THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SUTRA
VOLUME 390
Chapter 70: UNMOVABLE (5)
At that time, the Venerable Subhūti addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if all dharmas are by their original nature empty, and within that original nature of emptiness there are completely no distinctions, then where do the Great Bodhisattvas abide in order to arouse the mind seeking the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, with the vow: ‘I shall attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment’? World-Honored One, the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas has no two aspects, and it is not through two modes of practice that one can attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, it is so, it is so, just as you have said! The unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas has no two aspects, and it is not through two modes of practice that one can attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why?
“Subhūti, because Bodhi is non-dual and without discrimination. If one were to practice with dual aspects toward Bodhi, with discrimination, then one would certainly be unable to attain it.
“Subhūti, the Great Bodhisattvas do not practice with two aspects toward Bodhi, nor do they discriminate. They do not abide anywhere at all in order to arouse the search for unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. The Great Bodhisattvas do not practice with two aspects toward all dharmas, nor do they discriminate. With absolutely no object of practice and transformation, they can attain unsurpassed great enlightenment.
“Subhūti, the object sought by the Great Bodhisattvas is unsurpassed perfect enlightenment; it is not through practicing with two aspects that it can be attained.
“Subhūti, the Great Bodhisattvas who presently attain enlightenment have absolutely no object upon which to practice and transform. This means they do not practice form, nor do they practice feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; they do not practice the eye faculty, nor do they practice the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind faculties; they do not practice the form sphere, nor do they practice the sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma spheres; they do not practice the eye realm, nor do they practice the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind realms; they do not practice the form realm, nor do they practice the sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma realms; they do not practice the eye consciousness realm, nor do they practice the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind consciousness realms; they do not practice eye contact, nor do they practice ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact; they do not practice the feelings arising conditioned by eye contact, nor do they practice the feelings arising conditioned by ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact; they do not practice the earth element, nor do they practice the water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements; they do not practice causal conditions, nor do they practice the immediately preceding condition, objective condition, or dominant condition; they do not practice dharmas arising from conditions; they do not practice ignorance, nor do they practice formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress; they do not practice the perfection of giving, nor do they practice moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, or the perfection of wisdom; they do not practice inner emptiness, nor do they practice outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, original-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, or emptiness of the nature of no self-nature; they do not practice the four foundations of mindfulness, nor do they practice the four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, or the eightfold noble path; they do not practice the noble truth of suffering, nor do they practice the noble truths of origination, cessation, or the path; they do not practice the four meditations, nor do they practice the four immeasurables or the four formless concentrations; they do not practice the eight liberations, nor do they practice the eight stages of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, or the ten universal bases; they do not practice all dhāraṇī gateways, nor do they practice all samādhi gateways; they do not practice the liberation gateway of emptiness, nor do they practice the liberation gateways of signlessness or wishlessness; they do not practice the stage of Joy, nor do they practice the stage of Freedom from Defilement, the stage of Radiance, the stage of Blazing Wisdom, the stage of Difficult to Overcome, the stage of Manifestation, the stage of Far-Going, the stage of Immovability, the stage of Excellent Wisdom, or the stage of Dharma Cloud; they do not practice the five kinds of eyes, nor do they practice the six supernatural powers; they do not practice the ten powers of a Buddha, nor do they practice the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, or the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; they do not practice the thirty-two marks of a great being, nor do they practice the eighty subsidiary characteristics; they do not practice the dharma of not forgetting, nor do they practice the constant quality of equanimity; they do not practice all-knowledge, nor do they practice knowledge of the paths or knowledge of all aspects; they do not practice the fruit of stream-entry, nor do they practice the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, or the state of a solitary Buddha; they do not practice all the practices of Great Bodhisattvas, nor do they practice the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas. Why?
