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

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.”

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?”

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.”

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?”

“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.

“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]

“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.”

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.”

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?”

“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.

“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.

“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.”

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?”

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

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

“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.”

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?”

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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?’

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

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

“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.”

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.

“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

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

“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.

“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?”

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

“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.

“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?”

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

“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.

“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?”

“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.”

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

“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.

“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.

“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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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’?”

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.

“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.

“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.

“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.”