• The Collection
  • The Kangyur
  • Discourses
  • Perfection of Wisdom

This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
https://read.84000.co/data/toh10_84000-the-perfection-of-wisdom-in-eighteen-thousand-lines.pdf

ཤེར་ཕྱིན་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ།

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 33: Dedication

Aṣṭā­daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā
འཕགས་པ་ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines”
Āryāṣṭā­daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra
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Toh 10

Degé Kangyur, vol. 29 (shes phyin, ka), folios 1.a–300.a; vol. 30 (shes phyin, kha), folios 1.a–304.a; vol. 31 (shes phyin, ga), folios 1.a–206.a

Translated by Gareth Sparham
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2022
Current version v 1.0.13 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.17.7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· The Translator’s Acknowledgments
· Acknowledgment of Sponsors
i. Introduction
+ 5 sections- 5 sections
· About the Perfection of Wisdom Manuscripts
· The Title: Eighteen Thousand
· The Structure of the Eighteen Thousand
+ 5 sections- 5 sections
· I. Introduction
· II. Brief Exegesis
· III. Intermediate Exegesis
· IV. Detailed Exegesis
· V. Summaries
· What Does the Eighteen Thousand Say?
· SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS
+ 62 sections- 62 sections
· Chapter 1
· Chapter 2
· Chapters 3–5
· Chapter 6
· Chapter 7
· Chapter 8
· Chapter 9
· Chapter 10
· Chapters 11–13
· Chapter 14
· Chapters 15–16
· Chapter 17
· Chapter 18
· Chapter 19
· Chapter 20
· Chapter 21
· Chapters 22–24
· Chapter 25
· Chapters 26–30
· Chapters 31–32
· Chapter 33
· Chapter 34
· Chapter 35
· Chapter 36
· Chapter 37
· Chapters 38–39
· Chapters 40–41
· Chapter 42
· Chapter 43
· Chapter 44
· Chapter 45
· Chapter 46
· Chapter 47
· Chapter 48
· Chapters 49–50
· Chapter 51
· Chapter 52
· Chapter 53
· Chapter 54
· Chapter 55
· Chapter 56
· Chapter 57
· Chapter 58
· Chapter 59
· Chapter 60
· Chapters 61–62
· Chapter 63
· Chapters 64–72
· Chapter 73
· Chapter 74
· Chapter 75
· Chapter 76
· Chapter 77
· Chapter 78
· Chapter 79
· Chapter 80
· Chapter 81
· Chapter 82
· Chapter 83
· Chapter 84
· Chapters 85–86
· Chapter 87
tr. The Translation
+ 87 chapters- 87 chapters
1. Chapter 1: Introduction
2. Chapter 2: Production of the Thought
3. Chapter 3: Designation
4. Chapter 4: Equal to the Unequaled
5. Chapter 5: Tongue
6. Chapter 6: Subhūti
7. Chapter 7: Entry into Flawlessness
8. Chapter 8: The Religious Mendicant Śreṇika
9. Chapter 9: Causal Signs
10. Chapter 10: Illusion-Like
11. Chapter 11: Embarrassment
12. Chapter 12: Elimination of Views
13. Chapter 13: The Six Perfections
14. Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed
15. Chapter 15: Meditative Stabilization
16. Chapter 16: Dhāraṇī Gateway
17. Chapter 17: Level Purification
18. Chapter 18: The Exposition of Going Forth in the Great Vehicle
19. Chapter 19: Surpassing
20. Chapter 20: Not Two
21. Chapter 21: Subhūti
22. Chapter 22: Śatakratu
23. Chapter 23: Hard to Understand
24. Chapter 24: Unlimited
25. Chapter 25: Second Śatakratu
26. Chapter 26: Getting Hold
27. Chapter 27: Reliquary
28. Chapter 28: Declaration of the Good Qualities of the Thought of Awakening
29. Chapter 29: Different Tīrthika Religious Mendicants
30. Chapter 30: The Benefits of Taking Up and Adoration
31. Chapter 31: Physical Remains
32. Chapter 32: The Superiority of Merit
33. Chapter 33: Dedication
34. Chapter 34: Perfect Praise of the Quality of Accomplishment
35. Chapter 35: Hells
36. Chapter 36: Teaching the Purity of All Dharmas
37. Chapter 37: Nobody
38. Chapter 38: Cannot Be Apprehended
39. Chapter 39: The Northern Region
40. Chapter 40: The Work of Māra
41. Chapter 41: Not Complete Because of Māra
42. Chapter 42: Revealing the World
43. Chapter 43: Inconceivable
44. Chapter 44: Made Up
45. Chapter 45: A Boat
46. Chapter 46: Teaching the Intrinsic Nature of All Dharmas
47. Chapter 47: Taming Greed
48. Chapter 48: A Presentation of the Bodhisattvas’ Training
49. Chapter 49: Irreversibility
50. Chapter 50: Teaching the Signs of Irreversibility
51. Chapter 51: Skillful Means
52. Chapter 52: Completion of Means
53. Chapter 53: The Prophecy about Gaṅgadevī
54. Chapter 54: Teaching the Cultivation of Skillful Means
55. Chapter 55: Teaching the Stopping of Thought Construction
56. Chapter 56: Equal Training
57. Chapter 57: Practice
58. Chapter 58: Exposition of the Absence of Thought Construction
59. Chapter 59: Nonattachment
60. Chapter 60: Entrusting
61. Chapter 61: Inexhaustible
62. Chapter 62: Leaping Above Absorption
63. Chapter 63: Many Inquiries About the Two Dharmas
64. Chapter 64: Perfectly Displayed
65. Chapter 65: Worshiping, Serving, and Attending on Spiritual Friends as Skillful Means
66. Chapter 66: A Demonstration of Skillful Means
67. Chapter 67: Morality
68. Chapter 68: Growing and Flourishing
69. Chapter 69: An Explanation of Meditation on the Path
70. Chapter 70: An Explanation of Serial Action, Training, and Practice
71. Chapter 71: The True Nature of Dharmas That Cannot Be Apprehended
72. Chapter 72: Teaching the Absence of Marks
73. Chapter 73: Exposition of the Major Marks and Minor Signs and the Completion of Letters
74. Chapter 74: Exposition of the Sameness of Dharmas
75. Chapter 75: Exposition of Noncomplication
76. Chapter 76: The Armor for Bringing Beings to Maturity
77. Chapter 77: Teaching the Purification of a Buddhafield
78. Chapter 78: Teaching the Skillful Means for the Purification of a Buddhafield
79. Chapter 79: Teaching the Nonexistence of an Intrinsic Nature
80. Chapter 80: Teaching That There is No Defilement or Purification
81. Chapter 81: Yogic Practice of the Ultimate
82. Chapter 82: The Unchanging True Nature of Dharmas
83. Chapter 83: Categorization of a Bodhisattva’s Training
84. Chapter 84: Collection
85. Chapter 85: Sadāprarudita
86. Chapter 86: Dharmodgata
87. Chapter 87: Entrusting
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Primary Sources
· Secondary References
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Sūtras
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Indic Commentaries
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Indigenous Tibetan Works
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Secondary Literature
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines is one version of the Long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras that developed in South and South-Central Asia in tandem with the Eight Thousand version, probably during the first five hundred years of the Common Era. It contains many of the passages in the oldest extant Long Perfection of Wisdom text (the Gilgit manuscript in Sanskrit), and is similar in structure to the other versions of the Long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras (the One Hundred Thousand and Twenty-Five Thousand) in Tibetan in the Kangyur. While setting forth the sacred fundamental doctrines of Buddhist practice with veneration, it simultaneously exhorts the reader to reject them as an object of attachment, its recurring message being that all dharmas without exception lack any intrinsic nature.

s.­2

The sūtra can be divided loosely into three parts: an introductory section that sets the scene, a long central section, and three concluding chapters that consist of two important summaries of the long central section. The first of these (chapter 84) is in verse and also circulates as a separate work called The Verse Summary of the Jewel Qualities (Toh 13). The second summary is in the form of the story of Sadāprarudita and his guru Dharmodgata (chapters 85 and 86), after which the text concludes with the Buddha entrusting the work to his close companion Ānanda.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This sūtra was translated by Gareth Sparham under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

The Translator’s Acknowledgments

ac.­2

This is a good occasion to remember and thank my friend Nicholas Ribush, who first gave me a copy of Edward Conze’s translation of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines in 1973. I also thank the Tibetan teachers and students at the Riklam Lobdra in Dharamshala, India, where I began to study the Perfection of Wisdom, for their kindness and patience; Jeffrey Hopkins and Elizabeth Napper, who steered me in the direction of the Perfection of Wisdom and have been very kind to me over the years; and Ashok Aklujkar and others at the University of British Columbia in Canada, who taught me Sanskrit and Indian culture while I was writing my dissertation on Haribhadra’s Perfection of Wisdom commentary. I thank the hermits in the hills above Riklam Lobdra and the many Tibetan scholars and practitioners who encouraged me while I continued working on the Perfection of Wisdom after I graduated from the University of British Columbia. I thank all those who continued to support me as a monk and scholar after the violent death of my friend and mentor toward the end of the millennium. I thank those at the University of Michigan and then at the University of California (Berkeley), particularly Donald Lopez and Jacob Dalton, who enabled me to complete the set of four volumes of translations from Sanskrit of the Perfection of Wisdom commentaries by Haribhadra and Āryavimuktisena and four volumes of the fourteenth-century Tibetan commentary on the Perfection of Wisdom by Tsongkhapa. I thank Gene Smith, who introduced me to 84000. I thank everyone at 84000: Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and the sponsors; the scholars, translators, editors, and technicians; and all the other indispensable people whose work has made this translation of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines and its accompanying commentary possible.

Around me everything I see would be part of a perfect road if I had better driving skills.
Where I was born, where everything is made of concrete, it too is a perfect place.
Everyone I have been with, everyone who is near me now, and even those I have forgotten‍—there is no one who has not helped me.
So, I bow to everyone and to the world and ask for patience, and, as a boon, a smile.

