I found out after doing a line by line comparison that translating with ChatGPT's o1 model is better than using o3-mini-high as the former is a larger model. (Looking forward to testing translation with the larger o3 model). "O1 is a larger model, o3 mini high is a faster smaller model. If you need broad knowledge o1. if you have domain specific stuff that you will feed the model, if you need a smarter but less knowledgeable model, or latency is an issue, o3." - https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTPro/comments/1in3ltu/o1_vs_o3minihigh/

If I recall correctly, the following excerpt comes from a commentary given by Venerable Huilu on Diamond Sutra in 2004.

Author/Teacher: Venerable Huilu (慧律法师)

Title of the Text: “All Appearances Are the Reality/True Nature” (《凡所有相，统统是实相》)

Paragraph 1

English Translation:

“All Appearances Are the True Appearance

Venerable Huilu”

Original Text:

“ 凡所有相，统统是实相

慧律法师 

”

Paragraph 2

English Translation:

“You must pay close attention to this analogy. The key to awakening lies in the concepts of permanence and impermanence—this is the crucial point. I will use an analogy: for example, there is a large mirror behind me. We have cars driving back and forth, and people walking back and forth. Does this mirror see appearances? It does. But if you walk up to the mirror and try to touch what you see, can you touch it? You cannot.”

Original Text:

“这个比喻要注意听，开悟的关键、常跟无常这个观念，这个就是关键。我用一个比喻：譬如我后面是一面大镜子，我们这个汽车开过来、开过去，人走过来、走过去，这个镜子有没有看到相？看得到。你走近这个镜子摸摸看，摸得到吗？没有。”

Paragraph 3

English Translation:

“Our pure self-nature is exactly like this. From immeasurable eons ago, our pure self-nature has been the original Tathāgatagarbha, the wondrous true suchness, never having increased or decreased, never arising or ceasing. Arising, ceasing, increasing, and decreasing are all called appearances. Do you understand? In its very essence it is empty; that is the nature.”

Original Text:

“我们的清净自性就是这个样子，我们的清静自性从无量劫就是本如来藏、妙真如性，从来不增从来不减，从来不生，从来不灭。生、灭、增、减统统叫作相，知道吗？当体即空，就是性。”

Paragraph 4

English Translation:

“Alright! Let us continue to discuss permanence and impermanence. Observe how the reflections in the mirror keep increasing and decreasing—cars drive back and forth… Standing in front of the mirror, can you see the cars going back and forth? Arising, ceasing, increasing, decreasing—this is impermanence, do you understand? Impermanence is reflected in that mirror. Can you actually touch the fundamental essence of the mirror? You cannot touch an appearance. Everyone present! Sentient beings perceive it incorrectly, mistaking these illusory appearances for something eternal. Because what they rely on is mistaken, one day their hopes will be shattered, and they will suffer precisely because they pursue something mistaken: they only see appearances, yet do not see the fundamental essence.”

Original Text:

“好！再来讨论常跟无常，你看这个镜子相一直增增减减，车子开来开去……你在这个镜子前面看得到车子开来开去吗？生、灭、增、减，这个就是无常知道吗？无常映现到这个镜子的里面，镜子的本体摸得到吗？摸不到相。在座诸位！众生就是看错了！把这个假相误为永恒。因为依靠的东西错误，有一天他的理想会破灭、会痛苦，正因为他追求错误的东西，因为他只看到有相，没有看到本体。”

Paragraph 5

English Translation:

“If we can also realize that all dharmas, when they undergo transformation, ultimately end in emptiness, let me tell you: the starting point is the end point, and the end point is the starting point.”

Original Text:

“如果我们也能够体悟，一切法变化到最后的结果就是空。我告诉你，起点就是终点，终点就是起点。”

Paragraph 6

English Translation:

“Alright! With this analogy, there is still a ‘that which can reflect’ and ‘that which is reflected.’ However, pure self-nature is not like this—this is just an expedient way of speaking. In terms of appearances, we say impermanence; in terms of the unchanging fundamental essence, we say permanence. Conversely, is the mirror’s essence really permanent? No, because the appearances within it are constantly changing. Then is it impermanent? Also no, because impermanence in its very essence is empty; it is the same empty nature shared by heaven and earth and all things. Impermanence in its very essence is empty—this is the eternal. Therefore, there is no fixed notion of impermanence. Impermanence is simply an appearance revealed by the ultimately pure self-nature, and all appearances revealed by pure self-nature are entirely unobtainable. Sentient beings become deluded and confused by these illusory appearances manifested by this pure self-nature. This is called deluded thinking, inverted views, and attachment. When one’s original Tathāgatagarbha, the wondrous true suchness, is stirred by a thought, one forgets, and thus cannot restore the original state of this pure self-nature.”

