한 이치

The lord Buddha resumed: "Subhuti, if any good person, either man or woman, were to take 3,000 galaxies and grind them into microscopic powder and blow it into space, what do you think, would this powder have any individual existence?" "Subhuti replied, "Yes, lord, as a microscopic powder blown into space, it might be said to have a relative existence, but as you use words, it has no existence. The words are used only as a figure of speech. Otherwise the words would imply a belief in the existence of matter as an independent and self-existent thing, which it is not." "Furthermore, when the Most Honored One refers to the '3,000 galaxies,' he could only do so as a figure of speech. Why? Because if the 3,000 galaxies really existed, their only reality would consist in their cosmic unity. Whether as microscopic powder or as galaxies, what does it matter? Only in the sense of the cosmic unity of ultimate being can the Buddha rightfully refer to it." The lord Buddha was very pleased with this reply and said: "Subhuti, although ordinary people have always grasped after an arbitrary conception of matter and galaxies, the concept has no true basis; it is an illusion of the mortal mind. Even when it is referred to as 'cosmic unity' it is unthinkable and unknowable."