时，长老须菩提在大众中即从座起，偏袒右肩，右膝著地，合掌恭敬而白佛言："希有！世尊！如来善护念诸菩萨，善付嘱诸菩萨。世尊！善男子、善女人，发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心，应云何住？云何降伏其心？"佛言："善哉，善哉。须菩提！如汝所说，如来善护念诸菩萨，善付嘱诸菩萨。汝今谛听！当为汝说：善男子、善女人，发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心，应如是住，如是降伏其心。""唯然，世尊！愿乐欲闻。"
逐句解释
须菩提在大众中即从座起，偏袒右肩，右膝著地，合掌恭敬
须菩提是佛陀弟子中「解空第一」的尊者，最深刻理解「空」的道理。他从座位上站起来，以传统的礼敬姿势向佛陀提问——右肩袒露、右膝跪地、双手合十。这是古印度表示最高尊敬的方式。
The Elder Subhuti rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, and joined his palms respectfully
Subhuti is not just any disciple. He is regarded as foremost among the Buddha's students in understanding emptiness (空) — which makes him the perfect person to ask the question that opens this sutra. The gesture he makes — right shoulder bared, right knee on the ground, palms together — is the traditional Indian form of supreme respect, still recognisable in Buddhist practice today. The physical act of reverence before asking a question is itself significant: it signals that what follows is not casual curiosity, but a genuine, wholehearted inquiry.
希有！世尊！如来善护念诸菩萨，善付嘱诸菩萨
须菩提先赞叹佛陀，说如来非常善于关怀、保护和引导菩萨们。「如来」是佛陀的称号之一，意思是「如此而来，如此而去」——来去自然，没有执着。这句赞叹不是客套话，而是为后面的提问铺垫。
How rare, World-Honoured One! The Tathagata guards and protects all bodhisattvas with great care, and entrusts them with great kindness
Subhuti opens with praise, but it is pointed praise. "Tathagata" (如来) is one of the most important titles for the Buddha — it means "thus-come" or "thus-gone," pointing to the Buddha's nature as someone who has moved beyond all conditions and concepts, yet remains present. By acknowledging that the Buddha "guards and entrusts" bodhisattvas, Subhuti is setting up his question: since you care so deeply for those on the path, please tell us — how should they practise? The compliment is a door into the teaching.
发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心
「阿耨多罗三藐三菩提」是梵文，译为「无上正等正觉」，就是最圆满、最究竟的觉悟。「发心」是指下定决心、生起这个愿望。这不只是立个人目标，而是发誓要为所有众生证得这种智慧。
Arousing the aspiration for anuttara-samyak-sambodhi — unsurpassed complete enlightenment
This Sanskrit term — anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (阿耨多罗三藐三菩提) — translates as "unsurpassed, perfectly complete enlightenment." It is the highest possible goal in Mahayana Buddhism: not just personal liberation, but the full, unconditional awakening of a Buddha. "Arousing" this aspiration (发心) means generating the sincere intention to attain this enlightenment — not for oneself alone, but for the benefit of all beings. This aspiration is called bodhicitta (菩提心) and is considered the very foundation of the Mahayana path. Subhuti's question is: once someone has made this extraordinary commitment, how do they actually live it?
应云何住？云何降伏其心？
这是整部《金刚经》的核心问题，分两层：第一，心应该安住在哪里？第二，当妄念生起时，怎么降伏它？这两个问题，佛陀用了三十二章来回答。简单说，答案是：不要执着任何一个「住处」，妄念也不必强行压制，而是看清它的空性。
How should one abide? How should one subdue the mind?
These two questions are the engine that drives the entire Diamond Sutra. They are deceptively simple. "How should one abide?" asks: where does the mind rest? What should it hold onto? What is its proper home? "How should one subdue the mind?" asks: when distractions, doubts, desires, and fears arise, what do you do with them? The Buddha's answer — developed across the remaining 30 chapters — is essentially this: you should not try to "park" the mind on any fixed object or idea, and you should not fight mental disturbances by force. Instead, you see through the illusion that there was ever a solid "mind" to subdue or a fixed place to rest. The question points to a problem; the teaching dissolves it.
佛言：「善哉，善哉！……汝今谛听！当为汝说。」须菩提：「唯然，世尊！愿乐欲闻。」
佛陀连说两声「善哉」——好啊，好啊！——肯定须菩提问出了真正重要的问题。然后说：你仔细听，我来告诉你。须菩提答：是的，世尊，我们都很愿意听。这段简短的对话，充满人情味——是一场真实的、充满期待的师生交流。
"Excellent, excellent!" said the Buddha. "Listen carefully, I will explain." Subhuti replied: "Yes, World-Honoured One, we are eager to hear."
The Buddha's double "excellent!" (善哉，善哉) is warm and emphatic. In the sutras, this is a sign that a truly important question has been asked — one that the Buddha is genuinely pleased to answer. He then says, simply: listen carefully. Subhuti's reply on behalf of the assembly — "we are eager to hear" — is a moment of pure openness, a collective leaning-in. The exchange captures something true about good teaching: the question matters as much as the answer. A great question creates the space for a great teaching. The rest of the Diamond Sutra flows from this moment of genuine, respectful asking.
总结 · Summary
第二章是整部《金刚经》的提问。须菩提代表所有修行者，向佛陀提出两个最核心的问题：心应该安住在哪里？妄念生起时，该怎么降伏？这两个问题，就像打开了一扇门——接下来三十章的所有教法，都是佛陀对这两个问题的回答。
Chapter 2 is the question that unlocks the whole sutra. Subhuti, speaking for all practitioners, asks the Buddha two things: where should the mind rest, and how should it handle what arises? The Buddha praises the question warmly and promises to answer. Everything that follows across 30 chapters is that answer. This chapter is a masterclass in how to ask: with respect, with genuine urgency, on behalf of others, and with total readiness to listen.