འཕགས་པ་ཆས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡད་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 7.16

7.16

What were you thinking of when you said ‘become a buddha’?”

“Child of good family,” replied Subhūti, “the conventions used by the Blessed One’s śrāvakas are the same conventions used in the world.”

“Honorable Subhūti, noble ones do not use worldly conventions,” countered Nirārambha. “Why? The conventions of the noble ones are true, while worldly conventions are false. Therefore, honorable Subhūti, it is not appropriate to speak to noble ones using false worldly conventions. Honorable Subhūti, worldly beings should be protected, but they are scared of the ultimate. Noble ones therefore compassionately set aside the authentic truth and use false conventions with foolish beings. They are not appropriate for noble ones. Noble ones take joy in the authentic truth, and therefore speak the truth with noble ones. What is the truth of the noble ones? Honorable Subhūti, complete awakening is the truth of the noble ones. All phenomena have the nature of awakening. This is the truth of the noble ones.”

Subhūti then asked, “Child of good family, is the truth of the noble ones not the four truths—the truth of suffering, the truth of origin, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the path?”

The bodhisattva Nirārambha replied, “Honorable Subhūti, is suffering not compounded?”

“That is correct, suffering is compounded,” said Subhūti.

The bodhisattva Nirārambha then asked, “Honorable Subhūti, did not the Blessed One say that anything compounded is a false and deceptive phenomenon?”

“So he did, child of good family,” replied Subhūti.

The bodhisattva Nirārambha then asked, “If suffering is compounded and thus false, what makes you think suffering is a truth of the noble ones?”

“Child of good family,” replied Subhūti, “suffering is compounded and thus false.