The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 65: Worshiping, Serving, and Attending on Spiritual Friends as Skillful Means
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
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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 65: Worshiping, Serving, and Attending on Spiritual Friends as Skillful Means
The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti then asked him, “Lord, you say ‘bodhisattva’s practice’ again and again. Lord, what are the words bodhisattva’s practice for?”
“Subhūti, a ‘bodhisattva’s practice’ is a practice practiced for bodhi, therefore it is called a bodhisattva’s practice.”
“Lord, where is that practice—that bodhisattva great beings’ practice practiced for awakening?” [F.20.b]
“Subhūti,” replied the Lord, “they practice ‘form is empty,’ but pursue the practice without dividing awakening into two. They practice ‘feeling . . . ,’ ‘perception . . . ,’ ‘volitional factors . . . ,’ and ‘consciousness is empty’; and similarly, they practice ‘the constituents . . . ,’ ‘the sense fields . . . ,’ and ‘inner and outer dharmas are empty’; they practice ‘the perfection of giving . . . ,’ ‘the perfection of morality . . . ,’ ‘the perfection of patience . . . ,’ ‘the perfection of perseverance . . . ,’ ‘the perfection of concentration . . . ,’ and ‘the perfection of wisdom is empty’; they practice ‘inner emptiness is empty’; they practice ‘outer emptiness . . . ,’ ‘inner and outer emptiness is empty,’ and similarly, connect this with each, up to they practice ‘the emptiness of its own mark is empty’; they practice ‘the first, second, third, and fourth concentration . . . ,’ ‘love . . . ,’ ‘compassion . . . ,’ ‘joy . . . ,’ and ‘equanimity is empty’; they practice ‘the station of endless space . . . ,’ ‘the station of endless consciousness . . . ,’ ‘the station of nothing-at-all . . . ,’ and ‘the station of neither perception nor nonperception is empty’; they practice ‘the four applications of mindfulness are empty,’ they practice ‘the four right efforts are empty,’ they practice ‘the four legs of miraculous power are empty,’ they practice ‘the five faculties are empty,’ they practice ‘the five powers are empty,’ they practice ‘the seven limbs of awakening are empty,’ and they practice ‘the eightfold noble path is empty’; they practice ‘the emptiness, signless, and wishless gateways to liberation . . . ,’ ‘the absorptions . . . ,’ ‘the ten tathāgata powers . . . ,’ ‘the four fearlessnesses . . . ,’ ‘the four detailed and thorough knowledges . . . ,’ ‘the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha . . . ,’ and ‘the purification of a buddhafield is empty’; they practice ‘bringing beings to maturity is empty’; they practice ‘the confidences676 are empty’; they practice ‘accomplishing the letters [F.21.a] is empty’; they practice ‘entrance into all letters is empty’; they practice ‘entrance into all for which there are no letters is empty’; they practice ‘the compounded element is empty’; and they practice ‘the uncompounded element is empty,’ but pursue the practice without dividing awakening into two. Subhūti, when practicing the perfection of wisdom like that bodhisattva great beings’ lives are lived for awakening.”
The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti then asked him, “Lord, you say ‘buddha’ again and again. Lord, what is the word buddha for?”
“Subhūti, true reality677 is called buddha. Also, Subhūti, there are those who have fully awakened to the true Dharma, therefore they are called buddha. Also, Subhūti, there are those who have a penetrating realization of true reality, therefore they are called buddha. Also, Subhūti, there are those who have fully awakened to all dharmas as they really are, therefore they are called buddha.”
“Subhūti, awakening is a word for emptiness, it is a word for suchness, it is a word for perfect, it is a word for the very limit of reality, and it is a word for dharma-constituent. Also, Subhūti, awakening is a word for mere designation. Also, Subhūti, awakening means true reality.678 Also, Subhūti, awakening is suchness, unmistaken suchness, unaltered suchness, and unaltered nature, therefore it is called awakening. Also, Subhūti, that awakening is a realization that all dharmas are a mere designation and causal sign, therefore it is called awakening. Also, [F.21.b] Subhūti, that awakening is the awakening of the lord buddhas, therefore it is called awakening. Also, Subhūti, the lord buddhas have fully awakened to it, therefore it is called awakening.”
The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti then asked him, “Lord, if bodhisattva great beings who practice for this awakening practice the six perfections, up to practice the knowledge of all aspects, what wholesome root of theirs will be accumulated or diminished, decreased or increased, produced or stopped, or defiled or purified?”
Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who practice for this awakening, practice the six perfections, up to and practice the knowledge of all aspects do not practice to accumulate or to diminish, to decrease or to increase, to produce or to stop, or to defile or purify any dharma at all. And why? Because the awakening of bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom is not available in the manner of an objective support that has to be accumulated or diminished, has to be decreased or increased, has to be produced or stopped, or has to be defiled or purified.”
“Lord, if the awakening of bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom is not available as any dharma in the manner of an objective support, how will bodhisattva great beings [F.22.a] practicing the perfection of wisdom fully grasp the perfection of giving, and similarly, up to and fully grasp the perfection of wisdom; how will they practice inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; how will they practice the concentrations, immeasurables, and formless absorptions; how will they practice the four applications of mindfulness, up to the eightfold noble path; how will they practice the emptiness, signless, and wishless gateways to liberation; up to how will they practice the ten tathāgata powers; up to practice great compassion; and how will they practice the ten bodhisattva levels, transcend the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels, and enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva?”
Venerable Subhūti having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings undertake the bodhisattva practices they do not practice the perfection of giving in a dualistic way, and similarly, connect this with each, up to they do not practice the perfection of wisdom in a dualistic way, up to and they do not practice the knowledge of all aspects in a dualistic way. In that way, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they fully grasp the perfection of giving, up to they fully grasp the perfection of wisdom, up to and they gain the knowledge of all aspects.”
“Lord, if they do not practice the perfection of giving in a dualistic way, and similarly, up to do not practice the knowledge of all aspects in a dualistic way, how will the bodhisattva great beings, starting from the production of the first thought, [F.22.b] grow and flourish on wholesome roots, and how will they grow and flourish on wholesome roots up to the production of the last thought?”
Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, those who practice dualistically do not grow and flourish on wholesome roots. And why? Subhūti, those who resort to dualism are all foolish ordinary people. They do not grow and flourish on wholesome roots. The bodhisattva great beings who do not practice dualistically, starting from the production of the first thought, grow and flourish on account of the wholesome dharmas, and up to the last thought they grow and flourish on account of the wholesome dharmas. The world with its gods, humans, and asuras cannot suppress those wholesome roots of theirs. Were those unwholesome roots to suppress them they would fall to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level, and they would be captured by other unwholesome roots as well. Captured by those, even while practicing the perfection of giving they would not grow and flourish on wholesome roots, up to while practicing the knowledge of all aspects they would not grow and flourish on wholesome roots. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should practice the perfection of wisdom like that.”
“Lord, do bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of wholesome roots?” he asked.
“Subhūti, they do not. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of wholesome roots, and of course they do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of unwholesome roots, but still bodhisattva great beings who have not attended on the lord buddhas, or have not brought the wholesome roots to completion, [F.23.a] or have not been assisted by spiritual friends cannot gain the knowledge of all aspects.”
“Lord, how do bodhisattva great beings who have attended on the lord buddhas, have brought the wholesome roots to completion, and have been assisted by spiritual friends gain the knowledge of all aspects?”
“Subhūti,” replied the Lord, “here, starting from the production of the first thought, bodhisattva great beings attend on the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, fully grasp whatever teachings there are of those lord buddhas—the discourses, melodious narrations, predictions, verses, summaries, introductions, tales, accounts, birth stories, expanded texts, marvels, and expositions—and, having taken them up, thoroughly mastered the words, investigated them with their thinking minds, and penetrated them with insight, acquire the dhāraṇī. Having acquired the dhāraṇī, they engender detailed and thorough knowledge. Having produced detailed and thorough knowledge, even after departing that life, up until gaining the knowledge of all aspects, they do not ever let those doctrines get lost. There they plant wholesome roots in relation to those tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, and, protected by those wholesome roots, never679 take birth in the terrible forms of life or in places that preclude a perfect human birth. With those wholesome roots they protect the purity of aspiration, an aspiration that causes purification of a buddhafield and causes beings to be brought to maturity. [F.23.b] Protected by those wholesome roots, they are never separated from those spiritual friends, lord buddhas, bodhisattva great beings, and śrāvakas who sing the praises of the Buddha Vehicle. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that should thus attend on the lord buddhas, look after the wholesome roots, and rely on spiritual friends.”
This was the sixty-fifth chapter, “Worshiping, Serving, and Attending on Spiritual Friends as Skillful Means,” of “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines.”