Acknowledgment of Sponsors

ac.­3

We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of Matthew Yizhen Kong, Steven Ye Kong and family; An Zhang, Hannah Zhang, Lucas Zhang, Aiden Zhang, Jinglan Chi, Jingcan Chi, Jinghui Chi and family, Hong Zhang and family; Mao Guirong, Zhang Yikun, Chi Linlin; and Joseph Tse, Patricia Tse and family. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

In the introduction to his translation of The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines,1 Gyurme Dorje has given a clear account of the Tibetan tradition’s explanation (1) of the origin of the Perfection of Wisdom in the words of the Buddha on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill in Rājagṛha some 2,500 years ago, (2) of the way the Perfection of Wisdom became extant in our world through the efforts of Nāgārjuna, and (3) of the Perfection of Wisdom’s place in the vast corpus of the Buddha’s words as “the middle turning of the wheel of the Dharma.” He has also given a brief account of the conclusions arrived at by the Western research tradition, which suggest that the Perfection of Wisdom may have originated in the south of the Indian subcontinent, perhaps the Andhra region, but more likely first began circulating in the far northwest of the Indian subcontinent. A prophecy in the text translated into English here provides some support for this conclusion. In chapter 39 the Buddha says to Śāriputra, “with the passing away of the Tathāgata this perfection of wisdom will circulate in the southern region,” and “from the country Vartani [the east] this deep perfection of wisdom will circulate into the northern region.” A comparison of early fragments of a Perfection of Wisdom in the Gāndhārī language, written in Kharoṣṭhī script and dated ca. 75 ᴄᴇ, with an early translation of a Perfection of Wisdom text into Chinese by Lokakṣema in the middle of the second century ᴄᴇ has led the Western research tradition to the tentative conclusion that the Perfection of Wisdom first circulated in written form in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent some 2,000 years ago.

About the Perfection of Wisdom Manuscripts

The Title: Eighteen Thousand

The Structure of the Eighteen Thousand

I. Introduction

II. Brief Exegesis

III. Intermediate Exegesis

IV. Detailed Exegesis

V. Summaries

What Does the Eighteen Thousand Say?

SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapters 3–5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapters 11–13

Chapter 14

Chapters 15–16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapters 22–24

Chapter 25

Chapters 26–30

Chapters 31–32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapters 38–39

Chapters 40–41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapters 49–50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapters 61–62

Chapter 63

Chapters 64–72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84

Chapters 85–86

Chapter 87


The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines

1.

Chapter 1: Introduction

[V29] [F.1.b] [B1]


1.­1

We prostrate to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Lord dwelt at Rājagṛha on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill together with a great community of monks, numbering14 five thousand monks, all worthy ones with the exception of one single person‍—that is, venerable Ānanda‍—with outflows dried up, without afflictions, fully controlled, with their minds well freed and their wisdom well freed, thoroughbreds, great bull elephants, with their work done, their task accomplished, with their burden laid down, with their own goal accomplished, with the fetters that bound them to existence broken, with their hearts well freed by perfect understanding, in perfect15 control of their whole mind; [F.2.a] with nuns numbering five hundred‍—Yaśodharā, Mahāprajāpatī, and so on‍—and with a great many laymen and laywomen, all of them with a vision of the Dharma; and with an unbounded, infinite number of bodhisattva great beings, all of whom had acquired the dhāraṇīs, were dwellers in emptiness, their range the signless, and who had not fashioned any wishes, had acquired forbearance for the sameness of all dharmas, had acquired the dhāraṇī of nonattachment, with imperishable clairvoyant knowledges, and with speech worth listening to; who were not hypocrites, not fawners, without thoughts of reputation and gain; who were Dharma teachers without thought of compensation, with perfect forbearance for the deep dharmas, who had obtained the fearlessnesses, and who had transcended all the works of Māra, who had cut the continuum of karmic obscuration, were skillful in expounding the analysis of investigations into phenomena, with the prayer that is a vow made during an asaṃkhyeya of eons really fully carried out, with smiling countenances, forward in addressing others, without a frown on their faces, skillful in communicating with others in chanted verse, without feelings of depression, without losing the confidence giving a readiness to speak, and endowed with fearlessness when surpassing endless assemblies; who were skilled in going forth during an ananta of one hundred million eons, understanding phenomena to be like an illusion, a mirage, a reflection of the moon in water, a dream, an echo, an apparition, a reflection in the mirror, and a magical creation; who were skillful in comprehending the thoughts, conduct, and beliefs of all beings and subtle knowledge, [F.2.b] with unobstructed thoughts, and endowed with extreme patience; who were skilled in causing entry into reality just as it is, having appropriated all the endless arrays of the buddhafields through prayer and setting out, with the meditative stabilization recollecting buddhas in an infinite number of world systems constantly and always activated; who were skillful in soliciting innumerable buddhas; who were skillful in eliminating the various views, propensities, obsessions, and defilements; and who were skillful in accomplishing a hundred thousand feats through meditative concentration. That is, he was together with the bodhisattva great beings Bhadrapāla, Ratnākara, Ratnagarbha,16 Ratnadatta, Susārthavaha, Varuṇadeva, Guhyagupta, Indradatta, Uttaramatin, Viśeṣamatin, Vardhamāna­matin, Anantamati, Amoghadarśin, Anāvaraṇamatin, Susaṃprasthita, Su­vikrānta­vikrāmin, Anantavīrya, Nityodyukta, Nityaprayukta, Anikṣiptadhura, Sūryagarbha, Anupamamatin, and Avalokiteśvara, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Māra­bala­pramardin, Vajramatin, Ratna­mudrā­hasta, Nityotkṣipta­hasta, Mahā­karuṇā­cinta, Mahāvyūha, Vyūharāja, and Merukūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, and many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion other bodhisattvas as well.

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2.

Chapter 2: Production of the Thought

2.­1

When the Lord understood that the world with its celestial beings, Māras and Brahmās, śramaṇas and brahmins, gods and humans, as well as bodhisattvas, most of them in youthful form, had assembled, he said to venerable Śāriputra, “Here, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom.”

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2.­2

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra inquired of him, “How then, Lord, [F.11.b] should bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms make an effort at the perfection of wisdom?”

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3.

Chapter 3: Designation

3.­1

Then [F.23.a] venerable Śāriputra inquired of the Lord, “Lord, how then should bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?”

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3.­2

Venerable Śāriputra having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not, even while they are bodhisattvas, see a bodhisattva. They do not see even the word bodhisattva. They do not see awakening either, and they do not see the perfection of wisdom. They do not see that ‘they practice,’ and they do not see that ‘they do not practice.’ They also do not see that ‘while practicing they practice and while not practicing do not practice,’ and they also do not see that ‘they do not practice, and do not not practice as well.’44 They do not see form. Similarly, they do not see feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness either. And why? Because, Śāriputra, the name bodhisattva is empty of the intrinsic nature of a name. The name bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness. A bodhisattva is also empty of the intrinsic nature of a bodhisattva, but a bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness. Awakening, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of awakening, but awakening is not empty because of emptiness. The perfection of wisdom, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of the perfection of wisdom, but the perfection of wisdom is not empty because of emptiness. Form, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of form, but form is not empty because of emptiness. [F.23.b] And feeling . . . perception . . . volitional factors . . . and consciousness is45 also empty of the intrinsic nature of consciousness, but consciousness is not empty because of emptiness. And why? Because the emptiness of the name bodhisattva is not the name bodhisattva, and there is no name bodhisattva apart from emptiness, because the name bodhisattva itself is emptiness and emptiness is the name bodhisattva as well. The emptiness of the bodhisattva is not the bodhisattva and there is no bodhisattva apart from emptiness, because the bodhisattva is emptiness and emptiness is the bodhisattva as well. The emptiness of the perfection of wisdom is not the perfection of wisdom and there is no perfection of wisdom apart from emptiness, because the perfection of wisdom itself is emptiness and emptiness is the perfection of wisdom as well. The emptiness of form is not form and there is no form apart from emptiness, because form itself is emptiness and emptiness is form as well. And the emptiness of feeling . . . perception . . . volitional factors . . . and consciousness is not consciousness, and there is no consciousness apart from emptiness because consciousness itself is emptiness and emptiness is consciousness as well. And why? Because this‍—namely, bodhisattva‍—is just a name; because these‍—namely, the name bodhisattva, awakening, [F.24.a] the perfection of wisdom, form, feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness‍—are just names; and because this‍—namely, emptiness‍—is just a name. Why? Because where there is no intrinsic nature there is no production, stopping,46 decrease, increase, defilement, or purification. And why? Because form is like an illusion, feeling is like an illusion, perception is like an illusion, volitional factors are like an illusion, and consciousness is like an illusion. And an illusion is just a name that does not reside somewhere, does not reside in a particular place, so the sight of an illusion is mistaken and does not exist and is devoid of an intrinsic nature. Bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that do not see production, do not see stopping, do not see standing, do not see decrease, do not see increase, do not see defilement, and do not see purification in any dharma at all. They do not see ‘awakening,’ and they do not see a ‘bodhisattva’ anywhere. And why? Because names are made up. In the case of each of these different dharmas they are imagined,47 unreal, names plucked out of thin air working subsequently as conventional labels, and just as they are subsequently conventionally labeled, so too are they settled down on as real. Bodhisattva [F.24.b] great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not see any of those names as inherently existing, and because they do not see them, they do not settle down on them as real.

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4.

Chapter 4: Equal to the Unequaled

4.­1

Then venerable Śāriputra, venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, venerable Subhūti, venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇī­putra, and venerable Mahākāśyapa, as well as other monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen celebrated for the state of their clairvoyance, and very many bodhisattva great beings said to the Lord, “This, Lord‍—that is, the perfection of wisdom‍—is the great perfection of bodhisattva great beings. This perfection of wisdom, Lord, is the vast perfection of bodhisattva great beings. This perfection of wisdom, Lord, is the highest perfection of bodhisattva great beings. It is the special perfection, it is the best perfection, it is the superb perfection, it is the sublime [F.54.b] perfection, it is the unsurpassed perfection, it is the unrivaled perfection, it is the unequaled perfection, it is the perfection equal to the unequaled, it is the calm and gentle perfection, it is the matchless perfection, it is the perfection for which no example does justice, it is the space-like perfection, it is the perfection of the emptiness of particular defining marks, it is the perfection endowed with all good qualities. This, Lord‍—that is, the perfection of wisdom‍—is the uncrushable perfection of bodhisattva great beings.


5.

Chapter 5: Tongue

5.­1

Then at that time the Lord extended his tongue and with it covered the great billionfold world system. Then from his tongue light beams of many colors, various colors, issued forth. Having issued forth, a great illumination spread through as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the east. Similarly, a great illumination spread through as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the south, west, and north, in the intermediate directions to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, below and above.


6.

Chapter 6: Subhūti

6.­1

The Lord then said to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, starting with the perfection of wisdom, be confident in your readiness to give a Dharma discourse to the bodhisattva great beings about how bodhisattva great beings go forth in the perfection of wisdom.”

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6.­2

Then it occurred to those bodhisattva great beings, those great śrāvakas, and those gods to think, “Will venerable Subhūti instruct the bodhisattva great beings in the perfection of wisdom on account of armor in which reposes the power of his own intellect and confident readiness, or will he instruct them through the power of the Buddha?”

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7.

