须菩提白佛言:「世尊!颇有众生,得闻如是言说章句,生实信不?」佛告须菩提:「莫作是说!如来灭后,后五百岁,有持戒修福者,于此章句能生信心,以此为实,当知是人不于一佛二佛三四五佛而种善根,已于无量千万佛所种诸善根,闻是章句,乃至一念生净信者,须菩提!如来悉知悉见,是诸众生得如是无量福德。何以故?是诸众生无复我相、人相、众生相、寿者相;无法相,亦无非法相。」
逐句解释
颇有众生,得闻如是言说章句,生实信不?
须菩提听完「凡所有相,皆是虚妄」这样的教法,替我们提出了一个真实的疑问:世尊,真的会有众生听到这么深奥的话,能生起真正的信心吗?这个问题很人性化——它代表了每一个初次接触《金刚经》的人内心的困惑。
Will there truly be beings who hear these words and generate genuine faith?
Subhuti voices the doubt that every first-time reader of the Diamond Sutra likely feels. The teachings so far have been radical: give without attachment, all forms are illusion, no being is actually liberated. It all sounds deeply counterintuitive. Subhuti is not being faithless — he is asking on behalf of future generations, including us. The question is: is this accessible to ordinary people, or only to exceptional practitioners? The Buddha's answer is both reassuring and demanding.
如来灭后,后五百岁,有持戒修福者,于此章句能生信心
佛陀没有回避这个问题。他说:在我离世之后的遥远未来,仍然会有人——持守戒律、积累福德的人——在听到这些话时,能生起真正的信心。这「后五百岁」在佛教传统中代表一个末法时代,修行最艰难的时期。但即使在那时,仍有人能听懂。
After my passing, in a later age of five hundred years, those who keep precepts and cultivate merit will generate faith in these words
The Buddha does not dismiss the concern. He acknowledges that the time will come when the teaching is remote, difficult, and easily misunderstood. The 'five hundred years after' is a traditional reference to a degenerate age when the Dharma is in decline. And yet — the Buddha says — even then, those who have prepared themselves through ethical conduct and merit will be capable of genuine faith. Moral cultivation is presented not as the goal, but as the preparation: it purifies the mind enough to receive a teaching as radical as this one.
已于无量千万佛所种诸善根
佛陀说:能生起此信的人,不是偶然的——他们已经在无量无数的佛前种下了善根。这说明信心不是凭空而来的,而是长期修行、累积的结果。在大乘佛教中,修行的时间尺度是跨越无数世的,每一世的积累都有意义。
They have already planted roots of goodness before countless Buddhas
Faith in the Diamond Sutra's teaching is not a random event. The Buddha says these practitioners have accumulated good roots across innumerable lifetimes before countless Buddhas. This reveals the Mahayana understanding of time and karma: spiritual maturity is not the work of one lifetime. Every act of generosity, every moment of clarity, every ethical choice in all previous lives has been building toward the capacity to receive this teaching. Nothing is wasted. The person who reads these words and finds them resonating may be meeting an old friend.
是诸众生无复我相、人相、众生相、寿者相;无法相,亦无非法相
这句话加深了第三章的四相教义:能真正信受这教法的人,已经超越了四相,但还不够——他们连「法相」(执着于佛法本身是真实的)和「非法相」(执着于什么都不是真实的)都放下了。不执着于存在,也不执着于虚无。这是中道的精髓。
These beings are free from the marks of self, person, being, and lifespan — and also free from the mark of dharma and non-dharma
This is a significant deepening of the teaching. Beyond the four marks introduced in Chapter 3, the sutra now adds two more to release: 'dharma-mark' (法相) — clinging to the Buddhist teaching itself as a fixed truth — and 'non-dharma-mark' (非法相) — clinging to the idea that nothing is real. Both are traps. You can become attached to Buddhism, to emptiness, to the very idea of non-attachment. The sutra anticipates this and closes the loophole. Neither affirming nor negating — this is the Middle Way at its most precise.
总结 · Summary
第六章是《金刚经》的一个温柔转折——须菩提代表我们问:真的有人能相信这些话吗?佛陀的回答是:有,但不容易。能生起这种信心的人,已经在无数世的修行中种下了善根。而真正的信心,超越了对佛法的执着,也超越了对虚无的执着——不落两边,这才是中道。
Chapter 6 is a moment of human tenderness in the sutra: Subhuti asks on our behalf whether anyone can truly believe teachings this radical. The Buddha says yes — but only those who have built good roots across countless lifetimes. True faith means going beyond clinging to Buddhism as a fixed system, and also beyond the trap of nihilism. Neither grasping nor rejecting — this balance is the Middle Way, and it is rare.