“Subhūti, because the Great Bodhisattvas who presently attain enlightenment do not rely on names and sounds to cling to self and what belongs to self. That is, they do not think: ‘I practice form; I practice feeling, perception, formations, consciousness.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the eye faculty; I practice the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind faculties.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the form sphere; I practice sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma spheres.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the eye realm; I practice the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind realms.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the form realm; I practice sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma realms.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the eye consciousness realm; I practice the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness realms.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice eye contact; I practice ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the feelings arising conditioned by eye contact; I practice the feelings arising conditioned by ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the earth element; I practice the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice causal conditions; I practice the immediately preceding condition, objective condition, and dominant condition.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice dharmas arising from conditions.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice ignorance; I practice formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the perfection of giving; I practice moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, original-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the nature of no self-nature.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of miraculous powers, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the noble truth of suffering; I practice the noble truths of origination, cessation, and the path.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the four meditations; I practice the four immeasurables and the four formless concentrations.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the eight liberations; I practice the eight stages of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten universal bases.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice all dhāraṇī gateways; I practice all samādhi gateways.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the liberation gateway of emptiness; I practice the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the stage of Joy; I practice the stage of Freedom from Defilement, the stage of Radiance, the stage of Blazing Wisdom, the stage of Difficult to Overcome, the stage of Manifestation, the stage of Far-Going, the stage of Immovability, the stage of Excellent Wisdom, and the stage of Dharma Cloud.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the five kinds of eyes; I practice the six supernatural powers.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the ten powers of a Buddha; I practice the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the thirty-two marks of a great being; I practice the eighty subsidiary characteristics.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the dharma of not forgetting; I practice the constant quality of equanimity.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice all-knowledge; I practice knowledge of the paths and knowledge of all aspects.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice the fruit of stream-entry; I practice the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and the state of a solitary Buddha.’ They also do not think: ‘I practice all the practices of Great Bodhisattvas; I practice the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas.’
“Furthermore, Subhūti, the Great Bodhisattvas who presently attain enlightenment do not practice by grasping, nor do they practice by relinquishing.”
The Venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if the Great Bodhisattvas who presently attain enlightenment do not practice by grasping and do not practice by relinquishing, then where do those Great Bodhisattvas practice?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, what do you think? Where do the magically manifested bodies of Buddhas who presently attain enlightenment practice? Do they practice by grasping or by relinquishing?”
Subhūti replied:
“No, World-Honored One. No, Well-Gone One. The magically manifested bodies of Buddhas are truly nonexistent; how could one say that they presently attain enlightenment with an object, a place of practice and transformation, either through grasping or relinquishing?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, what do you think? Where does the enlightenment in the dreams of arhats practice? Does it practice by grasping or by relinquishing?”
Subhūti replied:
“No, World-Honored One. No, Well-Gone One. The arhats have permanently exhausted all outflows; dullness, sleepiness, and all forms of afflictive bonds and coverings have ceased. Ultimately there are no dreams. How then could there be enlightenment in dreams, with an object, a place of practice and transformation, through grasping or relinquishing?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, when the Great Bodhisattvas cultivate the perfection of wisdom and presently attain enlightenment, it is likewise so: they do not practice by grasping, they do not practice by relinquishing, and there is completely no place of practice, because its original nature is empty.”