Original Text:

“好！用这个比喻还是有一个能照一个所照，清净自性不是这样，那是方便说。在相上运作，我们说无常，在本体的不变，我们说是常；反过来，镜体是常吗？不对，因为里面相一直在变化；难道是无常吗？不对，无常当体即空，就是天地万物同一空性，无常当体即空，就是永恒。所以没有一定的无常，无常就是毕竟清净的自性展露出来的相，所有清净自性展露出来的相完全不可得，众生就是在这个清净自性所影现出来的假相迷惑、颠倒，叫作妄想、颠倒、执着。本如来藏、妙真如性，动到念头，忘了，没有办法恢复原来这个样子，清净自性。”

Paragraph 7

English Translation:

“So, proceeding step by step to discuss permanence and impermanence, be aware that these are expedient expressions. The pure self-nature is signless, yet it can still function! Now, from the standpoint of ordinary beings, when we see impermanence, we find it troublesome, right? Then, we realize there is a permanent pure self-nature—this is from the ordinary person’s viewpoint. Impermanence in its very essence is empty, meaning there is a pure self-nature. From the perspective of a sage, someone with great and complete awakening, this permanent pure self-nature can exercise great wisdom in this impermanent world. All its activities embody the eternally abiding great wisdom, namely permanence, bliss, self, and purity. The constancy of pure self-nature manifests within an impermanent world. This is called ‘depending on the essence to initiate function’—the great function is revealed. The Buddha-nature is impermanent, so it can give rise to function.”

Original Text:

“所以说，再一步一步来讨论，讲常跟无常，注意那个是方便说，清静的自性是无相，可是它能起作用啊！好，现在站在凡夫的角度说：我们见到无常，就非常嘛！好！我们体悟到有一个常的清净自性，这是站在凡夫说的，无常当体即空，就是有一个清净自性。站在圣人、大彻大悟人的角度，我们这个常的清净自性能够运用大智能在这个无常的世间里面，所有的运作永恒的大智慧的常，常、乐、我、净，清净自性的常展露在无常的世间里面，叫依体起用，大用现前，佛性无常，所以它能起作用。”

Paragraph 8

English Translation:

“Alright! Speaking of permanence and impermanence is still talking about two dharmas, do you understand? What is the Dharma taught by the Buddha? It is non-dual. Impermanence and emptiness are precisely permanence, which is actually the ultimate emptiness. Therefore, permanence is never separate from impermanence at any time, and impermanence is precisely permanence at any time. It depends on which perspective you take. So, for ordinary beings and those of the Small Vehicle (Hīnayāna), the Buddha taught impermanence so that you would abandon the five desires and six sense objects, letting you know that this world is not real. Then, when Small Vehicle practitioners are halfway through their practice and think, ‘Alas! All phenomena are impermanent. What can I rely on?’ The World-Honored One spoke again of a permanence, saying you could rely on our pure self-nature. Thus, adherents of the Two Vehicles would say, ‘We still have an eternal Buddha-nature that we can rely on.’ But once you attain realization—when nature and appearance are completely one and all phenomena are fundamentally unobtainable—then there is no coming or going, arising or ceasing, increasing or decreasing. Coming and going, arising and ceasing, increasing and decreasing all lie within our moments of mental activity, all within our aroused thoughts. A single stirred thought produces arising and ceasing, increasing and decreasing. Now we will interpret it using our current conceptual framework.”

Original Text:

“好了！讲常跟无常，还是二法，知道吗？佛法是什么法呢？不二、无常、空性就是常，其实就是毕竟空。所以，常当下不离无常，无常当下就是常。看你站在哪一个角度说。所以对凡夫、小乘人讲无常，是要你离开五欲、六尘，告诉我们这个世间不是实在的，然后小乘人修行到一半时，哎呀！一切法无常，我依靠什么？世尊又讲一个常，你可以依照我们的清净自性。二乘人就说：我们还有一个永恒的佛性，还可以依靠。如果达到证悟的时候，性相一如，万法本不可得，没有来去、生灭、增减相。来去、生灭、增减都在起心动念间，统统在我们起心动念。动一个念头就有生灭，有增有减，现在要用我们的观念来解释了。”

Paragraph 9

English Translation:

“Many people do not understand what I am saying, so I will now use money as an illustration. Your eyes will light up, and you will understand more easily. Before you were born, did you have any of this money? No. Now you have a lot of money in your bank account—internally, you perceive that as an increase. Then, if you keep withdrawing money from the bank, in your mind you perceive that your money is decreasing. All of these are just ideological constructions—attachments, inverted views, and deluded thinking. Before we were born, did money exist for us? No. When our life ends, will there be any money for us? No.”

