The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 48: A Presentation of the Bodhisattvas’ Training
- Jinamitra
- Surendrabodhi
- Yeshé Dé
Toh 10
Degé Kangyur, vol. 29 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ka), folios 1.a–300.a; vol. 30 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, kha), folios 1.a–304.a; vol. 31 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, 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 1.0.21 (2023)
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Table of Contents
Summary
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.
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.
Acknowledgements
This sūtra was translated by Gareth Sparham under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Translator’s Acknowledgments
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
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.
Chapter 48: A Presentation of the Bodhisattvas’ Training
Then the gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm took up divine sandalwood powders, took up divine blue lotus, red lotus, and white lotus flowers, and specifically strewed them down on the Lord. Having strewed them they approached the Lord, went up to him, bowed their heads to the Lord’s feet, and stood to one side. Even while standing to one side those gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm said to the Lord, “Lord, the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have thus taught in this deep perfection of wisdom: ‘Just form is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is form. Just feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , and consciousness is the knowledge of all aspects, [F.167.a] and the knowledge of all aspects is consciousness. That which is the suchness of form and that which is the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects are a single suchness, not two and not divided. Similarly, connect this with that which is the suchness of . . . up to the buddhas, and that which is the suchness of . . . up to the knowledge of all aspects are a single suchness, not two and not divided.’ Thus, this perfection of wisdom—namely, the awakening of the tathāgatas—is deep, hard to behold, hard to understand, not something about which you can speculate, not an object of speculative thought, calm, subtle, an object to be known by the brilliantly learned and wise, a counterpoint to all that is ordinary.”
The gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm having said this, the Lord said to them, “Exactly so, gods, exactly so! Gods, just form is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is form. Just feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , and consciousness is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is consciousness. Similarly, connect this with each, up to just the buddha is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is just the buddha. That which is the suchness of form and that which is the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects are a single suchness, not two and not divided. Similarly, connect this with that which is the suchness of . . . up to the buddha, and that which is the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects are a single suchness not two and not divided.
“Seeing this suchness forces [F.167.b] a tathāgata to incline toward a little less work and be uninclined to teach the doctrine. And why? Ah! It is because this—namely, the awakening of the tathāgatas—is deep, hard to behold, hard to understand, not something about which you can speculate, not an object of speculative thought, calm, subtle, an object to be known by the brilliantly learned and wise, a counterpoint to all that is ordinary, so nobody has fully awakened to it and it has not been fully awakened to anywhere.
“Here where the habitual idea of two does not exist is the deep state of dharmas. Gods, because space is deep this doctrine is deep. Gods, this doctrine is deep because suchness is deep, the dharma-constituent is deep, the very limit of reality is deep, and the inconceivable element is deep. Gods, because the limitless and boundless . . . , the sameness of not coming and not going . . . , the sameness of not being produced and not stopping . . . , the sameness of not being defiled and not being purified . . . , the sameness of what does not occasion anything . . . , the deep state of self . . . , up to because the sameness of one who knows and one who sees is deep this doctrine is deep.
“Gods, because form is deep this doctrine is deep. Gods, because feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness are deep this doctrine is deep. Gods, because the perfection of giving is deep this doctrine is deep. Gods, because the perfections of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom are deep this doctrine is deep. Ah! Gods, because inner emptiness is deep this doctrine is deep; because . . . up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature is deep this doctrine is deep; because the applications of mindfulness are deep, and the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path are deep this doctrine is deep; because the ten powers, fearlessnesses, [F.168.a] detailed and thorough knowledges, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha are deep, up to the knowledge of all aspects is deep this doctrine is deep.”
The gods said, “O Lord, this doctrine is taught as a counterpoint to all that is ordinary. And why? Because this doctrine is not taught so form will be taken up or will not be taken up. It is not taught so feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness will be taken up or will not be taken up. It is not taught so . . . up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha will be taken up or will not be taken up. It is not taught so the buddhadharmas will be taken up or will not be taken up. Lord, this deep teaching of the doctrine is not taught so the result of stream enterer will be taken up or will not be taken up. It is not taught so the result of once-returner, the result of non-returner, the state of a worthy one, a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, or the knowledge of all aspects will be taken up or will not be taken up.
