THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SUTRA
VOLUME 393
Chapter 71: BRINGING ABOUT THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF SENTIENT BEINGS (4)
Furthermore, Subhūti, when the great bodhisattvas abide in the perfection of giving, seeing that sentient beings have no place of refuge, endure many kinds of suffering, and are deprived of everything, they feel great compassion and comfort them, saying: “I can become a place of refuge for you, enabling you to escape all the suffering you are undergoing. Whatever you need, whether food, drink, clothing, bedding, vehicles, dwellings, incense, flowers, servants, jewels, fine music, lamps, ornaments, medicines, or any other necessary items, simply state your wishes without hesitation. I will provide all that you request, and you should regard the things I give as if they were your own possessions; do not think of them as belonging to someone else. Why? Because for a very long time I have accumulated wealth and necessities, and it is only for your benefit and welfare that I have obtained them. Therefore, now your minds should not have any doubt; with regard to these resources, accept them as you wish. Having received them, first make proper use of them and cultivate wholesome dharmas; afterward, use these things to give to sentient beings, also causing them to cultivate wholesome dharmas. This means causing them to practice the perfection of Giving, Pure Discipline, Patience, Vigor, Meditative Concentration, and Prajñāpāramitā; also causing them to abide in the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of both internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, the great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the ultimate, the emptiness of the absence of boundaries, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of non-transformation, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of own characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of what cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness; also causing them to cultivate 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; also causing them to abide in the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of origination, cessation, and path; also causing them to cultivate the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations; also causing them to cultivate the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten universal bases; also causing them to cultivate dhāraṇī methods and samādhi methods; also causing them to cultivate the liberation door of emptiness, the liberation door of signlessness, and the liberation door of wishlessness; also causing them to cultivate the stages of Extreme Joy, Freedom from Defilement, Radiant Illumination, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Conquer, Manifestation, Far-Reaching, Immovable, Excellent Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud; also causing them to cultivate the five kinds of eyes and the six supernormal powers; also causing them to cultivate the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of unobstructed understanding, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; also causing them to cultivate the quality of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity; also causing them to cultivate the wisdom of omniscience, the wisdom of knowing the aspects of the path, and the wisdom of knowing all aspects.
Subhūti, after that great bodhisattva has instructed and guided sentient beings in this way, according to their capacities again causes them to cultivate the undefiled dharmas; some are caused to attain the fruit of Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner, or Arhat; some are caused to attain the fruition of a Solitary Buddha; some are caused to enter the Bodhisattva grounds; or some are caused to attain the object they aspire to—the supreme enlightenment.
Subhūti, this is what is called a great bodhisattva practicing the perfection of giving, who, through skillful means, brings about the accomplishment of sentient beings, enabling them to escape birth and death in the evil realms and, according to their capacities, attain the nirvāṇa of the three vehicles.
The venerable Subhūti again addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, how does a great bodhisattva practice the perfection of pure discipline, and how do other great bodhisattvas practice the path leading to great enlightenment, through skillful means, to bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, there are great bodhisattvas who, while practicing the perfection of pure discipline, through skillful means, see that sentient beings lack necessities, are burned by afflictions, and are unable to cultivate goodness. Therefore, they feel compassion and say to them: ‘If because of lacking necessities you cannot cultivate goodness, then I will now provide you with food, drink, clothing, bedding, and all kinds of necessary things. Do not create evil karma and generate afflictions; instead, diligently cultivate wholesome dharmas such as giving…’
Subhūti, that great bodhisattva abides in the perfection of pure discipline and, according to the capacities of various kinds of sentient beings, teaches and guides them: those who are greedy and miserly are caused to practice giving, not clinging to their bodies, lives, or possessions; those who break precepts are caused to cultivate pure discipline, able to uphold and practice the ten paths of wholesome karma, abiding in moral discipline and proper conduct, without breaking, distorting, contaminating, mixing, or grasping them; those who are hateful are caused to cultivate patience, so that even when insulted or harmed, their minds do not change; those who are lazy are caused to cultivate vigor, firmly practicing wholesome dharmas as if saving a fire burning on their heads; those who are distracted are caused to cultivate meditative concentration; those who are foolish are caused to cultivate wisdom; those who cling to dharmas are caused to contemplate the emptiness of dharmas; those who possess the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment are caused to cultivate the factors of enlightenment; those who are not yet able to contemplate the four noble truths are caused to cultivate correct contemplation; those who lack meditation, immeasurables, and formless concentrations are caused to cultivate these practices; those who lack liberation, mastery, and so forth up to universal bases are caused to practice them; those who have not attained dhāraṇī methods and samādhi methods are caused to quickly attain them; those who have not attained the liberation doors of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness are caused to cultivate and realize them; those who have not entered the Bodhisattva grounds are caused to enter them and quickly attain perfection; those who have not attained the five kinds of eyes and the six supernormal powers are caused to gradually cultivate and realize them; those who have not attained the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of unobstructed understanding, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha are also caused to gradually cultivate and realize them; those who have not attained the quality of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity are also caused to gradually cultivate and realize them; those who have not attained the wisdom of omniscience, the wisdom of knowing the aspects of the path, and the wisdom of knowing all aspects are all caused to gradually cultivate and realize them.