Chapter 7: Entry into Flawlessness

7.­1

Venerable Subhūti then said to the Lord, “Lord, bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend131 form should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend eyes should train in the perfection of wisdom. Similarly, bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend ears, nose, tongue, body, and thinking mind should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend a form should train in the perfection of wisdom. Similarly, bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend a sound, a smell, a taste, a feeling, and a dharma should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend eye consciousness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend up to thinking-mind consciousness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend eye contact up to who want to comprehend thinking-mind contact should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend the feeling that arises from the condition of eye contact, up to [F.69.b] who want to comprehend the feeling that arises from the condition of thinking-mind contact should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend ignorance should train in the perfection of wisdom. Similarly, bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend volitional factors, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, contact, feeling, craving, appropriation, existence, birth, and old age and death should train in the perfection of wisdom.

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8.

Chapter 8: The Religious Mendicant Śreṇika

8.­1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see a bodhisattva or the perfection of wisdom, to which bodhisattva will I give advice and instruction in what perfection of wisdom? Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see any real basis, this really is something I might be uneasy about‍—Lord, while not finding, not apprehending, and not seeing any real basis, which dharma will advise and instruct which dharma? Because, Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see all dharmas, this really is something I might be uneasy about, how I might make just the name bodhisattva and just the name perfection of wisdom wax and wane.

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9.

Chapter 9: Causal Signs

9.­1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, if bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom without skillful means [F.87.b] practice form166 they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘form is permanent’ or ‘impermanent’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is permanent’ or ‘impermanent’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘form is happiness’ or ‘suffering’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is ‘happiness’ or ‘suffering’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is self’ or ‘no self’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is self’ or ‘no self’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is calm’ or ‘not calm’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is calm’ or ‘not calm’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is isolated’ or ‘not isolated’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is isolated’ or ‘not isolated’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom.

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10.

Chapter 10: Illusion-Like

10.­1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of wisdom, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ What, Lord, should be said to that questioner? And similarly, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ What, Lord, should be said to that questioner? And as to ‘Do they, having trained in, up to the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, [F.97.a] up to the knowledge of all aspects, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’‍—what, Lord, should be said to that questioner?”

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11.

Chapter 11: Embarrassment

11.­1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, you say ‘bodhisattva’ again and again. What is its basis in reality?”201

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The Lord [F.110.b] replied to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, the basis in reality for bodhisattva is an absence of a basis in reality. And why? Subhūti, it is because bodhi and sattva are not produced. Awakening and a being do not have an arising or an existence. They cannot be apprehended. Subhūti, awakening has no basis in reality and a being has no basis in reality, therefore a bodhisattva’s basis in reality is an absence of a basis in reality.

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12.

Chapter 12: Elimination of Views

12.­1

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, I too am confident in my readiness to speak the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be ‘great beings.’ ”

12.­2

“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, “be confident in your readiness to explain the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

12.­3

Śāriputra then explained, “Lord, they reveal the Dharma to beings to eliminate the view of a self and, similarly, the view of a being, a living being, a person, one who lives, an individual, one born of Manu, a child of Manu, one who does, one who makes someone else do, a motivator, one who motivates, one who feels, one who makes someone else feel, one who knows, and one who sees. And by way of not apprehending anything they reveal the Dharma to beings to eliminate the view of annihilation, the view of permanence, the view of existence, and the view [F.119.b] of nonexistence; the view of aggregates, the view of constituents, the view of sense fields, the view of isolation, and the view of dependent origination; and the view of the perfections, the view of the dharmas on the side of awakening, the view of the powers and fearlessnesses, the view of the distinct attributes of a buddha, the view of bringing beings to maturity, the view of the purification of a buddhafield, the view of awakening, the view of the Buddha, the view of the Dharma, the view of the Saṅgha, the view of turning the wheel of the Dharma, and the view of complete nirvāṇa. It is in this sense bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

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13.

Chapter 13: The Six Perfections

13.­1

Then venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇī­putra said to the Lord, “Lord, I too am confident in my readiness to speak the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

“Pūrṇa, be confident in your readiness to speak,” replied the Lord.

13.­2

Pūrṇa then said, “Lord, those beings are armed with great armor, [F.122.a] those beings have set out in a Great Vehicle, and those beings have mounted on a Great Vehicle. It is in this sense, Lord, that bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

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14.

Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed

14.­1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord, “Lord, you say ‘armed with great armor’ again and again. Lord, to what extent are bodhisattva great beings armed with great armor?”

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The Lord said, “Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings, having become armed with great armor‍—that is, armed with perfection of giving armor, and armed with perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom armor; armed with applications of mindfulness armor, and armed with right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path armor; armed with inner emptiness armor, up to armed with emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature armor; and armed with powers armor, armed with fearlessnesses armor, armed with detailed and thorough knowledges armor, and armed with distinct attributes of a buddha armor‍—and having become armed with the armor of the knowledge of all aspects and the body of a buddha, they pervade world systems in the great billionfold world system with light and shake the earth. Having blown out all the fires in the hell dwellings, extinguished the sufferings of the beings in the hells, and caused them to know their suffering is extinguished, those bodhisattvas [F.132.b] say, ‘I bow to you, tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha!’ proclaiming the name out loud, and then those beings in the hells, having heard the sound buddha, find pleasure and mental happiness. They emerge from those hells just because of that pleasure and mental happiness, and wherever lord buddhas are standing and can be seen and can be pleased they take birth in those world systems, reborn as gods and humans.


15.

Chapter 15: Meditative Stabilization

15.­1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord, “Lord, what is the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings? Lord, to just what extent should bodhisattva great beings be known to have set out in the Great Vehicle?248 Where249 will the Great Vehicle have set out? Where will the Great Vehicle stand?250 Who will go forth in the Great Vehicle?”

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Subhūti having said asked this, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘Lord, what is the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings?‍—Subhūti, the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings is this: the six perfections. And what are the six? They are the perfection of giving, perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, [F.142.b] perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom.


16.

Chapter 16: Dhāraṇī Gateway

16.­1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings is this: the four applications of mindfulness. What are the four? They are the application of mindfulness to the body, the application of mindfulness to feeling, the application of mindfulness to mind, and the application of mindfulness to dharmas.

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16.­2

“What is the application of mindfulness to the body? Here enthusiastic, introspective, mindful bodhisattva great beings, having cleared away ordinary covetousness and depression, dwell while viewing in a body the inner body by way of not apprehending anything, and without indulging in speculations to do with the body. They dwell while viewing in a body the outer body, and they dwell while viewing in a body [F.155.b] the inner and outer body by way of not apprehending anything, and without indulging in speculations to do with the body.

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17.

Chapter 17: Level Purification

17.­1

“Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘How have bodhisattva great beings come to set out in the Great Vehicle?’‍—Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections change place, going from level to level. And how do bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections change place, going from level to level? Like this: by all dharmas not changing place. And why? Because no dharma comes, or goes, or changes place, or is close to changing places. But even though they do not falsely project the level of those dharmas,302 do not direct their thoughts toward them, they still do the purification303 for a level, and they do not view those levels.

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18.

Chapter 18: The Exposition of Going Forth in the Great Vehicle

18.­1

“Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘From where321 will the Great Vehicle go forth?’‍—it will go forth from the three realms and will stand wherever there is knowledge of all aspects, and it will stand, furthermore, by way of nonduality. And why? Because, Subhūti, these two dharmas‍—the Great Vehicle and the knowledge of all aspects‍—are not conjoined and not disjoined, are formless, cannot be pointed out, do not obstruct, and have only one mark‍—that is, no mark. And why? Because, Subhūti, a dharma without a mark is not going forth, nor will it go forth, nor has it gone forth. [F.180.b] Subhūti, someone who would assert that dharmas without marks go forth322 might as well assert of suchness that it goes forth. Similarly, Subhūti, someone who would assert that dharmas without marks go forth might as well assert of the very limit of reality, the inconceivable element, the abandonment element, the detachment element, and the cessation element that they go forth. And why? Because, Subhūti, the intrinsic nature of suchness does not go forth from the three realms. And why? Because suchness is empty of the intrinsic nature of suchness.”

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19.

Chapter 19: Surpassing

19.­1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, you say this‍—‘Great Vehicle’‍—again and again. It surpasses the world with its gods, humans, and asuras and goes forth. Is that why it is called a Great Vehicle?329

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19.­2

“Lord, that vehicle is equal to space. To illustrate, Lord, just as space has room for infinite, countless beings beyond measure, the Great Vehicle also, Lord, has room330 for infinite, countless beings beyond measure. Such, Lord, is the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings. Lord, you cannot apprehend the Great Vehicle coming, going, or remaining, you cannot apprehend a prior limit, cannot apprehend a later limit, and cannot apprehend a middle either.

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20.

Chapter 20: Not Two

20.­1

Then venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇī­putra said to the Lord, “Lord, tasked343 with the perfection of wisdom by the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha, this elder Subhūti thinks he has to give instruction in the Great Vehicle.”

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20.­2

Venerable Subhūti then said to the Lord, “Let it not be the case, Lord, that I am giving instruction in the Great Vehicle, having violated the perfection of wisdom.”

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20.­3

“No, you have not,” replied the Lord. “You are giving instruction in the Great Vehicle in harmony with the perfection of wisdom. And why? Because, Subhūti, śrāvaka dharmas, pratyekabuddha dharmas, bodhisattva dharmas, or buddha dharmas‍—or any wholesome dharmas, whatever they are‍—they all come together and stream into the perfection of wisdom.”

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21.

Chapter 21: Subhūti

21.­1

Then venerable Śāriputra inquired of venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom investigate these dharmas? And, Venerable Subhūti, what is a bodhisattva? What is the perfection of wisdom? What is it to investigate?”

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21.­2

“Venerable Śāriputra,” replied Subhūti, “in regard to what you asked‍—‘What is a bodhisattva?’‍—they are called bodhisattvas because awakening is itself their state of being.357 And with that awakening they know the aspects of dharmas but they do not settle down on those dharmas.

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22.