At that time, the Venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if the Great Bodhisattvas, while cultivating the perfection of wisdom, presently attain enlightenment, do not practice by grasping, do not practice by relinquishing, and completely have no place of practice and transformation—that is, they do not practice form, nor do they practice feeling, perception, formations, consciousness; they do not practice the eye faculty, nor the ear, nose, tongue, body, mind faculties; they do not practice the form sphere, nor sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma spheres; they do not practice the eye realm, nor the ear, nose, tongue, body, mind realms; they do not practice the form realm, nor sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma realms; they do not practice the eye consciousness realm, nor the ear, nose, tongue, body, mind consciousness realms; they do not practice eye contact, nor ear, nose, tongue, body, mind contact; they do not practice the feelings arising conditioned by eye contact, nor the feelings arising conditioned by ear, nose, tongue, body, mind contact; they do not practice the earth element, nor water, fire, wind, space, consciousness elements; they do not practice causal conditions, nor the immediately preceding condition, objective condition, dominant condition; they do not practice dharmas arising from conditions; they do not practice ignorance, nor formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, distress; they do not practice the perfection of giving, nor moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, wisdom; they do not practice inner emptiness, nor outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, original-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the nature of no self-nature; they do not practice the four foundations of mindfulness, nor the four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, eightfold noble path; they do not practice the noble truth of suffering, nor the noble truths of origination, cessation, path; they do not practice the four meditations, nor the four immeasurables, four formless concentrations; they do not practice the eight liberations, nor the eight stages of mastery, nine successive concentrations, ten universal bases; they do not practice all dhāraṇī gateways, nor all samādhi gateways; they do not practice the liberation gateway of emptiness, nor the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; they do not practice the stages from Joy through Dharma Cloud; they do not practice the five kinds of eyes, nor the six supernatural powers; they do not practice the ten powers of a Buddha, nor the four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; they do not practice the thirty-two marks of a great being, nor the eighty subsidiary characteristics; they do not practice the dharma of not forgetting, nor the constant quality of equanimity; they do not practice all-knowledge, nor knowledge of the paths, nor knowledge of all aspects; they do not practice the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, solitary Buddha; they do not practice all Great Bodhisattva practices, nor the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas—then, World-Honored One, does this not mean that the Great Bodhisattvas do not practice the perfection of giving, do not practice moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, wisdom; do not practice inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, original-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the nature of no self-nature; do not practice the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, eightfold noble path; do not practice the noble truth of suffering, the noble truths of origination, cessation, path; do not practice the four meditations, the four immeasurables, the four formless concentrations; do not practice the eight liberations, the eight stages of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, the ten universal bases; do not practice all dhāraṇī gateways, all samādhi gateways; do not practice the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; do not enter the Bodhisattva’s right nature free from arising; do not practice the stages from Joy through Dharma Cloud; do not practice the five kinds of eyes, the six supernatural powers; do not practice the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; do not practice the thirty-two marks of a great being, the eighty subsidiary characteristics; do not practice the dharma of not forgetting, the constant quality of equanimity; do not practice all-knowledge, knowledge of the paths, knowledge of all aspects; do not abide in the superior supernatural powers of Bodhisattvas that bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings and adorn and purify Buddha lands, and thus attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, it is not so! The Great Bodhisattvas who presently attain enlightenment, although they have no place of practice and transformation, must practice giving, moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; must practice inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, original-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the nature of no self-nature; must practice the four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, eightfold noble path; must practice the noble truths of suffering, origination, cessation, and path; must practice the four meditations, four immeasurables, four formless concentrations; must practice the eight liberations, eight stages of mastery, nine successive concentrations, ten universal bases; must practice all dhāraṇī gateways and all samādhi gateways; must practice the liberation gateway of emptiness, and the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; must not enter the Bodhisattva’s right nature free from arising; must practice the stages of Joy, Freedom from Defilement, Radiance, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Overcome, Manifestation, Far-Going, Immovability, Excellent Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud; must practice the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers; must practice the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; must practice the thirty-two marks of a great being and the eighty subsidiary characteristics; must practice the dharma of not forgetting and the constant quality of equanimity; must practice all-knowledge, knowledge of the paths, and knowledge of all aspects; must abide in the superior supernatural powers of Bodhisattvas, bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, adorn and purify Buddha lands, and only then attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
“Subhūti, if the Great Bodhisattvas’ wholesome roots cultivated have not truly reached perfection, they will never attain the object they seek, which is unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
“Furthermore, Subhūti, if Great Bodhisattvas wish to attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, they should abide in the original nature emptiness of form; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the eye faculty; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind faculties; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the form sphere; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma spheres; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the eye realm; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind realms; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the form realm; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma realms; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the eye consciousness realm; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness realms; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of eye contact; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the feelings arising conditioned by eye contact; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the feelings arising conditioned by ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the earth element; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of causal conditions; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the immediately preceding condition, objective condition, and dominant condition; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of dharmas arising from conditions; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of ignorance; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the perfection of