“Lord, the world gets involved with taking things up, thinking, ‘This is my form. I am form. This is my feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , and consciousness. I am consciousness.’ Similarly, connect this with each, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. ‘This is my result of stream enterer. I am the result of stream enterer. This is my result of once-returner. I am the result of once-returner. This is my result of non-returner. I am the result of non-returner. This is my state of a worthy one. I am the state of a worthy one. This is my pratyekabuddha’s awakening. I am a pratyekabuddha’s awakening. This is my knowledge of all aspects. [F.168.b] I am a knower of all aspects.’ ”
“Exactly so, gods, exactly so!” replied the Lord. “Gods, this doctrine is not taught so form will be taken up or will not be taken up. It is not taught so feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness will be taken up or will not be taken up. Those who get involved in order to take up form, up to get involved in order to take up the knowledge of all aspects do not have the good fortune to meditate on the perfection of wisdom; they are incapable of meditating on, up to the perfection of concentration, perseverance, patience, morality, and giving; and they are incapable of meditating on, up to the knowledge of all aspects.”
Subhūti then said, “Lord, this doctrine is in harmony with all dharmas. With which dharmas is this doctrine in harmony? This doctrine is in harmony with the perfection of wisdom. Lord, this doctrine is in harmony with the perfection of concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of patience, the perfection of morality, and the perfection of giving. Lord, this doctrine is in harmony with inner emptiness. Lord, this doctrine is in harmony with . . . , up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. Lord, this doctrine is in harmony with . . . , up to the knowledge of all aspects.
“Lord, this doctrine is not obstructed by anything. What is this doctrine not obstructed by? This doctrine is not obstructed by form. This doctrine is not obstructed by feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness. Similarly, this doctrine is not obstructed by . . . , up to the knowledge of all aspects. [F.169.a]
“This doctrine, because of the sameness of space, the sameness of suchness, the sameness of the dharma-constituent, the sameness of the very limit of reality, the sameness of the inconceivable element, the sameness of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, the sameness of not being produced and not stopping, and the sameness of not being defiled and not being purified, is marked by not being obstructed.
“This doctrine is not produced because form is not produced and does not stop; because feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness are not produced and do not stop; and similarly, because . . . , up to the knowledge of all aspects is not produced and does not stop.
“This doctrine finds no footing because a footing for form is not apprehended; because a footing for feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness is not apprehended; and similarly, because . . . , up to a footing for the knowledge of all aspects is not apprehended.”
Then the gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm said to the Lord, “Lord, the elder Subhūti takes after the Lord. Why? Because whatever the elder Subhūti teaches, he teaches it all with emptiness as his point of departure.”
Venerable Subhūti then responded to the gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm, “Gods, you say, ‘Lord, this elder Subhūti takes after the Lord.’ And how does he takes after him, [F.169.b] how does the elder Subhūti take after the Lord? The suchness of the Tathāgata has not come and has not gone. Similarly, the suchness of Subhūti has not come and has not gone. In that way the elder Subhūti takes after the Tathāgata.
“Just that suchness of the Tathāgata is the suchness of all dharmas, and that suchness of all dharmas is the suchness of Subhūti. In that way the elder Subhūti takes after the Tathāgata.
“Just as the suchness of the Tathāgata is established, so too is the suchness of the elder Subhūti established, so the elder Subhūti takes after the Lord. Just as the suchness of the Tathāgata is unchanging and undifferentiated, so too with the suchness of the elder Subhūti, it also is unchanging and cannot be differentiated. Just as the suchness of the Tathāgata is not obstructed by anything, so too the suchness of all dharmas is not obstructed by anything. The suchness of the Tathāgata and the suchness of all dharmas are not two and cannot be divided into two. Suchness is not made. There is nothing of which that suchness is not the suchness. Because there is nothing of which that suchness is not the suchness and it is never not suchness, therefore suchness is not two and cannot be divided into two. In that way the elder Subhūti takes after the Tathāgata.