Chapter 22: Śatakratu

22.­1

And indeed all the Four Mahārājas stationed in the great billionfold world system together with many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods were assembled in that very retinue, as were the Śatakratus,373 heads of the gods, and the Suyāmas, Saṃtuṣitas, Nirmāṇaratis, Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartins, and Brahmapurohitas, up to the Brahmās together with many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods also assembled, and as many Brahmās, up to Śuddhāvāsa classes of gods stationed in the great billionfold world system together with hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods, also were assembled. The light originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of those Cāturmahā­rājika gods, and the light originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of those Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin classes of gods, and Brahmakāyika gods, up to the Śuddhāvāsa class of gods, does not approach the natural light of the Tathāgata even by a hundredth part, or by a thousandth part, or by a hundred thousandth part, or by a hundred-thousand hundred-millionth part; it would not stand up to any number, or fraction, or counting, or example, or comparison. In the presence of374 the natural light of the Tathāgata all the lights originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of the gods do not gleam, do not radiate, and do not shine. [F.243.a] Among those the light of the Tathāgata reveals itself as the highest, reveals itself as special, and reveals itself as the best, superb, exemplary, unsurpassed, and unrivaled. As an analogy, just as a fired iron statue in the presence of the golden Jambū River does not gleam, does not radiate, and does not shine, similarly, in the presence of the natural light of the Tathāgata all the lights originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of the gods do not gleam, do not radiate, and do not shine. Among those the light of the Tathāgata reveals itself as the highest, reveals itself as special, and reveals itself as the best, superb, exemplary, unsurpassed, and unrivaled.

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23.

Chapter 23: Hard to Understand

23.­1

Then it occurred to those gods to think, “What would the elder Subhūti accept those listening to the Dharma to be like?”

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23.­2

Then venerable Subhūti, understanding in his mind the thoughts occurring to those gods, said to those gods, “Gods, I would accept those listening to the doctrine to be like illusory beings. I would accept those listening to the doctrine to be like magically created beings. They will not listen to, master, or directly realize anything at all.”

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24.

Chapter 24: Unlimited

24.­1

Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “I will magically create flowers in order to worship this rain of Dharma being expounded by the elder Subhūti, and we will strew those flowers near, strew them in front, and strew them around the lord buddhas, the community of bodhisattva great beings, the monks, the elder Subhūti, and the perfection of wisdom.” And it occurred to all the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, up to the Akaniṣṭha class, as many as are stationed in the great billionfold world system, to think, “We will magically create flowers in [F.259.b] order to worship this rain of Dharma being expounded by the elder Subhūti, and will strew those flowers near, strew them in front, and strew them around the lord buddhas, the community of bodhisattva great beings, the monks, the elder Subhūti, and the perfection of wisdom.” Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, and all the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, up to the Akaniṣṭha class, as many as are stationed in the great billionfold world system, did magically create coral tree flowers and strewed them near, strewed them in front, and strewed them around the lord buddhas, the community of bodhisattva great beings, the monks, the elder Subhūti, and the perfection of wisdom. Immediately after Śatakratu, head of the gods, and the gods up to the Akaniṣṭha class had strewed those flowers, they matted together and spread out over the great billionfold world system and stayed there suspended in the sky, a second story of flowers delightful and pleasing to the mind.


25.

Chapter 25: Second Śatakratu

25.­1

The women and men and masses of seers, together with the gods‍—those with the Indras,397 those with the Brahmās, and those with the Prajāpatis as their leaders‍—cried out three times cries of delight in the Dharma that the elder Subhūti, through the might of the Tathāgata, through the sustaining power of the Tathāgata, had pointed out, taught, thrown light on, and illuminated: “Ah! How well it has been explained. Ah! How well this Dharma has been explained. Ah! How well the true dharmic nature of this Dharma has been explained.” And they said, “Lord, we shall treat those bodhisattva great beings who do not become separated from the perfection of wisdom, who do not apprehend any dharma, be it form, or feeling, or perception, or volitional factors, or consciousness, up to or the knowledge of all aspects, but still make known the presentation of the three vehicles‍—the vehicle of the śrāvakas, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and the vehicle of the perfectly complete buddhas‍—exactly like tathāgatas.”


26.

Chapter 26: Getting Hold

26.­1

Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, said to the Lord, “It is amazing, Lord, how these bodhisattva great beings who have taken up or borne in mind or read aloud or mastered or properly paid attention to this perfection of wisdom in this very life get hold of good qualities; how they bring beings to maturity, purify a buddhafield, and pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield in order to attend on the lord buddhas; how, if they still want to revere, demonstrate reverence for, show honor to, and worship those lord buddhas on account of wholesome roots, those wholesome roots establish it accordingly; how they go into the presence of those lord buddhas and listen to the Dharma; how they never forget their Dharma right up until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening; [F.275.b] how they take possession of a perfect family, perfect celebrity,399 a perfect life, a perfect retinue, perfect major marks, perfect radiance, perfect eyes, a perfect voice, perfect concentration, and perfect dhāraṇī; how they go from world system to world system where the lord buddhas have not appeared and with skillful means magically produce themselves in the shape a buddha assumes; how they speak in praise of the perfection of giving and speak in praise of the perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom; how they speak in praise of inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; how they speak in praise of the concentrations, speak in praise of the immeasurables and formless absorptions, speak in praise of the applications of mindfulness, and speak in praise of the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and eightfold noble path; how they speak in praise of the ten powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha; and how with skillful means they tame beings in the three vehicles‍—the Śrāvaka Vehicle, Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and Great Vehicle‍—teaching them the Dharma.”

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27.

Chapter 27: Reliquary

27.­1

Then the Lord said to Śatakratu, head of the gods, “Kauśika, if some son of a good family or daughter of a good family takes up or bears in mind or reads out loud or recites or teaches or intones or harmonizes with or properly pays attention to this deep perfection of wisdom, and if they go up to the front line of battle and have engaged in or are engaging in, or are traversing, or are sitting down or standing up in a battle that is underway, Kauśika, even if an arrow or a club or a stick or a stone or a sword is flung at that son of a good family or daughter of a good family who takes up or bears in mind or reads out loud or recites or teaches or intones or harmonizes with or properly pays attention to this deep perfection of wisdom, it is impossible that those projectiles would land on their body; it is impossible that the attacks of others would interfere with their life. And why? Kauśika, it is because that son of a good family or daughter of a good family who has practiced the perfection of wisdom for a long time has vanquished their own greed arrows and greed swords; they have vanquished others’ greed arrows and greed swords; they have vanquished their own hatred arrows and confusion arrows and their hatred swords and confusion swords; they have vanquished others’ hatred arrows and confusion arrows and hatred swords and confusion swords; they have vanquished their own arrows of instances of views and swords of instances of views, and they have vanquished others’ arrows of instances of views and swords of instances of views; they have vanquished their own obsession [F.284.b] arrows and obsession swords, and they have vanquished others’ obsession arrows and obsession swords; and they have vanquished their own proclivity arrows and proclivity swords, and they have vanquished others’ proclivity arrows and proclivity swords. Kauśika, because of this one of many explanations, even if an arrow or a sword is flung at a son of a good family or daughter of a good family, it does not land on their body.


28.

Chapter 28: Declaration of the Good Qualities of the Thought of Awakening

28.­1

Śatakratu, head of the gods, having said this, the Lord then said to him, “Exactly so. Kauśika, exactly so. Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family [F.294.a] who write out and make this perfection of wisdom into a book; take it up, bear it in mind, read it aloud, master it, and properly pay attention to it and on top of that respect, revere, honor, and worship it with flowers, perfumes, incense, garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags, and banners would, based on that, make a lot of merit, an immeasurable, countless, inconceivable, infinite, incomparable amount. And why? Kauśika, it is because the knowledge of all aspects of tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas issues forth from the perfection of wisdom. Kauśika, the five perfections, all the emptinesses, the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, the distinct attributes of a buddha, the five eyes, the six clairvoyances, bringing beings to maturity, and the perfect purification of a buddhafield issue forth from the perfection of wisdom. Kauśika, all-knowledge, knowledge of path aspects, and knowledge of all aspects issue forth from the perfection of wisdom. Kauśika, the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Great Vehicle issue forth from the perfection of wisdom, and unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening issues forth from the perfection of wisdom too.


29.

Chapter 29: Different Tīrthika Religious Mendicants

29.­1

Then, many different tīrthika religious mendicants intent on criticizing, a hundred of them, specifically approached the Lord to level criticism.

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Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “These many different tīrthika religious mendicants intent on criticizing the doctrine, a hundred of them, have specifically approached the Lord to level criticism. I will certainly recite as much of the perfection of wisdom as I have taken up in order that these different tīrthika religious mendicants will not get at all close to the Lord to hinder the teaching of the perfection of wisdom.”


30.

Chapter 30: The Benefits of Taking Up and Adoration

30.­1

Then venerable Ānanda said to the Lord, “Lord, you do not praise422 the perfection of giving, and you do not praise the perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, or perfection of concentration. Similarly, up to you do not proclaim the names of the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha as you proclaim the name of the perfection of wisdom.”

30.­2

Venerable Ānanda having said this, the Lord then said to him, “Ānanda, these‍—that is, the [F.2.a] five perfections, connect this in the same way with each, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha‍—are preceded by the perfection of wisdom.

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31.

Chapter 31: Physical Remains

31.­1

Then the Lord asked Śatakratu, head of the gods, “Kauśika, which of these two options would you choose: to have this Jambudvīpa filled right to the top with the physical remains of tathāgatas and to respect, revere, honor, and worship them with flowers, perfumes, incense, garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags, and banners, or to be given this perfection of wisdom?”

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“Lord,” replied Śatakratu, “were I to be offered this Jambudvīpa filled right to the top with the physical remains of the tathāgatas and to be offered this perfection of wisdom written out in book form‍—were I to be presented with these two options‍—I would want the perfection of wisdom. And why? Lord, it is not that I do not venerate those physical remains of the tathāgatas. Lord, I do indeed venerate them. It is not that I do not respect those physical remains of the tathāgatas, or do not revere, do not honor, and do not worship them. But I respect, revere, honor, and worship those physical remains of the tathāgatas because they come about from the perfection of wisdom. The physical remains of the tathāgatas [F.10.a] are suffused by the perfection of wisdom. That is why the physical remains of the tathāgatas get to be worshiped.”

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32.

Chapter 32: The Superiority of Merit

32.­1

“Kauśika, [F.22.b] there is infinitely great merit from establishing one being in the result of stream enterer, but not so much from establishing the beings in Jambudvīpa in the ten wholesome actions. And why? Kauśika, those who have been established in the ten wholesome actions have not totally got out from the forms of life in the hells, in the animal realms, in the worlds of Yama, or as asuras. A being established in the result of stream enterer is freed from all the terrible forms of life. Similarly, there is infinitely great merit from establishing one being in a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, but not so much from establishing the beings in Jambudvīpa in the ten wholesome actions. Kauśika, a son of a good family or daughter of a good family who establishes one being in unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening creates infinitely greater merit than that. And why? Because it is established specifically so the way of buddhas is not brought to an end.

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33.