Subhūti, that great bodhisattva abides in the perfection of pure discipline and, through skillful means, brings about the accomplishment of sentient beings, either causing them to escape suffering in the evil paths, or causing them to attain the fruits of Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner, or Arhat, or causing them to attain the fruition of a Solitary Buddha, or causing them to attain the object they aspire to—the supreme enlightenment.
Subhūti, this is called a great bodhisattva practicing the perfection of pure discipline, who, through skillful means, brings about the accomplishment of sentient beings, enabling them to escape birth and death in the evil paths and, according to their capacities, attain the nirvāṇa of the three vehicles.
Subhūti, you should know that there are great bodhisattvas who practice those other four perfections and other paths leading to great enlightenment. Each and every practice employs skillful means, and all wholeheartedly strive to bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, enabling them to escape birth and death in the evil paths, or causing them to attain the peaceful and blissful cessation of the Śrāvaka fruit, or causing them to attain the peaceful and blissful fruition of a Solitary Buddha, or causing them to attain the object they aspire to—the supreme enlightenment, which can bring benefit and happiness to all sentient beings throughout the future ages, constantly without interruption.
Chapter 72: PURIFYING THE BUDDHA FIELDS (1)
At that time, the venerable Subhūti thought:
“What is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, upon which they abide, constantly wearing various kinds of armor of great merit and bringing benefit and happiness to all sentient beings?”
The Buddha, knowing this thought in his mind, said to Subhūti:
“Subhūti, you should know that the perfection of giving is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas; pure discipline, patience, vigor, meditative concentration, and Prajñāpāramitā are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the emptiness of the internal is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of both internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, the great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the ultimate, the emptiness of the absence of boundaries, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of non-transformation, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of own characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of what cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the four foundations of mindfulness are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas, 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 are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the noble truth of suffering is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the noble truths of origination, cessation, and path are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the four meditations are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the four immeasurables and four formless concentrations are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the eight liberations are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the eight spheres of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten universal bases are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; all dhāraṇī methods are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas, and all samādhi methods are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the liberation door of emptiness is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the liberation doors of signlessness and wishlessness are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the stage of Extreme Joy is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the stages of Freedom from Defilement, Radiant Illumination, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Conquer, Manifestation, Far-Reaching, Immovable, Excellent Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the five kinds of eyes are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the six supernormal powers are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the Buddha’s ten powers are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the four fearlessnesses, four kinds of unobstructed understanding, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas; the quality of never forgetting is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the nature of constant equanimity is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas; the wisdom of omniscience is the path of practice of great bodhisattvas, and the wisdom of knowing the aspects of the path and the wisdom of knowing all aspects are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas.
Furthermore, Subhūti, in brief, all dharmas are the paths of practice of great bodhisattvas.
Subhūti, what do you think? Is there any dharma that great bodhisattvas should not learn, and by not learning that dharma great bodhisattvas can still attain the object they aspire to—the supreme enlightenment?”