giving; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, original-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the nature of no self-nature; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the four foundations of mindfulness; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, eightfold noble path; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the noble truth of suffering; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the noble truths of origination, cessation, and path; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the four meditations; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the four immeasurables and four formless concentrations; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the eight liberations; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the eight stages of mastery, nine successive concentrations, ten universal bases; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of all dhāraṇī gateways; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of all samādhi gateways; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the liberation gateway of emptiness; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the stage of Joy; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the stages of Freedom from Defilement, Radiance, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Overcome, Manifestation, Far-Going, Immovability, Excellent Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the five kinds of eyes; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the six supernatural powers; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the ten powers of a Buddha; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the thirty-two marks of a great being; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the eighty subsidiary characteristics; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the dharma of not forgetting; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the constant quality of equanimity; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of all-knowledge; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of knowledge of the paths and knowledge of all aspects; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the fruit of stream-entry; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and solitary Buddha; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of all practices of Great Bodhisattvas; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of all dharmas; they should abide in the original nature emptiness of all sentient beings, cultivate all merits until they are perfected, and only then attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
“Subhūti, the original nature emptiness of those dharmas and the original nature emptiness of sentient beings are utterly tranquil. There is not even the slightest dharma that can increase, decrease, arise, cease, be cut off, be permanent, become defiled, become purified, attain fruition, or be directly realized.”
Now, Subhuti, you should know that the Great Bodhisattvas rely on conventional truth when they speak and expound the Dharma. Therefore, they say that by practicing the perfection of wisdom, realizing as it truly is the nature of emptiness, they attain the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment; they do not rely on ultimate truth. Why? Because in ultimate truth, there is no form that can be apprehended, nor is there feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness that can be apprehended; there is no eye faculty that can be apprehended, nor are there ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind faculties that can be apprehended; there are no forms of the sense objects that can be apprehended, nor are there sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, or phenomena that can be apprehended; there is no eye element that can be apprehended, nor are there ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind elements that can be apprehended; there is no form element that can be apprehended, nor are there sound, smell, taste, tangible-object, or phenomenon elements that can be apprehended; there is no eye-consciousness element that can be apprehended, nor are there ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-consciousness elements that can be apprehended; there is no eye contact that can be apprehended, nor are there ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contacts that can be apprehended; there are no feelings arisen dependent on eye contact that can be apprehended, nor are there feelings arisen dependent on ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact that can be apprehended; there is no earth element that can be apprehended, nor are there water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements that can be apprehended; there is no causal condition that can be apprehended, nor are there immediate sequential conditions, object conditions, or dominant conditions that can be apprehended; there are no phenomena arisen from conditions that can be apprehended; there is no ignorance that can be apprehended, nor are there formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress that can be apprehended; there is no perfection of giving that can be apprehended, nor are there the perfections of moral discipline, patience, vigor, meditative concentration, or wisdom that can be apprehended; there is no emptiness of the internal that can be apprehended, nor are there emptiness of the external, emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of conditioned phenomena, emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of non-change, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of the unapprehendable, emptiness of no-nature, emptiness of self-nature, or emptiness of the self-nature of no-nature that can be apprehended; there are no four foundations of mindfulness that can be apprehended, nor are there four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, or the eightfold noble path that can be apprehended; there is no noble truth of suffering that can be apprehended, nor are there the noble truths of origin, cessation, and path that can be apprehended; there are no four meditative absorptions that can be apprehended, nor are there the four immeasurables or the four formless concentrations that can be apprehended; there are no eight liberations that can be apprehended, nor are there the eight bases of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, or the ten totalities that can be apprehended; there are no methods of dharani that can be apprehended, nor are there all methods of samadhi that can be apprehended; there is no method of liberation through emptiness that can be apprehended, nor are there the methods of liberation through signlessness or wishlessness that can be apprehended; there is no stage of Joyful Ground that can be apprehended, nor are there the stages of Stainless Ground, Luminous Ground, Radiant Wisdom Ground, Difficult-to-Conquer Ground, Manifest Ground, Far-Going Ground, Unshakable Ground, Excellent Wisdom Ground, or Dharma Cloud Ground that can be apprehended; there are no five kinds of eyes that can be apprehended, nor are there six superknowledges that can be apprehended; there are no ten powers of a Buddha that can be apprehended, nor are there the four fearlessnesses, four kinds of unobstructed knowledge, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, or the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha that can be apprehended; there are no thirty-two marks of a Great Being that can be apprehended, nor are there eighty subsidiary marks of excellence that can be apprehended; there is no quality of not forgetting the Dharma that can be apprehended, nor is there the nature of constant equanimity that can be apprehended; there is no all-knowing wisdom that can be apprehended, nor are there path-knowing wisdom or all-aspects-knowing wisdom that can be apprehended; there is no fruit of stream-entry that can be apprehended, nor are there the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, or the fruit of the solitary Buddha that can be apprehended; there are no practices of all Great Bodhisattvas that can be apprehended, nor is there the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas that can be apprehended; there is no person practicing the practices of a Great Bodhisattva that can be apprehended, nor is there a person practicing the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas that can be apprehended.