Chapter 33: Dedication

33.­1

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya said to the elder Subhūti, “Venerable monk Subhūti, when the basis of meritorious action arisen from a bodhisattva great being’s rejoicing that has been made into something shared in common by all beings has been dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening‍—and dedicated, furthermore, by way of not apprehending anything‍—that basis of meritorious action arisen from a bodhisattva great being’s rejoicing [F.36.a] that has been made into something shared in common by all beings and dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening is the highest, the most excellent, the foremost, the best, the most superb, sublime, unsurpassed, and unrivaled in comparison to the bases of meritorious action arisen from all beings’ rejoicing, and in comparison to the bases of meritorious action arisen from giving, the bases of meritorious action arisen from morality, and the bases of meritorious action arisen from meditation of those who have set out in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and those who have set out in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. And why? Because all the bases of meritorious action arisen from giving, arisen from morality, and arisen from meditation of those in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and those in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle are made for personal disciplining, for personal calming, and for a personal complete nirvāṇa; the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, up to emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness are for personal disciplining, personal calming, and a personal complete nirvāṇa, but that basis of meritorious action arisen from a bodhisattva’s rejoicing is for disciplining all beings, for calming all beings, and for the complete nirvāṇa of all beings, because it has been dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

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33.­2

Then venerable Subhūti said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “There are the wholesome roots endowed with the six perfections of all the infinite, countless, immeasurable lord buddhas in each of the world systems in infinite, countless world systems in the eastern direction who have passed into complete nirvāṇa, starting from when they first produced the thought, up to when they fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, up to complete nirvāṇa in the element of nirvāṇa without any aggregates left behind, during [F.36.b] the lasting of their good Dharma up to its disappearance. There are the bases of meritorious action arisen from giving, arisen from morality, and arisen from meditation of those śrāvakas of theirs in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and those pratyekabuddhas of theirs in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle and the wholesome roots without outflows of their trainees and nontrainees. There are the aggregates of morality, aggregates of meditative stabilization, aggregates of wisdom, aggregates of liberation, and aggregates of knowledge and seeing of liberation of those tathāgatas; and there are the wholesome roots planted by wishes to benefit, great compassion, and the infinite, countless buddhadharmas, those planted by the Dharma teachings those lord buddhas gave and those planted, on account of those Dharma teachings, by those who reached the result of stream enterer, up to the state of a worthy one, up to those who reached a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, and those who have entered into the secure state of a bodhisattva. Bodhisattva great beings, having compressed together all those wholesome roots that those tathāgatas, present or in complete nirvāṇa, produced, rejoice in them with the highest rejoicing, rejoice with the best, superb, sublime, loftiest, unsurpassed, unrivaled, unequaled, equal to the unequaled rejoicing, and, having made the wholesome root arisen from that rejoicing into something shared in common by all beings, they dedicate it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening with the thought, ‘May this foster unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ [F.37.a] Maitreya, when those bodhisattvas in the Great Vehicle mentally dedicate like that, as explained, do those objective supports and entities, the objective supports and entities that have produced that state of mind, exist, or are they apprehended as are the causal signs a son of a good family has grasped?”

33.­3

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya replied, “Venerable monk Subhūti, those objective supports and entities do not exist and are not apprehended any more than the causal signs those sons of a good family in the Great Vehicle grasp and dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

33.­4

Subhūti then asked,437 “If, with those objective supports that do not exist and those entities that do not exist, having grasped the causal marks of those lord buddhas standing in all the vast world systems in the ten directions, they compress together all those wholesome roots starting from when they first produced the thought up to the disappearance of their good Dharma, together with all the wholesome roots of their trainees and nontrainees in the Śrāvaka Vehicle, and dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, would it not be just as it is with the wrong perception, wrong thought, wrong view of impermanence as permanent, suffering as ‘happiness,’ selflessness as ‘self,’ and the unpleasant as ‘pleasant’? And if, just as it is with the entities and how it is with the objective supports too, awakening is like that; if thought is like that; if the perfection of giving, perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom are like that; [F.37.b] if the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening are like that; and if the tathāgata powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha are like that as well, then what would the entities there be, what would the objective supports be, what would meditative stabilization be, what would thought be, what would the wholesome roots be, what would thought arisen from rejoicing be, and what would dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening be?”

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33.­5

“Venerable monk Subhūti,” replied Maitreya, “if those bodhisattva great beings again and again practice the six perfections, attend on many buddhas, produce wholesome roots, are assisted by spiritual friends, and again and again train in all dharmas empty of their own marks, they dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening without grasping the causal signs of those entities, those objective supports, those lord buddhas, those wholesome roots, or those bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing. [F.38.a] They dedicate them in a nondual way, in a way free from causal marks, as they really are without dedicating them by way of apprehending or by way of not apprehending, by way of defilement or by way of purification, or by way of production or by way of cessation. If those bodhisattva great beings have not trained in the six perfections, have not attended on many buddhas, have not produced wholesome roots, are not assisted by spiritual friends, and have not trained in all dharmas empty of their own marks, they grasp the causal signs of those entities, those objective supports, those wholesome roots, and those bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing and dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

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33.­6

“Venerable monk Subhūti, you should not give an exposition of this doctrine of the perfection of wisdom that has been explained like this in the presence of bodhisattvas who have newly set out in the vehicle, and similarly you should not explain the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving, or explain inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. And why? Because even the smidgeon of faith, smidgeon of serene confidence, smidgeon of liking, and smidgeon of veneration they have will disappear. The exposition and explanation have to be given in the presence of bodhisattvas irreversible from awakening, and the teaching should be up to dharmas being empty of their own marks. Having heard things like that, those bodhisattva great beings will not tremble, feel frightened, or become terrified. If they [F.38.b] have been assisted by spiritual friends, served the victors of the past well, produced wholesome roots, and attended on many buddhas, they will be, venerable monk Subhūti, those whose bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing will be dedicated in that way to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.” [B26]

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33.­7

“Maitreya,” said Subhūti, “the thought that does the rejoicing and dedication is a thought that is extinguished, stopped, nonexistent, and has run out. And those entities and those objective supports, those wholesome roots, and those bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing are extinguished, stopped, nonexistent, and have run out. So, what, then, is the thought arisen from rejoicing, what are those entities, what are those objective supports, and what are those wholesome roots, and what is dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? Does thought dedicate438 thought? If thought were to dedicate thought, there would be no coming together of two thoughts. The intrinsic nature of thought cannot be dedicated.”

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33.­8

Maitreya replied, “When bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom thus know the perfection of wisdom is a nonexistent thing; the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving are nonexistent things; form is a nonexistent thing; feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness are nonexistent things, the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening are nonexistent things; the tathāgata powers, fearlessnesses, [F.39.a] detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha are nonexistent things; and awakening is a nonexistent thing, such bodhisattva great beings will be those whose bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing will be dedicated in that way to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. If dedicated like that, it is a dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

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33.­9

The bodhisattva Maitreya then asked the elder Subhūti, “Venerable monk Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings who have newly set out in the vehicle hear this doctrine would they not tremble, feel frightened, and become terrified? Venerable monk Subhūti, how then could bodhisattva great beings newly set out in the vehicle dedicate those wholesome roots? And even if they have appropriated those bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing, how will they dedicate those wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?”

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33.­10

“Maitreya,” replied Subhūti, “when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who have newly set out in the vehicle take up that perfection of wisdom it is by way of not apprehending anything, not by way of a causal sign; and similarly, when practicing the perfection of concentration . . . the perfection of perseverance . . . the perfection of patience . . . the perfection of morality . . . and the perfection of giving they take up the perfection of giving by way of not apprehending anything, not by way of a causal sign. When they are practicing inner emptiness and take up inner emptiness it is by way of not apprehending anything, not by way of a causal sign; when they are practicing . . . [F.39.b] up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature and take up the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature it is by way of not apprehending anything, not by way of a causal sign; when they are practicing the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening and take up the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening it is by way of not apprehending anything, not by way of a causal sign; and when they are practicing the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha and take them up it is by way of not apprehending anything, not by way of a causal sign.

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33.­11

“Thus they come to have more belief in the perfection of wisdom; come to have more belief in the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving; come to have more belief in inner emptiness; come to have more belief in . . . up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; come to have more belief in the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening; and come to have more belief in the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. Spiritual friends also look after them, and spiritual friends teach both the meaning and the words of just that perfection of wisdom, up to the perfection of giving as well. No matter what, they teach so they are not separated from the perfection of wisdom up until entering into the secure state of a bodhisattva, and similarly, so that there is no separation from all the perfections up until entering into the secure state of a bodhisattva, and so that they are not separated from all the emptinesses, the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, the powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. [F.40.a] They point out the work of Māra, and, having heard about those works of Māra from them, no decrease happens and no increase happens. And why? Because those works of Māra cannot be apprehended through their intrinsic nature. They are not separated from the lord buddhas up until they have entered into the secure state of a bodhisattva. They plant wholesome roots in relation to them, and on account of these wholesome roots they grasp the bodhisattva lineage439 and never leave the bodhisattva lineage up until fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

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33.­12

“Furthermore, Maitreya, bodhisattva great beings who have newly set out in the vehicle should compress together the merit accumulations and the wholesome roots planted by the lord buddhas whose path has come to an end, whose thought constructions and cravings for existence have been cut off, for whom the path of speech has ended,440 and who have laid down their burden, have removed the thorns, have cut the fetters that bind to becoming, and are freed by knowledge of sameness‍—the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas dwelling and maintaining themselves in infinite, countless world systems in the ten directions; those planted by the śrāvakas of those lord buddhas, as well as those wholesome roots planted in relation to them; and the wholesome roots planted in the great sāla tree–like royal families in the world, the great sāla tree–like brahmin families, the great sāla tree–like business families in the world, the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, up to and the Śuddhāvāsa gods. They should compress them all together and collect them into one and weigh it, and having done so they should rejoice in it with the highest rejoicing and dedicate the bases of meritorious action arisen from that rejoicing with the most excellent, foremost, best, most superb, and most sublime [F.40.b] rejoicing to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

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33.­13

Maitreya then asked, “Venerable monk Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings who have newly set out in the vehicle consider the wholesome roots planted by the lord buddhas and their śrāvaka saṅghas and rejoice with the highest rejoicing, rejoice with . . . up to unrivaled rejoicing, and dedicate it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, how do those bodhisattva great beings not have a wrong perception, wrong thought, and wrong view?”

33.­14

“Maitreya,” replied Subhūti, “if bodhisattva great beings, while focusing on the lord buddhas and their śrāvaka saṅghas as is their habit, have no notion of buddha, have no notion of wholesome roots, and have no notion of a thought doing the dedication, bodhisattva great beings making such a dedication will not have a wrong perception, wrong thought, or wrong view.

33.­15

“If, while considering the lord buddhas and those wholesome roots, bodhisattva great beings grasp a causal sign, and, having grasped a causal sign, rejoice and dedicate like that to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, they will have a wrong perception, thought, and view.