Subhūti replied:
“No, World-Honored One! No, Well-Gone One!”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, it is so, it is so, exactly as you have said. Subhūti, there is absolutely no dharma that great bodhisattvas should not learn. If great bodhisattvas do not learn these dharmas, they definitely cannot attain the object they aspire to—the supreme enlightenment. Why? Subhūti, because if great bodhisattvas do not learn all dharmas, they can never attain the wisdom of omniscience.
The venerable Subhūti again addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if the self-nature of all dharmas is empty, how can great bodhisattvas learn all dharmas? Could it be that the World-Honored One, regarding dharmas that are free from conceptual elaboration, creates conceptual elaboration, thinking: ‘There are dharmas; this is one dharma, that is another dharma, and therefore it is so; this is a worldly dharma, this is a transcendent dharma; this is a contaminated dharma, this is an undefiled dharma; this is a conditioned dharma, this is an unconditioned dharma; this is the dharma of ordinary beings, this is the dharma of Stream-enterers, this is the dharma of Once-returners, this is the dharma of Non-returners, this is the dharma of Arhats, this is the dharma of Solitary Buddhas, this is the dharma of bodhisattvas, this is the dharma of Tathāgatas’?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, it is so, it is so, exactly as you have said!
All existing dharmas have self-nature that is empty.”
Venerable Subhūti, if all dharmas’ own natures were not empty, then the great Bodhisattvas should not be able to attain the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.
Venerable Subhūti, because the own nature of all dharmas is empty, the great Bodhisattvas are able to attain the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.
Venerable Subhūti, as you have asked, if all dharmas’ own natures are empty, then how do the great Bodhisattvas learn all dharmas? Could it be that the World-Honored One creates conceptual elaborations regarding the Dharma that is free from conceptual elaborations, thinking that there are dharmas, that this is such a dharma and that is such a dharma, that this is so because of such causes; that this is the worldly dharma, this is the supramundane dharma, and so forth, that this is the Bodhisattva dharma, this is the Tathāgata dharma? Venerable Subhūti, if sentient beings knew that all dharmas are empty by their own nature, then the great Bodhisattvas should not need to learn all dharmas, attain the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, and establish and teach them for the sake of sentient beings. But, Venerable Subhūti, because sentient beings do not know that all dharmas are empty by their own nature, the great Bodhisattvas must learn all dharmas, attain the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, and establish and teach them for the sake of sentient beings.
Venerable Subhūti, when great Bodhisattvas first train in the path of Bodhisattva practice, they should carefully observe that the own nature of all dharmas is completely unobtainable, and exists only through the creation of compounded grasping. I should carefully observe that the own nature of all dharmas is ultimately empty and should not cling to them. Therefore, one should not cling to form, nor should one cling to feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; one should not cling to the eye-base, nor should one cling to the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind bases; one should not cling to the form-base, nor should one cling to sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma bases; one should not cling to the eye-element, nor should one cling to the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind elements; one should not cling to the form-element, nor should one cling to sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma elements; one should not cling to the eye-consciousness element, nor should one cling to the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind consciousness elements; one should not cling to eye-contact, nor should one cling to ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact; one should not cling to feelings arising dependent on eye-contact as condition, nor should one cling to feelings arising dependent on ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact as condition; one should not cling to the earth element, nor should one cling to the water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements; one should not cling to causes and conditions, nor should one cling to the immediately preceding condition, object condition, or dominant condition; one should not cling to dharmas arisen from conditions; one should not cling to ignorance, nor should one cling to formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress; one should not cling to the perfection of giving, nor should one cling to moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative absorption, or the perfection of wisdom; one should not cling to inner emptiness, nor should one cling to outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, emptiness of the ultimate end, emptiness without boundaries, dispersed emptiness, emptiness of non-alteration, emptiness of original nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of own nature, or emptiness of the own nature of non-nature; one should not cling to the four foundations of mindfulness, nor should one cling to the four right efforts, the four bases of miraculous powers, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, or the eightfold noble path; one should not cling to the noble truth of suffering, nor should one cling to the noble truths of origin, cessation, and path; one should not cling to the four meditative absorptions, nor should one cling to the four immeasurables or the four formless concentrations; one should not cling to the eight liberations, nor should one cling to the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, or the ten total spheres; one should not cling to all dhāraṇī