福智無比分第二十四
須菩提,若三千大千世界中,所有諸須彌山王,如是等七寶聚,有人持用布施。若人以此般若波羅蜜經,乃至四句偈等,受持讀誦,為他人說,於前福德百分不及一,百千萬億分,乃至算數譬喻所不能及。
My translation of chapter 24 of Diamond Sutra: Merit and Wisdom incomparable
Subhuti, if one uses all precious things from all physical worlds including all highest mountains and treasures as alms, and if one uses this Diamond Sutra, or its essential verses etc for recitation and teach others, the former's Merit will only be less than 1/100, or 1/billions, or smallest as mathematics can't even count.
Paul's comment: the Buddha stressed the in-comparability of physical means to help the sufferings of sentient beings and wisdom's way to help such sufferings. It is interesting to note that the Buddha didn't neglect the need of reducing people's physical sufferings (though at the same time physical suffering of a monk or Buddhist can serve as part of the Enlightenment process). The Buddha only said that the alleviation of physical sufferings is not enough, and in typical Buddha style of presentation, he stressed the importance of the ultimate wisdom enlightenment as incomparable, using the concept of mathematical infinity!
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