“That suchness of the Tathāgata is totally unchanging and undifferentiated. So too the suchness of the elder Subhūti is totally unchanging and undifferentiated. Just as the suchness of the Tathāgata is not broken apart, is not different, [F.170.a] and cannot be apprehended, so too the suchness of all dharmas is not broken apart, is not different, and cannot be apprehended. Similarly, the suchness of the elder Subhūti is not broken apart, is not different, and cannot be apprehended either. In that way the elder Subhūti takes after the Tathāgata.
“The suchness of the Tathāgata is not other than the suchness of all phenomena, and what is not other than the suchness of all phenomena is never not suchness. It is always suchness. The suchness of the elder Subhūti is like that. Therefore, since it is not something else, even though the elder Subhūti takes after the Tathāgata he does not take after him in anything. Just as the suchness of the Tathāgata is not past, is not future, and is not present, so too the suchness of all phenomena is not past, is not future, and is not present. Similarly, the suchness of the elder Subhūti is not past, is not future, and is not present. Therefore, it is said the elder Subhūti ‘takes after the Tathāgata.’
“Gods, here you should know the suchness of the Tathāgata that is the same, through the suchness of the past that is the same, and the sameness of the suchness of the past, through the sameness of the suchness of the Tathāgata; the sameness of the suchness of the Tathāgata, through the sameness of the suchness of the future, and the sameness of the suchness of the future, through the sameness of the suchness of the Tathāgata; and the sameness of the suchness of the Tathāgata, through the sameness of the suchness of the present, and the sameness of the suchness of the present, through the sameness of the suchness of the Tathāgata. Therefore, the suchness of the past, future, and present [F.170.b] and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two.
“The suchness of the Tathāgata is the suchness of form. The suchness of form is the suchness of the Tathāgata. Similarly, the suchness of the Tathāgata is the suchness of feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness. Therefore, the suchness of form, the suchness of feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness, and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two. Similarly, connect this with the suchness of the Tathāgata is the suchness of self. The suchness of self is the suchness of the Tathāgata. Similarly, the suchness of the Tathāgata is the suchness of . . . , up to one who knows and one who sees. The suchness of . . . , up to one who knows and one who sees is the suchness of the Tathāgata. Therefore, the suchness of self, up to the suchness of one who knows and one who sees, and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two.
Similarly, connect this with the suchness of the perfection of giving, the suchness of the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration and wisdom, and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two. The suchness of inner emptiness, the suchness of . . . , up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two. The suchness of the applications of mindfulness, the suchness of the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, [F.171.a] powers, limbs of awakening, and path, and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two. The suchness of the Tathāgata is the suchness of the ten tathāgata powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, and the suchness of . . . , up to the knowledge of all aspects. The suchness of . . . , up to the knowledge of all aspects is the suchness of the Tathāgata. Therefore, the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects and the suchness of the Tathāgata are not two and cannot be divided into two.
“Gods, thanks to this perfect suchness the Tathāgata has fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening and gets to be called Tathāgata.”
As this “Suchness” chapter was being expounded the great billionfold world system shook in six ways: it quaked, quaked greatly, and quaked violently; shook, shook greatly, and shook violently; stirred, stirred greatly, and stirred violently; resounded, resounded greatly, and resounded violently; roared, roared greatly, and roared violently; and was disturbed, greatly disturbed, and violently disturbed. The eastern direction rose up and the western direction sank down; the western direction rose up and the eastern direction sank down; the northern direction rose up and the southern direction sank down; the southern direction rose up and the northern direction sank down; the edges rose up and the middle sank down; and the middle rose up and the edges sank down.
Then the gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm took up divine sandalwood powders and strewed them near, strewed them in front, strewed them all around the Lord and the elder Subhūti and exclaimed, “Lord, it is amazing how this elder Subhūti takes after the Lord because of the suchness [F.171.b] of the Tathāgata!”