dharma doors, nor should one cling to all samādhi dharma doors; one should not cling to the liberation door of emptiness, nor should one cling to the liberation doors of signlessness and wishlessness; one should not cling to the first stage, Joyful, nor should one cling to the stages of Stainless, Radiant, Luminous Wisdom, Difficult to Overcome, Manifest, Far-Going, Immovable, Excellent Wisdom, and Cloud of Dharma; one should not cling to the five kinds of eyes, nor should one cling to the six supernatural powers; one should not cling to the Buddha’s ten powers, nor should one cling to the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, or the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; one should not cling to the quality of never forgetting, nor should one cling to the nature of always maintaining equanimity; one should not cling to all-knowing wisdom, nor should one cling to path-characteristic wisdom or all-characteristic wisdom; one should not cling to the fruit of stream-enterer, nor should one cling to the fruits of once-returner, non-returner, arhat, or the state of a solitary Buddha; one should not cling to all the practices of great Bodhisattvas, nor should one cling to the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas. Why? Because the own nature of all dharmas is empty, and one should not cling to the nature of emptiness. Within emptiness, even the nature of emptiness is unobtainable; how much less could there be a nature of emptiness that can be clung to?
Venerable Subhūti, when great Bodhisattvas observe all dharmas in this way, although they do not cling to the nature of dharmas, they constantly learn all dharmas without weariness.
Venerable Subhūti, the great Bodhisattva who abides in this learning observes the differences in the mental activities of sentient beings. That is, he carefully observes where the minds of those sentient beings move. Having carefully observed, he truly knows that their minds only move along the path of false grasping. At that time, the Bodhisattva thinks: Since their minds move along the path of false grasping, enabling them to become liberated will certainly not be difficult.
Venerable Subhūti, after thinking in this way, that great Bodhisattva abides in the perfection of wisdom and, with skillful means, instructs and transmits teachings to sentient beings, saying: “Now all of you should abandon the path of false grasping, turn toward the true Dharma, and cultivate wholesome practices.”
He further says: “Now you should practice the perfection of giving, and you will obtain various necessities without lacking anything, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative absorption, and the perfection of wisdom, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice inner emptiness, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, emptiness of the ultimate end, emptiness without boundaries, dispersed emptiness, emptiness of non-alteration, emptiness of original nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of own nature, and emptiness of the own nature of non-nature, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the four foundations of mindfulness, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice 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, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the noble truth of suffering, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the noble truths of origin, cessation, and path, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the four meditative absorptions, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the four immeasurables and the four formless concentrations, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the eight liberations, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten total spheres, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice all dhāraṇī dharma doors, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice all samādhi dharma doors, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the liberation door of emptiness, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the liberation doors of signlessness and wishlessness, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the Joyful stage, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the Stainless stage, the Radiant stage, the Luminous Wisdom stage, the Difficult to Overcome stage, the Manifest stage, the Far-Going stage, the Immovable stage, the Excellent Wisdom stage, and the Cloud of Dharma stage, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the five kinds of eyes, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the six supernatural powers, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the Buddha’s ten powers, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the quality of never forgetting, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the nature of always maintaining equanimity, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice all-knowing wisdom, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice path-characteristic wisdom and all-characteristic wisdom, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice the fruit of stream-enterer, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the fruits of once-returner, non-returner, arhat, and the state of a solitary Buddha, but do not rely on these and give rise to pride. Why? Because within them there is absolutely nothing substantial.
You should practice all the practices of great Bodhisattvas, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial. You should practice the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas, but do not rely on this and give rise to pride. Why? Because within it there is absolutely nothing substantial.
Venerable Subhūti, that great Bodhisattva, abiding in the perfection of wisdom and with skillful means, teaches and transmits to sentient beings the practice of the Bodhi path without attachment. Why? Because the nature of all dharmas should not be clung to; both the subject who clings and the object clung to have no own nature, because the own nature of all dharmas is empty.
