Subhuti, does it occur to you that I believe that through me living beings are led to liberation? Never think that way, Subhuti. Why? Because there is no separate being to lead to liberation. If I were to think there was, I would be caught in the notion of a self or person or a life

Subhuti, what I call a self is essentially not a self in the way that an ordinary person thinks of it. But neither do I think of anyone as an ordinary person. However, knowing the essence, I can use the name, ordinary person.

The Diamond Sutra (2nd C. CE-), The Diamond Sutra is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra from the genre of 'perfection of wisdom' sutras. The Diamond Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras in East Asia especially within the Chan (or Zen) tradition. It contains the discourse of the Buddha to a senior monk, Subhuti. Its major themes are giving without attachment to self, liberating beings without notions of self and other, living without attachment, and cultivating without attainment.