33.­16

“If bodhisattva great beings understand the lord buddhas, those wholesome roots, and the thoughts that habitually focus, and that are extinguished, as extinguished; and understand that what has been extinguished cannot be dedicated; and understand the thought with which the dedication is done, and its dharmic nature, [F.41.a] and understand that what it is being dedicated to and its true dharmic nature are like that too‍—if bodhisattva great beings have dedicated like that it is a conforming dedication441 and it is a perfect dedication, not a nonconforming dedication and not a distorted dedication, so the dedication should be done like that.

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33.­17

“If bodhisattva great beings compress together the wholesome roots that past, future, and present lord buddhas, up to442 ordinary persons have planted; the wholesome roots planted by listening to Dharma teachings and planted by the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas in relation to that; the wholesome roots planted by the great sāla tree–like royal families, great sāla tree–like brahmin families, great sāla tree–like business families, and the Cāturmahā­rājika gods listening to the Dharma; and all the productions of the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening‍—and if, having compressed them all together and collected them into one and weighed it, they rejoice in it with the highest rejoicing, rejoice with the most excellent, foremost, best, most superb, and most sublime rejoicing, rejoice with an unequaled rejoicing equal to the unequaled, and, having rejoiced, dedicate it all to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and if they perfectly understand that those dharmas are extinguished, stopped, nonexistent, and have run out, and that those dharmas for the sake of which the dedication is done are also ‘empty of an intrinsic nature’‍—if they dedicate like that, they will have made a dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

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33.­18

“If they perfectly understand [F.41.b] that dharmas do not dedicate dharmas‍—and why? because ‘all dharmas are empty of an intrinsic nature’‍—and if they dedicate it that way, they will have made a dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

33.­19

“Bodhisattvas practicing the perfection of wisdom like that will not have a wrong perception, wrong thought, or wrong view of the perfections of concentration, perseverance, patience, morality, or giving. And why? Because they do not settle down on that dedication, those wholesome roots, that awakening, or that thought‍—they do not even see what is settled down on. That is the bodhisattva great beings’ dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

33.­20

“If bodhisattva great beings are aware that the piling up of the bases of meritorious action is isolated from the aggregates; are aware that it is isolated from the perfection of wisdom; are aware that it is isolated from the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving; are aware that it is isolated from inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; are aware that it is isolated from the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening; and are aware that it is isolated from the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, in that case bodhisattva great beings will have dedicated the bases of meritorious action to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

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33.­21

“If bodhisattva great beings are aware that the bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing [F.42.a] are isolated from an intrinsic nature of the bases of meritorious action arisen from rejoicing and are aware that the lord buddhas are isolated from an intrinsic nature of buddhas, that wholesome roots are isolated from an intrinsic nature of wholesome roots, that piling up is isolated from an intrinsic nature of piling up, that the thought of awakening is isolated from an intrinsic nature of the thought of awakening, that a dedicating thought is isolated from an intrinsic nature of a dedicating thought, that awakening is isolated from an intrinsic nature of awakening, that the perfection of wisdom is isolated from an intrinsic nature of the perfection of wisdom, and similarly, that the perfection of concentration . . . perseverance . . . patience . . . morality . . . and giving is isolated from an intrinsic nature of the perfection of giving; that inner emptiness, up to that the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature is isolated from an intrinsic nature of the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; up to that the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening . . . the ten powers . . . the four fearlessnesses . . . the four detailed and thorough knowledges . . . and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha are isolated from an intrinsic nature of the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, bodhisattva great beings will thus practice the perfection of wisdom that is isolated, and that will be the bodhisattva great beings’ perfection of wisdom.

33.­22

“Furthermore, bodhisattva great beings recollecting those wholesome roots of those lord buddhas who have passed into nirvāṇa should make the dedication in just such a way that the thought with which the dedication is made, like the dedication, is true suchness, has that as its basic nature, and is that intrinsic nature.443 A dedication with such awareness will have been to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. [F.42.b] Such a dedication does not have a wrong perception, wrong thought, or wrong view.

33.­23

“If bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom know those wholesome roots of those lord buddhas by way of a causal sign, the dedication is not to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

33.­24

“If they were to grasp a causal sign while thus recollecting those past lord buddhas‍—who have passed into nirvāṇa, have no causal signs, and are not objects‍—they would not have dedicated those wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. In that case it would be a wrong perception, wrong thought, and wrong view.

33.­25

“If they do not form a knowledge of and do not grasp at a causal sign of those lord buddhas, of those wholesome roots, of those accumulations, or of those productions of the thought, those wholesome roots are dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and thus the bodhisattva great beings do not have a wrong perception, wrong thought, or wrong view.”

33.­26

“Venerable monk Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings not grasp at causal signs and still make a dedication?” asked Maitreya.

33.­27

“Maitreya,” replied Subhūti, “it is because bodhisattva great beings have trained in skillful means in this perfection of wisdom. Therefore, you should know that bodhisattva great beings are skilled in the perfection of wisdom. Without having resorted to the perfection of wisdom it is not possible to dedicate the bases of meritorious action.”

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33.­28

Maitreya then asked, “Venerable monk Subhūti, would there not be this fault [F.43.a] if, in the perfection of wisdom, those lord buddhas, those wholesome roots, those accumulations, and those productions of the thought dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening were not to exist?”

33.­29

“There,444 bodhisattva great beings practicing this perfection of wisdom should reflect deeply as follows: Those physical beings, those wholesome roots, and those accumulations have ceased,445 but still they conceive of them, having grasped them as causal signs‍—having grasped those lord buddhas, those wholesome roots, those accumulations, and those productions of the thought dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening as causal signs. Tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas do not do the work of dedication and rejoicing by way of causal signs like that. And why? Because it is just this‍—the apprehension of those lord buddhas who have passed into complete nirvāṇa having grasped a causal sign and conceived of them, that is their great big apprehension. So, bodhisattva great beings who want to dedicate those wholesome roots should not dedicate them having apprehended and grasped them as causal signs. Tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas do not say that there is great value in the dedication of those perceiving apprehended objects and perceiving causal signs. And why? Because that dedication has been poisoned and conceals a sharp object.

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33.­30

“To illustrate, a person with a naturally childish disposition decides to eat a poisoned delicacy that looks and smells good, and even while eating it enjoys its color and aroma. But when they have digested it suffering results.

33.­31

“Similarly, here certain persons who have taken this perfection of wisdom up wrongly, [F.43.b] know wrongly, and have trained wrongly give instructions without understanding or comprehending the true state of affairs, saying, ‘Come here, you son of a good family! There are the wholesome roots created through the practice of the perfection of wisdom by past, future, and present lord buddhas starting from when they first produced the thought, up to when they fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, up to complete nirvāṇa in the element of nirvāṇa without any aggregates left behind, during the lasting of their good Dharma up to its disappearance. Similarly there are the wholesome roots they created through their practice of the perfection of concentration, perseverance, patience, morality, and giving; the wholesome roots they created endowed with the four concentrations and endowed with the four immeasurables, four formless absorptions, thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, ten tathāgata powers, fearlessnesses, and detailed and thorough knowledges; and the wholesome roots they created endowed with the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. There are those on account of which the lord buddhas purify buddhafields and bring beings to maturity and on account of which there are their aggregates of morality, aggregates of meditative stabilization, aggregates of wisdom, aggregates of liberation, up to aggregates of knowledge and seeing of liberation, up to knowledge of a knower of all aspects, up to the natural state not robbed of mindfulness, and constantly staying in a state of equanimity. There are the wholesome roots those in their Śrāvaka Vehicle [F.44.a] have produced and possess, and there are the wholesome roots created by those prophesied as pratyekabuddhas and by the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. Having compressed them all together and collected them into one and weighed it, you should dedicate it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ That sort of dedication of theirs is a dedication by way of causal signs and by way of apprehended objects. It is like poisoned food that becomes toxic.

33.­32

“A dedication viewing an apprehended object is not a dedication. And why? Because that apprehending is poisonous, has a causal sign, has causes, and has conditions. Such a dedication is demeaning to the Tathāgata. It is not speaking as the Tathāgata said to speak. It is not speaking the Dharma. They should reflect deeply like that.

33.­33

“There sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Bodhisattva Vehicle should train like this, asking, ‘How should we rejoice in and dedicate the wholesome roots of past, future, and present lord buddhas? How should we rejoice in and dedicate the wholesome roots they, along with the śrāvaka saṅghas, accumulated practicing the perfection of wisdom, starting from when they first produced the thought, up to complete nirvāṇa in the element of nirvāṇa without any aggregates left behind, during the lasting of their good Dharma up to its disappearance, up to gaining the knowledge of all aspects, up to how should they rejoice in and dedicate the wholesome roots planted by the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas? How should we dedicate those wholesome roots [F.44.b] so they are dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?’

33.­34

“Sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Great Vehicle practicing the perfection of wisdom who do not want to demean the Tathāgata should frame their dedication in these terms: ‘I shall rejoice in those wholesome roots just as the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas with their unsurpassed buddha knowledge comprehend them as existing in their basic character, nature, signs, and true dharmic nature, and I shall dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening just as the lord buddhas comprehend them.’ Sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Great Vehicle should dedicate wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening like that. Such a dedication is not demeaning to the Tathāgata. It is speaking like the Tathāgata said to, and is speaking the Dharma. That sort of dedication of those bodhisattva great beings has not been poisoned. That is how they should train.

33.­35

“Furthermore, sons of a good family or daughters of a good family who have set out in the Great Vehicle and are practicing the perfection of wisdom should dedicate those wholesome roots like this: ‘Thus form does not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm. Feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness do not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm. Similarly, the constituents, sense fields, and the perfection of wisdom do not belong to the desire realm, form realm, [F.45.a] or formless realm. Similarly, the perfections of concentration, perseverance, patience, morality, and giving do not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm, and that which does not belong is not past, is not future, and is not present. Similarly, inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature do not belong to the desire, form, or formless realm. The thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening do not belong to the desire, form, or formless realm. The ten powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha do not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm. Similarly, suchness, unmistaken suchness, unaltered suchness, the true nature of dharmas, the dharma-constituent, the establishment of dharmas, the certification of dharmas, the very limit of reality, and the inconceivable element, morality, meditative stabilization, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge and seeing of liberation, the knowledge of all aspects, the natural state not robbed of mindfulness, and constantly staying in a state of equanimity do not belong to the desire, form, or formless realm, and that which does not belong is not past, is not future, and is not present.

33.­36

“And why? Just as they do not belong because they do not belong in that way, similarly dedication does not belong either.446 The dharma to which they are dedicating and those dharmas do not belong. The one doing the dedication [F.45.b] also does not belong. The lord buddhas also do not belong; those wholesome roots do not belong; those śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas do not belong; and their wholesome roots do not belong to the desire, form, or formless realm either, and that which does not belong is not past, is not future, and is not present. That is how they should make the dedication.