Subhuti, such phenomena are all explained and expressed by relying on conventional expressions; they are not based on ultimate truth.
Subhuti, the Great Bodhisattvas practicing the perfection of wisdom, from the moment they first arouse the mind of enlightenment, although they devote their entire minds to practicing the conduct of enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings, have no apprehension whatsoever of this mind, no apprehension whatsoever of sentient beings, no apprehension whatsoever of great enlightenment, and no apprehension whatsoever of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.
At that time, the venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if all phenomena are completely without anything to be apprehended and cannot be grasped at all, then how do Great Bodhisattvas practice the conduct of enlightenment? How can they attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhuti, what do you think? Previously, relying on the domain of cessation, when you eliminated the afflictions, attained the undefiled faculties, dwelt in uninterrupted concentration, and attained the fruit of stream-entry, or the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship, at that time did you see any sentient beings, mind, path, or the fruits of the paths that could be apprehended?”
Subhuti replied:
“No, World-Honored One. No, Well-Gone One.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhuti, if at that time you had no apprehension whatsoever, then why do you say that you attained the fruit of arhatship?”
Subhuti replied:
“Because it is spoken based on conventional truth, not based on ultimate truth.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhuti, it is so, it is so, exactly as you have said. The Great Bodhisattvas are likewise: relying on conventional truth, they speak of practicing the conduct of enlightenment and attaining unsurpassed perfect enlightenment; they do not rely on ultimate truth.
Subhuti, because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is form, they explain that there is feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are eye faculties, and explain that there are ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind faculties; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are sense objects of form, and explain that there are sound, smell, taste, tangible object, and phenomenon sense objects; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are eye elements, and explain that there are ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind elements; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are form elements, and explain that there are sound, smell, taste, tangible-object, and phenomenon elements; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are eye-consciousness elements, and explain that there are ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness elements; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is eye contact, and explain that there are ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contacts; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are feelings arisen dependent on eye contact, and explain that there are feelings arisen dependent on ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is the earth element, and explain that there are the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are causal conditions, and explain that there are immediate sequential conditions, object conditions, and dominant conditions; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are phenomena arisen from conditions; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is ignorance, and explain that there are formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is the perfection of giving, and explain that there are the perfections of moral discipline, patience, vigor, meditative concentration, and wisdom; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is emptiness of the internal, and explain that there are emptiness of the external, emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of conditioned phenomena, emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of non-change, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of the unapprehendable, emptiness of no-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of no-nature; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are the four foundations of mindfulness, and explain that there are the four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is the noble truth of suffering, and explain that there are the noble truths of origin, cessation, and path; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are four meditative absorptions, and explain that there are four immeasurables and four formless concentrations; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are eight liberations, and explain that there are eight bases of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten totalities; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are all methods of dharani, and explain that there are all methods of samadhi; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are the methods of liberation through emptiness, and explain that there are the methods of liberation through signlessness and wishlessness; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is the Joyful Ground, and explain that there are the Stainless Ground, Luminous Ground, Radiant Wisdom Ground, Difficult-to-Conquer Ground, Manifest Ground, Far-Going Ground, Unshakable Ground, Excellent Wisdom Ground, and Dharma Cloud Ground; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are the five kinds of eyes, and explain that there are the six superknowledges; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are the ten powers of a Buddha, and explain that there are the four fearlessnesses, four kinds of unobstructed knowledge, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are the thirty-two marks of a Great Being, and explain that there are the eighty subsidiary marks of excellence; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is the quality of not forgetting the Dharma, and explain that there is the nature of constant equanimity; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is all-knowing wisdom, and explain that there are path-knowing wisdom and all-aspects-knowing wisdom; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there is the fruit of stream-entry, and explain that there are the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and the fruit of the solitary Buddha; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are all practices of Great Bodhisattvas, and explain that there is the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas; because they rely on conventional truth, they explain that there are sentient beings, and explain that there are Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, but they do not rely on ultimate truth.