Then the elder Subhūti, picking up the thread of this conversation with those gods, said to those gods, “Gods, the elder Subhūti does not take after form, does not take after anything other than form, does not take after the suchness of form, and does not take after anything other than the suchness of form. He does not take after feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , or consciousness, does not take after anything other than consciousness, does not take after the suchness of consciousness, and does not take after anything other than the suchness of consciousness. Similarly, connect this with each, up to he does not take after the knowledge of all aspects, does not take after anything other than the knowledge of all aspects, does not take after the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects, and does not take after anything other than the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects. He does not take after the compounded, does not take after anything other than the compounded, does not take after the suchness of the compounded, and does not take after anything other than the suchness of the compounded. He does not take after the uncompounded, does not take after anything other than the uncompounded, does not take after the suchness of the uncompounded, and does not take after anything other than the suchness of the uncompounded. And why? Because the dharma that is taken after, and the dharma that takes after, do not exist and are not apprehended.”
Then the venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “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 are deep. [F.172.a] In them you cannot apprehend form, nor can you apprehend the suchness of form; if you cannot apprehend even just form, however could you apprehend the suchness of form? In them you cannot apprehend feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , or consciousness, nor can you apprehend the suchness of consciousness. And if you cannot apprehend even just consciousness, however could you apprehend the suchness of consciousness? Similarly, connect this with each, up to in them you cannot apprehend the knowledge of all aspects, nor can you apprehend the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects. And if you cannot apprehend even just the knowledge of all aspects, however could you apprehend the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects?”
“Śāriputra, exactly so! Exactly so!” said the Lord. “Suchness, Śāriputra, is deep. In it you cannot apprehend form, you cannot apprehend the suchness of form. And if you cannot apprehend even just form, however could you apprehend the suchness of form? In it you cannot apprehend feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , and consciousness, nor can you apprehend the suchness of consciousness. And if you cannot apprehend even just consciousness, however could you apprehend the suchness of consciousness. Similarly, connect this with each, up to you cannot apprehend the knowledge of all aspects, nor can you apprehend the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects. And if you cannot apprehend even just the knowledge of all aspects, however could you apprehend the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects.”
As this “Suchness, Unmistaken Suchness, Unaltered Suchness” chapter was being expounded, two hundred monks stopped taking hold of anything and their minds were freed from contamination. Dust-free and stainless, the Dharma eye of five hundred nuns became clear about the dharmas.540 [F.172.b]
Sixty bodhisattvas lacking in what is necessary stopped taking hold of anything and their minds were freed from contamination.
“Śāriputra, those bodhisattvas attended on five hundred buddhas. They gave gifts, guarded morality, cultivated patience, made a vigorous effort, became absorbed in concentration, and cultivated wisdom, but uninformed by the perfection of wisdom and uninformed by skillful means, they practiced thus, thinking, ‘This is to be given. We will give it to them. We will guard this morality. We will cultivate this patience. We will make this vigorous effort. We will become absorbed in this concentration. We will cultivate this wisdom.’ Practicing like that they were separated from the perfection of wisdom and were not assisted by skillful means, so practicing the cultivation of giving, morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom with perceptions of difference, and not apprehending the absence of difference, they did not enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva. And because they did not enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva they reached the result of stream enterer, reached . . . , up to the result of a worthy one.
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, even though those bodhisattva great beings’ path of emptiness, or signlessness, or wishlessness is present, still they are separated from the perfection of wisdom and have not been assisted by skillful means, so, having actualized the very limit of reality, they have become śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.”
Śāriputra then asked, “Why, Lord, even though they have similarly cultivated just those dharmas—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—did those separated from skillful means actualize the very limit of reality and become śrāvakas [F.173.a] and pratyekabuddhas, while those other bodhisattvas, Lord, will, thanks to skillful means, by cultivating just those dharmas—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?”
“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, “here some separated from the thought of the knowledge of all aspects, who cultivate emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness without resorting to skillful means, become śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. Śāriputra, here those bodhisattva great beings not separated from the thought of the knowledge of all aspects, thanks to skillful means, cultivate emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva, and fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.