33.­37

“If bodhisattvas practicing the perfection of wisdom have this awareness‍—‘Thus form, whatever it is, does not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm. Similarly, feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness do not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm. Similarly, the constituents and sense fields do not belong to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm, and that which does not belong is not past, is not future, and is not present. It cannot be dedicated by way of causal signs or by way of apprehended objects. And why? Because it has no intrinsic nature, and something without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. A nonexistent thing cannot dedicate a nonexistent thing. Similarly, feeling, perception, volitional factors, consciousness, and the constituents and sense fields; similarly, the perfection of giving, perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom; similarly inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; [F.46.a] similarly the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, the powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, the knowledge of all aspects, the natural state not robbed of mindfulness, and constantly staying in a state of equanimity does not belong to the desire realm, do not belong to the form realm, and do not belong to the formless realm, and that which does not belong is not past, is not future, and is not present. That which is not past, that which is not future, and that which is not present cannot be dedicated by way of causal signs or by way of apprehended objects. And why? Because it has no intrinsic nature, and something without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. A nonexistent thing cannot dedicate a nonexistent thing’‍—if bodhisattvas have just such awareness, then the dedication has not been poisoned.

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33.­38

“A son of a good family or daughter of a good family who has set out in the Great Vehicle and who dedicates those wholesome roots by way of causal signs and by way of apprehended objects dedicates those wholesome roots in the wrong way and does not dedicate perfectly. The lord buddhas do not praise a dedication that is wrong. Those who dedicate with a dedication not praised by the lord buddhas do not complete the perfection of giving and do not complete the perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, or perfection of wisdom. Those who do not complete the six perfections [F.46.b] do not complete the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening and do not complete inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, the powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, or the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. They do not complete a buddhafield. Those who do not complete a buddhafield do not complete bringing beings to maturity. Those who do not complete a buddhafield and do not complete bringing beings to maturity do not fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

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“And why? Because a dedication like that has been poisoned.

33.­39

“Furthermore, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom should reflect deeply as follows: ‘Those lord buddhas comprehended that they must dedicate wholesome roots in this truly dharmic way. I too must dedicate these wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening in just this truly dharmic way as well.’ They should reflect deeply like that.”

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33.­40

Then the Lord said to venerable Subhūti, “Excellent, excellent, Subhūti! It is excellent that you have given such instruction about the bodhisattva great beings’ aggregate of dedication by way of no causal sign, by way of not apprehending anything, by way of no production, by way of no appearance, by way of no defilement, by way of no purification, by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, by way of the emptiness of its own mark, by way of the dharma-constituent, by way of suchness, by way of unmistaken suchness, and by way of unaltered suchness.

33.­41

“Subhūti, if all the beings that are in the great billionfold world system [F.47.a] were to obtain the ten wholesome actions and were to obtain the four concentrations, the four immeasurables, the four formless absorptions, and the five clairvoyances, what do you think, Subhūti? Based on that would those beings create a lot of merit?”447

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“A lot, Lord; a lot, Sugata,” replied Subhūti.

33.­42

“Subhūti,” continued the Lord, “a son of a good family or daughter of a good family who makes an untainted dedication of the wholesome roots creates even more merit than that. Subhūti, that dedication of the wholesome roots by that son of a good family or daughter of a good family is the highest, the most excellent, foremost, the best, superb, sublime, unsurpassed, and unrivaled.

33.­43

“Furthermore, Subhūti, if as many beings as there are stationed in the great billionfold world system were to become stream enterers or were to become once-returners, or non-returners, or worthy ones, and were some son of a good family or daughter of a good family for as long as they live to respect, revere, honor, and worship them all with requirements‍—robes, alms, beds and seats, and medicines for sicknesses‍—what do you think, Subhūti? Based on that would that son of a good family or daughter of a good family create a lot of merit?”

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“A lot, Lord; a lot, Sugata,” replied Subhūti.

33.­44

“Subhūti,” continued the Lord, “a son of a good family or daughter of a good family who makes an untainted dedication of the wholesome roots creates even more merit [F.47.b] than that.

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33.­45

“Furthermore, Subhūti, if as many beings as there are stationed in the great billionfold world system were to become pratyekabuddhas, and were some son of a good family or daughter of a good family for as long as they live to respect, revere, honor, and worship them all with requirements‍—robes, alms, beds and seats, and medicines for sicknesses‍—what do you think, Subhūti? Based on that would that son of a good family or daughter of a good family create a lot of merit?”

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“A lot, Lord; a lot, Sugata,” replied Subhūti.

33.­46

“Subhūti,” continued the Lord, “a son of a good family or daughter of a good family who makes an untainted dedication of the wholesome roots creates even more merit than that.

33.­47

“Furthermore, Subhūti, if as many beings as there are stationed in the great billionfold world system had set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening and as many beings standing in as many world systems in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, all of them, for as many eons as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, were to respect, revere, honor, and worship each of those bodhisattvas there with requirements‍—robes, alms, beds and seats, and medicines for sicknesses‍—and attend on them with all the requirements for happiness, and similarly, if as many beings standing in as many world systems in the south, west, and north, below and above, and the intermediate directions as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, all of them, for as many eons as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, were to respect, revere, honor, and worship each of those bodhisattvas from among those bodhisattvas there with requirements (robes, alms, beds [F.48.a] and seats, and medicines for sicknesses) and attend on them with all the requirements for happiness, what do you think, Subhūti? Based on that would those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family create a lot of merit?”

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33.­48

“A lot, Lord; a lot, Sugata; an infinite, countless, immeasurable amount,” replied Subhūti. “Lord, to give an illustration for that basis of meritorious action is not easy. Lord, if that basis of meritorious action had a physical form it would not fit in even as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River.”

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33.­49

Venerable Subhūti having said this, the Lord said to him, “Excellent, excellent, Subhūti! What you have said is excellent.

33.­50

“Subhūti, a son of a good family or daughter of a good family who, with an untainted dedication of the wholesome roots, dedicates to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening the wholesome roots like that creates even more merit than that. Therefore, Subhūti, that dedication of the wholesome roots by that son of a good family or daughter of a good family is the highest, the most excellent, foremost, the best, superb, sublime, unsurpassed, and unrivaled. Subhūti, that earlier mass of merit does not approach the merit of an untainted dedication even by a hundredth part, or by a thousandth part, or by a hundred thousandth part, or by a hundred millionth part, or by a thousandth one hundred millionth part, or by a hundred thousandth one hundred millionth part; it does not stand up to any number, or fraction, or counting, or example, or comparison.

33.­51

“And why? Because those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family [F.48.b] are endowed with the ten wholesome actions and endowed with the four concentrations, the four immeasurables, the four formless absorptions, and the five clairvoyances while having a perception that apprehends something.

33.­52

“And why? Because those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family respect, revere, honor, and worship with the requirements‍—robes, alms, beds and seats, and medicines for sicknesses‍—while having a perception that apprehends something. They attend on those bodhisattvas caught up in apprehending things with all the requirements for happiness, and they respect, revere, honor, and worship them.”

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33.­53

Then twenty thousand gods from among the Cāturmahā­rājika gods cupped their palms together in a gesture of supplication, bowed to the Lord, and said, “Ah! Lord, bodhisattva great beings with skillful means dedicate those wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening in an untainted way, by way of not apprehending anything, by way of no causal sign, by way of not doing anything. The dedication done like this without asserting ‘two’ or ‘not two’ is a great dedication.”

33.­54

Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, together with the Trāyastriṃśa gods, having brought divine flowers, perfumes, incense, garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags, and banners, worshiped the Lord with a divine orchestra of cymbals and drums and made this statement: “These bodhisattva great beings with skillful means dedicate those wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening by way of not apprehending anything, in an untainted way, [F.49.a] by way of no causal sign. The dedication done like this without asserting ‘two’ or ‘not two’ is a great dedication.”

33.­55

Then many hundred thousand one hundred million billion Brahmakāyika gods approached the Lord, and, having arrived, bowed to his feet with their heads, melodiously giving voice to and proclaiming the words, “Lord, it is amazing how the wholesome roots of bodhisattva great beings with such a perfection of wisdom and skillful means as their mentor surpass those of the aforementioned bodhisattva great beings and sons of a good family or daughters of a good family caught up in apprehending things.”

33.­56

Similarly, the Brahmakāyika gods and the Brahmapurohita, Brahmapārṣadya, Parīttābha, Apramāṇābha, Ābhāsvara, Parīttaśubha, Apramāṇaśubha, Śubhakṛtsna, Anabhrakā, Puṇyaprasava, Bṛhatphala, Avṛha, Sudarśana, Sudṛśa, Atapa, and Akaniṣṭha gods, together with many hundred thousand one hundred million billion gods, approached the Lord and, having arrived, bowed to his feet with their heads, proclaiming the words, “Lord, it is amazing how the wholesome roots of bodhisattva great beings with such a perfection of wisdom and skillful means as their mentor surpass those of the aforementioned bodhisattva great beings and sons of a good family or daughters of a good family practicing while caught up in apprehending things.”

33.­57

Then the Lord said to the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, up to the Akaniṣṭha gods, “Gods, were all the beings that are in a great billionfold world system [F.49.b] to have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and were they all to compress together the wholesome roots that past, future, and present tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas together with their śrāvaka saṅghas planted, starting from when they first produced the thought up to for as long as their good Dharma lasts (in these are the wholesome roots of those śrāvakas, of those pratyekabuddhas, and of all other beings, arisen from the perfection of giving and arisen from the perfections of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom, and the aggregates of morality, meditative stabilization, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge and seeing of liberation, and immeasurable other buddhadharmas), and were they to rejoice in them and, having rejoiced, dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening by way of apprehending something; and were some son of a good family or daughter of a good family who has set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening to compress together the wholesome roots of the perfection of giving, up to the perfection of wisdom, up to immeasurable other buddhadharmas of those past, future, and present lord buddhas together with their śrāvaka saṅghas starting from when they first produced the thought, up to for as long as their good Dharma lasts, and rejoice in all that with the highest rejoicing, and, having rejoiced, dedicate that to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening by way of not apprehending anything, in a nondual way, by way of no causal sign, in an untainted way, by way of not doing anything, that son of a good family or daughter of a good family would thus create more merit than those earlier sons of a good family or daughters of a good family. [F.50.a] That earlier wholesome root, furthermore, would not approach even by a hundredth part, up to would not stand up to any comparison to this wholesome root. That dedication by a bodhisattva great being by way of not apprehending anything is the highest, up to unrivaled.”