Subhuti, the Great Bodhisattvas do not see any phenomenon that can, with regard to unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, increase or decrease, be added or diminished, because all phenomena are of the nature of emptiness.
Subhuti, the Great Bodhisattvas, regarding all phenomena, cannot even apprehend the nature of emptiness; how much less can they apprehend anything when they have only just aroused the mind of enlightenment? How much less can they apprehend anything while practicing the perfection of giving? How much less can they apprehend anything while practicing moral discipline, patience, vigor, meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom? How much less can they apprehend anything while abiding in emptiness of the internal? How much less can they apprehend anything while abiding in emptiness of the external, emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of conditioned phenomena, emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of non-change, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of the unapprehendable, emptiness of no-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of no-nature? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the four foundations of mindfulness? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and eightfold noble path? How much less can they apprehend anything while abiding in the noble truth of suffering? How much less can they apprehend anything while abiding in the noble truths of origin, cessation, and path? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the four meditative absorptions? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the four immeasurables and four formless concentrations? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the eight liberations? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the eight bases of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten totalities? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the methods of dharani? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the methods of samadhi? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the method of liberation through emptiness? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the methods of liberation through signlessness and wishlessness? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the Joyful Ground? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the Stainless Ground, Luminous Ground, Radiant Wisdom Ground, Difficult-to-Conquer Ground, Manifest Ground, Far-Going Ground, Unshakable Ground, Excellent Wisdom Ground, and Dharma Cloud Ground? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the five kinds of eyes? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the six superknowledges? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the ten powers of a Buddha? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the four fearlessnesses, four kinds of unobstructed knowledge, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the thirty-two marks of a Great Being? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the eighty subsidiary marks of excellence? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the quality of not forgetting the Dharma? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the nature of constant equanimity? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating all-knowing wisdom? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating path-knowing wisdom and all-aspects-knowing wisdom? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating all practices of Great Bodhisattvas? How much less can they apprehend anything while cultivating the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas?
Subhuti, for Great Bodhisattvas, there is no such thing as having an object of cultivation or abiding in all Buddha-Dharmas with something to be attained.
Subhuti, Great Bodhisattvas cultivate unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and continuously without interruption bring benefit to sentient beings.