“To illustrate, Śāriputra, a winged bird with a physical body of a hundred yojanas, or a physical body of two hundred yojanas, or three hundred yojanas, or four hundred yojanas, or five hundred yojanas thinks it will come from the Trāyastriṃśa class of gods to this Jambudvīpa, but that bird is one without the proper wings to do it. It thinks, ‘I have to take off from the Trāyastriṃśa class of gods and go to Jambudvīpa,’ but if, halfway to landing on the earth, it has second thoughts—‘Hey! I had better set down in the Trāyastriṃśa class of gods’—what do you think, Śāriputra, would that bird therefore be able to set down in the Trāyastriṃśa class of gods?”
The Lord said, “If it were to think halfway,541 ‘Hey! I must set down unharmed and uninjured in Jambudvīpa,’ what do you think, Śāriputra, [F.173.b] would that bird set down unharmed and uninjured in Jambudvīpa?”
“No, Lord, it would not be able to,” replied Śāriputra. “That bird would be harmed or become injured and would suffer death or near death before landing in Jambudvīpa. And why? Because that will happen for sure since its physical body is big, its wings are stunted, and it has taken off from such a high place.”
“It is similar, Śāriputra,” continued the Lord, “with bodhisattvas who, for as many eons as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, give gifts, guard morality, cultivate patience, make an effort at perseverance, and become absorbed in concentration, but are separated from the perfection of wisdom and not assisted by skillful means. Their entrance is bigger, they think a bigger thought, they are assisted by an immeasurable beneficial intention to fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, but still they will fall to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level. And why? Because those bodhisattva great beings have given gifts, guarded morality, cultivated patience, made an effort at perseverance, and generated concentration separated from the thought of the knowledge of all aspects. Those bodhisattvas will still be separated from the perfection of wisdom and skillful means and fall to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level.
“Śāriputra, bodhisattvas who habitually focus thoughts on the morality, meditative stabilization, wisdom, freedom, and knowledge and seeing of liberation of past, future, and present lord buddhas, who fully retain and make them into causal signs, still do not know the morality, still do not know . . . , up to the knowledge and seeing [F.174.a] of liberation of the tathāgatas, and, without knowing and comprehending, hear the words emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness and grasp the state of peace as a causal sign. Having grasped it as a causal sign they transform it542 into unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. The bodhisattvas who transform it like that will stand on the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level. And why? Śāriputra, it is because that is what happens to bodhisattvas separated from the perfection of wisdom and skillful means who dedicate the wholesome roots to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They fall to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level.
“Śāriputra, here you should know that when bodhisattva great beings, starting from the production of the first thought, are inseparable from the thought of the knowledge of all aspects, give gifts, guard morality, cultivate patience, make an effort at perseverance, become absorbed in concentration, are not separated from the perfection of wisdom and skillful means, and therefore do not grasp all the morality, meditative stabilization, wisdom, freedom, and knowledge and seeing of liberation of past, future, and present lord buddhas as causal signs, and do not grasp the emptiness meditative stabilization, signless meditative stabilization, and wishless meditative stabilization as causal signs, then, Śāriputra, they do not fall to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level. And why? Because those bodhisattva great beings, starting from the production of the first thought, have given gifts but not grasped at a causal sign; have guarded morality, cultivated patience, made an effort at perseverance, become absorbed in concentration, and cultivated wisdom but [F.174.b] not grasped at a causal sign; have not grasped at the morality, meditative stabilization, wisdom, freedom, or knowledge and seeing of liberation of past, future, and present lord buddhas as causal signs; and have not grasped the emptiness meditative stabilization, signless meditative stabilization, or wishless meditative stabilization as causal signs either. Thus, Śāriputra, the practice without having grasped at causal signs, with a mind separated from causal signs of giving gifts, guarding morality, cultivating patience, making an effort at perseverance, becoming absorbed in concentration, and cultivating wisdom, and similarly, connect this with each, up to the knowledge of all aspects is the bodhisattva great beings’ skillful means.”
