25 - The Illusion of Ego

Subhūti, what do you think? Let no one say the Tathāgata cherishes the idea "I must liberate all living beings." Allow no such thought, Subhūti. Wherefore? Because in reality there are no living beings to be liberated by the Tathāgata. if there were living beings for the Tathāgata to liberate, he would partake in the idea of selfhood, personality, ego entity, and separate individuality.

Subhūti, though the common people accept ego-ity as reality, the Tathāgata declares that ego is not different from non-ego. Subhūti, those whom the Tathāgata referred to as "common people" are not really common people; such is merely a name.