Chapter 71: Bringing About the Accomplishment of Sentient Beings (1)
At that time, the Elder Subhūti addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Giving, cultivates Pure Discipline, Patience, Diligence, Meditative Absorption, and the Perfection of Wisdom; abides in inner emptiness, abides in outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, supreme-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness throughout all phenomena, emptiness of what cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the non-self-nature of self-nature; cultivates the four Foundations of Mindfulness, cultivates the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the eightfold Noble Path; abides in the Noble Truth of suffering, abides in the Noble Truths of origin, cessation, and path; cultivates the four Meditative Absorptions, cultivates the four Immeasurables, and the four Formless Concentrations; cultivates the eight Liberations, the eight Masteries, the nine Successive Concentrations, and the ten All-Encompassing Realms; cultivates the dhāraṇī gateways, cultivates the samādhi gateways; cultivates the liberation gateway of Emptiness, the liberation gateway of Signlessness, and the liberation gateway of Wishlessness; cultivates the stage of Perfect Joy, the stage of Freedom from Defilement, the stage of Radiant Light, the stage of Flaming Wisdom, the stage of Difficult Victory, the stage of Manifestation, the stage of Far-Going, the stage of Immovability, the stage of Excellent Wisdom, and the stage of Dharma Cloud; cultivates the five kinds of eyes, cultivates the six supernatural powers; cultivates the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, Great Loving-Kindness, Great Compassion, Great Joy, Great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; cultivates the thirty-two marks of a Great Being, cultivates the eighty subsidiary marks of excellence; cultivates the quality of not forgetting, cultivates the nature of always remaining in equanimity; cultivates the wisdom of all knowledge, cultivates the wisdom of the aspects of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects; cultivates all practices of a Great Bodhisattva, cultivates the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas; yet while practicing such a Bodhisattva path has not reached completion and does not attain the object of aspiration, the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment—then, World-Honored One, how can a Great Bodhisattva who fully completes the cultivation of the Bodhisattva path attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?”
The Buddha taught:
“Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, while practicing the Perfection of Giving does not apprehend the act of giving, does not apprehend the giver, does not apprehend the recipient of the gift, does not apprehend the deed itself, and also does not depart from such phenomena while cultivating the Perfection of Giving, then that Great Bodhisattva can fully accomplish the cultivation of the Bodhisattva path.
Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, while cultivating Pure Discipline, Patience, Diligence, Meditative Absorption, and the Perfection of Wisdom does not apprehend Pure Discipline, Patience, Diligence, Meditative Absorption, and the Perfection of Wisdom; does not apprehend the one who cultivates; does not apprehend the object of cultivation; does not apprehend the act of cultivation; and also does not depart from such phenomena while practicing Pure Discipline, Patience, Diligence, Meditative Absorption, and the Perfection of Wisdom, then that Great Bodhisattva can fully accomplish cultivation according to the Bodhisattva path.
Subhūti, in this way, a Great Bodhisattva cultivating the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, cultivates the Bodhisattva path so that it becomes complete and can attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, while abiding in inner emptiness does not apprehend inner emptiness; does not apprehend the one who abides; does not apprehend the object in which one abides; does not apprehend the act itself; and also does not depart from such phenomena while abiding in inner emptiness, then that Great Bodhisattva can fully accomplish cultivation according to the Bodhisattva path.
Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, while abiding in outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, supreme-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, unchanging emptiness, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness throughout all phenomena, emptiness of what cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the non-self-nature of self-nature, does not apprehend outer emptiness up to emptiness of the non-self-nature of self-nature; does not apprehend the one who abides; does not apprehend the object in which one abides; does not apprehend the act itself; and also does not depart from such phenomena while abiding in outer emptiness up to emptiness of the non-self-nature of self-nature, then that Great Bodhisattva can fully accomplish cultivation according to the Bodhisattva path.
Subhūti, in this way, a Great Bodhisattva cultivating the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, cultivates the Bodhisattva path so that it becomes complete and can attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, while cultivating the four Foundations of Mindfulness does not apprehend the four Foundations of Mindfulness; does not apprehend the one who cultivates; does not apprehend the object of cultivation; does not apprehend the act of cultivation; and also does not depart from such phenomena while cultivating the four Foundations of Mindfulness, then that Great Bodhisattva can fully accomplish cultivation according to the Bodhisattva path.
Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva cultivates the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, while cultivating the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the eightfold Noble Path, does not apprehend the four Right Efforts up to the eightfold Noble Path; does not apprehend the one who cultivates; does not apprehend the object of cultivation; does not apprehend the act of cultivation; and also does not depart from such phenomena while cultivating the four Right Efforts up to the eightfold Noble Path, then that Great Bodhisattva can fully accomplish cultivation according to the Bodhisattva path.
Subhūti, in this way, a Great Bodhisattva cultivating the Perfection of Wisdom, with skillful means, cultivates the Bodhisattva path so that it becomes complete and can attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.”