17. Free from the Egocentric Thought

17. Free from the Egocentric Thought ① Buddha! How should a bodhi-pursuer  vow, practice, and control his own mind? ② Subhuti! A bodhi-pursuer should vow the following in mind: ‘I will lead all sattvas to Nirvana.' ③ Thereafter he should lead all sattvas to Nirvana, and should be free from the thought (that) ‘I have led sattvas to Nirvana.’ ④ Subhuti! A bodhi-sattva, who thinks ego-centrically· human-centrically· sattva-centrically· life-centrically, can’t be said to be a true bodhi-sattva. ⑤ Subhuti! To be said to truly go on the way of bodhi-sattva, he should never think so. ⑥ Subhuti! What do you think? Did I think (that) ‘I shall attain the Utmost Right Enlightenment in the next life’ when I was with Buddha Dipankara? ⑦ No indeed, Buddha! To my understanding,  you did not think (that) ‘I shall attain the Utmost Right Enlightenment in the next life’ when you were with Buddha Dipankara. ⑧ Right, Subhuti! You are absolutely right! I never thought (that) ‘I shall attain the Utmost Right Enlightenment in the next life.’ ⑨ Subhuti! Buddha Dipankara would not have given me the prediction (that) “You will become Buddha Shakyamuni in the next life” if I had thought (that) ‘I shall attain  the Utmost Right Enlightenment in the next life.’ ⑩ Buddha Dipankara gave me the prediction (that) “You will become Buddha Shakyamuni in the next life” because I never thought (that) ‘I shall attain the Utmost Right Enlightenment in the next life.’ ⑪ Subhuti! A Buddha is one who is perfectly free from anything. ⑫ Subhuti! One, who says (that) I think (that) ‘I have attained the Utmost Right Enlightenment’，slanders me by being bound up with what is not there. ⑬ Subhuti! I am perfectly free from the thought (that) I have attained the Utmost Right Enlightenment.’ ⑭ Subhuti! I have truly attained the Utmost Right Enlightenment or the Buddha Dharmabecause I have attained the Utmost Right Enlightenment, am free from the thought (that) 'I have attained the Utmost Right Enlightenment’, and also free from the thought (that) ‘I am free.’ ⑮ Subhuti! To truly realize all Dharmas, one should realize them and should be free from the thought (that) ‘I have realized all Dharmas.' ⑯Subhuti! How about a great man. ⑰ Buddha! To be truly great, one should be great and should be free from the thought (that) ‘I am great.’  ⑱ Subhuti! It is the same with a bodhi-sattva. A bodhi-sattva, who thinks (that) ‘I have led sattvas to Nirvana’, can't be said to be a true bodhi-sattva.  ⑲ Subhuti! What do you think? Does a bodhi-sattva think (that) ‘I am a bodhi-sattva’? ⑳No indeed, Buddha! To be a true bodhi-sattva, he should be free from the thought. ㉑ Subhuti! To have truly led sattvas to Nirvana, one should lead them to Nirvana and should be free from the thought (that) ‘I have led sattvas to Nirvana.’ ㉒ A bodhi-sattva should never think ego-centrically· human-centrically· sattva-centrically· life-centrically. ㉓ Subhuti! A bodhi-sattva, who says (that) ‘I have adorned the world', can't be said to be a true bodhi-sattva. ㉔ To have truly adorned the world, one should adorn the world and should be free from the thought (that) ‘I have adorned the world.' ㉕ Subhuti! To be a true bodhi-sattva, one should never think ego-centrically.