“Lord,” said Śāriputra, “the way I understand the meaning of what you, Lord, have said is that the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening of bodhisattva great beings who, starting from the production of the first thought, are not separated from the perfection of wisdom and skillful means is not open to doubt. And why? Lord, it is because those bodhisattva great beings, starting from the production of the first thought, do not apprehend any dharma that might fully awaken, or through which there might be full awakening, nor any form that might be awakened to, nor any feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness, nor . . . , similarly, up to the knowledge of all aspects that might be awakened to.
“And Lord, it should be known that the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening of those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Bodhisattva Vehicle separated from the perfection of wisdom and separated from skillful means is doubtful. Why? Lord, it is because whatever gifts those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Bodhisattva Vehicle separated from the perfection of wisdom and skillful means [F.175.a] have bestowed, they bestowed them all having grasped at a causal sign, and because whatever morality they guarded . . . , patience they cultivated . . . , perseverance they made an effort at . . . , or concentrations they became absorbed in, they became absorbed in them all too having grasped at a causal sign. The unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening of those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Bodhisattva Vehicle should be known as doubtful because of that.
“Therefore, Lord, bodhisattva great beings who want to awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening should be aware not to be separated from the perfection of wisdom and skillful means. They should stand in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means and should bestow gifts, should guard morality, should cultivate patience, should make an effort at perseverance, should become absorbed in concentration, and should cultivate wisdom by way of not apprehending anything, with a mind endowed with signlessness. They should practice . . . , up to the knowledge of all aspects like that.”
Then the gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm said to the Lord, “Lord, it is going to be hard for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening to come about for bodhisattva great beings. They have to want to awaken fully to all dharmas but those dharmas do not exist and cannot be apprehended.”
“Exactly so, gods!” said the Lord. “It is going to be hard for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening to come about. Gods! Even though I have fully awakened to all dharmas in all their aspects, still I did not apprehend any dharma that might fully awaken, or through which I might fully awaken, or any dharma [F.175.b] I might awaken to. And why? Gods, it is because all dharmas are absolutely pure.”
Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, you have said, ‘It is going to be hard for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening to come about.’ The way I understand the meaning of what you, Lord, have said, the way it occurs to me, is that the full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening must be easy. And why? Because there is nobody who fully awakens, and there is nothing that is fully awakened to, so all dharmas are empty, and where all dharmas are empty, any dharma that might fully awaken, through which there might be full awakening, or to which they might awaken does not exist. And why? Lord, it is because any dharma that will increase or decrease, any dharma to be bestowed, up to any concentration to become absorbed in, any dharma . . . up to the knowledge of all aspects to practice does not exist. Somebody who might fully awaken, something through which there might be full awakening, and something to be fully awakened to—all those dharmas are empty. In this way, Lord, it must be easy for bodhisattva great beings to fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. And why? Lord, it is because form is empty of an intrinsic nature of form; feeling . . . , perception . . . , volitional factors . . . , and consciousness is empty of an intrinsic nature of consciousness; and similarly, up to [F.176.a] the knowledge of all aspects is empty of an intrinsic nature of the knowledge of all aspects.”
Then venerable Śāriputra said to venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, according to this one of many explanations, the full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening must be hard. And why? Venerable Subhūti, it is because it would not occur to space to think, ‘I will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ Similarly, Venerable Subhūti, it would not occur to bodhisattva great beings to think, ‘I will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ And why? Because all dharmas are like space, and yet, while still believing all dharmas are like space, bodhisattva great beings fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. If bodhisattva great beings do not believe that dharmas are like space, but still it is easy to fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, full awakening would not be hard, and bodhisattvas, as many of them as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, would not turn back543 from unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Therefore, Venerable Subhūti, according to this one of many explanations, the full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening must be hard. It is obvious full awakening is not easy.”
Then venerable Subhūti asked venerable Śāriputra, “Venerable Śāriputra, what do you think, does form turn back from unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?”
“Do you think feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness turn back from unsurpassed, [F.176.b] perfect, complete awakening?”
Similarly, connect this with each, up to “Do you think suchness turns back from unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?”
“Venerable Śāriputra, what do you think, is the dharma that turns back from