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33.­58

Subhūti then asked, “Lord, what is that ‘highest rejoicing,’ up to ‘unrivaled rejoicing’ you talk about where you say, Lord, ‘A son of a good family or daughter of a good family compresses all together the mass of merit from that rejoicing, up to dedication of all their wholesome roots and collects them into one and rejoices with the highest rejoicing, up to the unrivaled rejoicing’?”

33.­59

The Lord replied, “It is when that son of a good family or daughter of a good family, without grasping, without rejecting, without falsely projecting, without acquiring, and without apprehending those wholesome roots of past, future, and present tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas together with their śrāvaka saṅghas, those wholesome roots of their pratyekabuddhas, and of all other beings, thinks, ‘Here there is no production, no cessation, no defilement, no purification of a dharma; those dharmas do not decrease, do not increase, do not come, do not go, and do not turn into an aggregate, so on that account I rejoice just in the suchness, the unmistaken suchness, the unaltered suchness, the true nature of dharmas, the dharma-constituent, the establishment of dharmas, and the certification of dharmas [F.50.b] of those past, future, and present dharmas and, having rejoiced, dedicate it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ The rejoicing by bodhisattva great beings making such a dedication is the highest rejoicing, up to unrivaled rejoicing. All other rejoicing, Subhūti, does not approach it even by a hundredth part, up to does not stand up to any comparison to it. Compared with other rejoicing this rejoicing is the highest, up to unrivaled rejoicing.

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33.­60

“Furthermore, Subhūti, a son of a good family or daughter of a good family newly set out in the vehicle who wants to rejoice in all the wholesome roots of past, future, and present tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas together with their śrāvaka saṅghas and their pratyekabuddhas starting from when they first produced the thought, up to for as long as their good Dharma lasts (in these are the wholesome roots endowed with the perfection of giving and endowed with the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom, up to immeasurable other buddhadharmas) and the wholesome roots of all other beings, should rejoice like this: ‘As liberation448 is, so too is giving; as liberation is, so too is morality, patience, perseverance, and concentration; and as liberation is, so too is wisdom. As liberation is, so too are form, feeling, perception, and volitional factors, and so too is consciousness. As liberation is, so too is inner emptiness, up to [F.51.a] the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. As liberation is, so too are the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening. As liberation is, so too are the powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. As liberation is, so too is the knowledge and seeing of liberation. As liberation is, so too is belief, so too is rejoicing. As liberation is, so too are the dharmas of past, future, and present buddhas; as liberation is, so too are the lord buddhas; as liberation is, so too is the complete awakening of those lord buddhas; and as liberation is, so too is the complete nirvāṇa of those lord buddhas. As liberation is, so too are the śrāvakas, so too the pratyekabuddhas of those lord buddhas, and so too is the nirvāṇa of those śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. As liberation is, so too is the true dharmic nature of those lord buddhas. As liberation is, so too is the true dharmic nature of those śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. As liberation is, so too is the suchness of all dharmas.’ They should rejoice like that. And, because nothing has changed places and nothing has been destroyed, so too is the true dharmic nature of dharmas that are not bound, are not freed, are not defiled, and are not purified; so to is the true dharmic nature of dharmas that are not produced, do not appear, and do not stop. [F.51.b] If the dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening is like that, Subhūti, it is the highest rejoicing of bodhisattva great beings. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings endowed with such rejoicing quickly and fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

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33.­61

“Furthermore, Subhūti, some son of a good family or daughter of a good family who has set out in the Great Vehicle, for as long as they live, may respect, revere, honor, and worship with all the requirements for happiness and with the requirements (robes, alms, beds and seats, and medicines for sicknesses) those tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfect complete buddhas with their śrāvaka saṅghas‍—the lord buddhas presently dwelling and maintaining themselves with their śrāvaka saṅghas in world systems as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River in each direction in the ten directions. They may produce an enthusiasm for respecting, revering, honoring, and worshiping those lord buddhas who have passed into complete nirvāṇa, with flowers, perfumes, incense, garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags, and banners. They may stand in morality, cultivate patience, exert themselves at perseverance, be absorbed in concentration, and cultivate wisdom, but cultivating by way of apprehending something. And another son of a good family or daughter of a good family who has set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, practicing the perfection of giving and practicing the perfections of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom may dedicate those wholesome roots [F.52.a] to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening by way of not apprehending anything. That earlier accumulation of merit does not approach even by a hundredth part, up to does not stand up to any comparison with that accumulation of merit. That dedication is the highest, up to unrivaled.

33.­62

“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of giving and practicing the perfections of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom with skillful means should dedicate those wholesome roots like this by way of not apprehending anything.”

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33.­63

This was the thirty-third chapter, “Dedication,” of “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines.” [B27]


34.

Chapter 34: Perfect Praise of the Quality of Accomplishment

34.­1

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, the perfection of wisdom makes things clear because of absolute purity. Lord, the perfection of wisdom makes you want to bow. Lord, I bow to the perfection of wisdom. Lord, the perfection of wisdom is untainted by all three realms. Lord, the perfection of wisdom corrects visual distortions because of having eliminated all the darkness of afflictive emotion and views. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the highest of the dharmas on the side of awakening. Lord, the perfection of wisdom provides security because it has eliminated all hazards, terrors, and persecution. Lord, the perfection of wisdom gives light because then all beings easily appropriate [F.52.b] the five eyes. Lord, the perfection of wisdom shows the ruts449 because beings caught in the ruts avoid the two edges. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the knowledge of all aspects because of having eliminated all residual impressions, connections, and afflictions. Lord, the perfection of wisdom is the mother of great bodhisattvas because she gives birth to all the buddhadharmas. Lord, the perfection of wisdom is unproduced and unceasing because of being empty of its own mark. Lord, the perfection of wisdom counteracts saṃsāra because it is not unmoved and not destroyed. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the protector of all unprotected beings because it is the giver of all precious dharmas. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the ten powers because it deals with those who are untamed. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as repeating and thus turning the wheel of the Dharma that has twelve aspects three times because it does not go forward and does not turn back.450 Lord, the perfection of wisdom works to show the intrinsic nature of all dharmas because of the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. Since this is the case, Lord, how does one stand in the perfection of wisdom?”

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35.

Chapter 35: Hells

35.­1

Then venerable Śāriputra inquired of the Lord, “Where did they die, Lord, bodhisattva great beings who have come here and believe in this perfection of wisdom? How long has it been since a son of a good family or daughter of a good family believing in this perfection of wisdom as the meaning and method455 set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? On how many tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have they attended? For how long have they been practitioners of the perfection of giving? For how long have they been practitioners of the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, and concentration? For how long have they been practitioners of the perfection of wisdom?”


36.

Chapter 36: Teaching the Purity of All Dharmas

36.­1

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, this purity is deep.”

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“It is deep, Śāriputra, because it is extremely pure,” said the Lord.

36.­2

“On account of what being extremely pure is it deep?” asked Śāriputra.

“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, [F.67.a] “it is deep because form is extremely pure. It is deep because feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness are extremely pure. It is deep because the earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, space element, and consciousness element are extremely pure. It is deep because the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and thinking mind are extremely pure. It is deep because a form, a sound, a smell, a taste, a feeling, and dharmas are extremely pure. It is deep because the perfection of giving is extremely pure. It is deep because the perfections of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom are extremely pure. It is deep because inner emptiness is extremely pure, up to it is deep because the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature is extremely pure. It is deep because the applications of mindfulness are extremely pure. It is deep because the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path are extremely pure. It is deep because the ten powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, and distinct attributes of a buddha are extremely pure. It is deep because awakening is extremely pure, up to the knowledge of all aspects is extremely pure.”


37.

Chapter 37: Nobody

37.­1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, the perfection of wisdom is not an agent.”

37.­2

The Lord responded, “Subhūti, the perfection of wisdom is the nonapprehender of all dharmas.”

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37.­3

“Lord, how do bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?” asked Subhūti

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37.­4

“Subhūti,” replied the Lord, “here when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, if they do not practice form, they practice the perfection of wisdom; if they do not practice feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness, they practice the perfection of wisdom. Similarly, if they do not practice the constituents, sense fields, dependent originations, perfections, emptinesses, dharmas on the side of awakening, powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, distinct attributes of a buddha, up to or the knowledge of all aspects, [F.75.b] they practice the perfection of wisdom.

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38.

Chapter 38: Cannot Be Apprehended

38.­1

Then [F.86.b] venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, this perfection of wisdom is a perfection of a nonexistent thing.”

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“Because space is a nonexistent thing, Subhūti,” replied the Lord.

38.­2

“Lord, this perfection of wisdom is a perfection of equality,” said Subhūti.

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“Because all dharmas are equally nonapprehendable, Subhūti,” replied the Lord.

38.­3

“Lord, this perfection of wisdom is a perfection of isolation,” said Subhūti.

“Because of the emptiness that transcends limits,” replied the Lord.


39.

Chapter 39: The Northern Region

39.­1

Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family must have served the earlier victors well for the proclamation of this perfection of wisdom to be within their range of hearing; their wholesome roots must be sprung from the Tathāgata, and they must have been assisted by spiritual friends for the proclamation of this perfection of wisdom to be within their range of hearing too, so what need is there to say more about those who take up, bear in mind, read aloud, and master it, and about those who, having taken it up and borne it in mind, read it aloud, and mastered it, also practice it for suchness?476 Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family who take up, bear in mind, read aloud, and master this perfection of wisdom, and who, having taken it up and borne it in mind, read it aloud and mastered it, also practice it for suchness, have attended on many buddhas. Those sons of a good family [F.93.a] or daughters of a good family who do not tremble, feel frightened, or become terrified even when they have listened to this deep perfection of wisdom have also made inquiries about it with earlier tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas. Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family who do not tremble, feel frightened, or become terrified even when they have listened to this deep perfection of wisdom have also practiced the perfection of giving and practiced the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom for many hundred millions of eons.”


40.

Chapter 40: The Work of Māra

40.­1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord,499 “Lord, in light of these pronouncements you have made about the good qualities that accrue to those sons of a good family and daughters of a good family who have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and who are practicing the six perfections, bringing beings to maturity, and taking possession of a buddhafield, what sorts of hindrances can those sons of a good family and daughters of a good family expect to face?”


41.

Chapter 41: Not Complete Because of Māra

41.­1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, when the Dharma listener wants to listen to the perfection of wisdom, to write it out, take it up, clearly articulate it, recite it, and read it out loud, and the Dharma preacher has become too lazy, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should know that this too is the work of Māra.

41.­2

“Furthermore, Subhūti, when the Dharma preacher has not become too lazy to write out this deep perfection of wisdom, to take it up, clearly articulate it, and recite it, but the Dharma listener has gone off to some other place,