Original Text:

“我现在讲的很多人都听不懂，我现在用钱来解释，眼睛为之一亮，你比较能听得懂。你还没有出生的时候，有没有这些钱？没有，你现在的银行存了很多钱，你内心里面的观念怎么样？是增加。你现在从银行一直取出来……你内心的观念钱减少了，这个统统叫作意识形态，叫作执着、颠倒、妄想。钱在我们没有出世的时候有没有？没有，我们生命结束的时候有没有？没有。”

Paragraph 10

English Translation:

“Therefore, money neither truly increases nor decreases. This is precisely the pure self-nature. This is what is meant by ‘illuminating the emptiness of the five aggregates,’ realizing our original face. So, what is the mental state of one who has attained great and complete awakening? No matter how the world changes, it has nothing to do with our pure self-nature. We will elaborate on this later. Grandmaster Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, once said something that, in modern language, could be put as follows: ‘Heaven may shake and earth may move, mountains may crumble and the earth may split, yet it has nothing to do with the pure self-nature and cannot be connected to it at all.’ Why is that? The pure self-nature is signless; it cannot be apart from these appearances, and in its very essence it is empty, which is precisely signlessness. Otherwise, how could the World-Honored One remain thus, unshaken, not clinging to appearances? How could he have such ability? It is precisely by being all appearances while being free of them—expressed in our modern language as simultaneously being in reality and transcending it. Do you understand?”

Original Text:

“所以钱从来不增也从来不减，这个就是清净自性，这个叫作照见五蕴皆空，悟到我们本来的面目，所以什么叫作大彻大悟的心境？就是这个世间怎么变化，都跟清净自性没有关系，我们后面会讲到。六祖惠能大师就有讲过一句话，用现在的语言叫作：天摇地动，山崩地裂，都无关于清净自性，跟清净自性扯不上关系。为什么？清净自性无相，不能离开这些相，当体即空，即是无相，要不然，世尊怎么能如如不动，不取于相？他怎么有这个能力？就是即一切相，离一切相，要是用我们现代化的语言叫作即现实又超越。知道吗？”

Paragraph 11

English Translation:

“To put it simply: from the day you were born until the day you die, everything you see—just remember these words—all of them are illusory appearances. They are all illusory birth, illusory aging, illusory beauty, illusory ugliness, and in the end, illusory death and illusory sickness. Because of karmic forces, you are blocked by these five aggregates, and thus cannot see beyond them. From birth to death, it is all illusory. But take note, on the day you learn the Buddha Dharma and enter the door of the Buddha’s teachings, I tell you: once you awaken great wisdom, all appearances whatsoever are the reality/true nature. Do you understand?”

Original Text:

“简单讲：你今天从出生一直到死亡，你所看到的，只要记得一句话：统统叫作幻相，统统叫作虚妄的生，虚妄的老，虚妄的美，虚妄的丑，到最后虚妄的死，虚妄的病，因为业力卡住了，透不过这个五阴，从出生到死亡统统是叫作虚妄。但是注意，当你有一天学佛，进入佛门，我告诉你：开大智慧，凡所有的相，统统叫实相，你懂吗？

”

Footnotes/Annotations (if any)

1. Tathāgatagarbha (如来藏): Often translated as “Buddha-nature” or “Tathāgata Embryo,” referring to the innate potential for Buddhahood within all beings.

2. Five Desires, Six Sense Objects (五欲、六尘): The five desires usually refer to those associated with forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch. The six sense objects are forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental objects.

3. Pure Self-Nature (清净自性): Rendered literally as “pure self-nature,” a term indicating the fundamentally pure, unconditioned nature of mind.

4. Signless (无相): Translated from wúxiàng, indicating an absence of defining marks or characteristics, pointing to ultimate reality beyond conceptual attributes.