Venerable Subhūti, when that great Bodhisattva practices the Bodhi path in this way, there is absolutely no place of abiding in relation to all dharmas. Because non-abiding is taken as the means, although he practices the perfection of giving, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditative absorption, and the perfection of wisdom, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices inner emptiness, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, emptiness of the ultimate end, emptiness without boundaries, dispersed emptiness, emptiness of non-alteration, emptiness of original nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unobtainable, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of own nature, and emptiness of the own nature of non-nature, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the four foundations of mindfulness, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices 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, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the noble truth of suffering, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices the noble truths of origin, cessation, and path, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the four meditative absorptions, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices the four immeasurables and the four formless concentrations, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the eight liberations, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten total spheres, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices all dhāraṇī dharma doors, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices all samādhi dharma doors, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the liberation door of emptiness, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices the liberation doors of signlessness and wishlessness, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the Joyful stage, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices the Stainless stage, the Radiant stage, the Luminous Wisdom stage, the Difficult to Overcome stage, the Manifest stage, the Far-Going stage, the Immovable stage, the Excellent Wisdom stage, and the Cloud of Dharma stage, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the five kinds of eyes, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices the six supernatural powers, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the Buddha’s ten powers, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the quality of never forgetting, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices the nature of always maintaining equanimity, within it he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices all-knowing wisdom, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices path-characteristic wisdom and all-characteristic wisdom, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices the fruit of stream-enterer, within it he completely does not abide; although he practices the fruits of once-returner, non-returner, arhat, and the state of a solitary Buddha, within them he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty. Although he practices all the practices of great Bodhisattvas, within them he completely does not abide; although he practices the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas, within it he completely does not abide. Why? Because their own nature is such that the practitioner, the act of practice, and all appearances of practice are empty.
Venerable Subhūti, although that great Bodhisattva is able to attain the fruit of stream-enterer, he does not abide in that fruit; although he is able to attain the fruits of once-returner, non-returner, arhat, and the state of a solitary Buddha, he does not abide in those fruits.
The venerable Subhūti addressed the Buddha, saying:
O World-Honored One, for what reason is it that that Great Bodhisattva, although able to attain the Stream-enterer fruit, does not abide in it; although able to attain the Once-returner, Non-returner, Arhat fruits, and the state of a Solitary Realizer, does not abide in them?
The Buddha said:
Good Present, that Great Bodhisattva has two causes and conditions whereby, although able to attain the Stream-enterer fruit, he does not abide in it; although able to attain the Once-returner fruit up to the state of a Solitary Realizer, he does not abide in them. What are these two causes and conditions? First, those fruits completely lack inherent nature; the one who abides and the object in which one abides cannot be apprehended. Second, regarding those fruits, he does not find them satisfactory, and therefore does not abide in them. That is to say, that Great Bodhisattva constantly reflects in this way: “I will certainly attain the Stream-enterer fruit; it is not that I will not attain it, but I should not abide in it. I will certainly attain the Once-returner, Non-returner, Arhat fruits, and the state of a Solitary Realizer; it is not that I will not attain them, but I should not abide in them. Why? Because from the time I first generated the aspiration to seek the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment until now, at no time have I conceived any other thought; I only wish to attain the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Since I will certainly realize that fruit, how could I, halfway along the path, abide in any other fruit?”
Good Present, from the time that Great Bodhisattva first generated the aspiration until entering the correct nature of separation from birth as a Bodhisattva, he has never had any other thought; he only wishes to attain the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
Good Present, from the time that Great Bodhisattva attains the first stage until attaining the tenth stage, he has never had any other thought; he only wishes to attain the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
Good Present, that Great Bodhisattva diligently encourages the seeking of unsurpassed perfect enlightenment; at all times his mind is not scattered, and whatever actions of body, speech, or mind arise are all in accord with the mind of enlightenment.
Good Present, that Great Bodhisattva abides in the mind of enlightenment, carries out and develops the path of cultivation leading to enlightenment, and is not disturbed in mind by other objects.
At that time, the venerable Good Present addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One, if all phenomena are unborn, then how does the Great Bodhisattva carry out and develop the path of cultivation leading to enlightenment?
The Buddha said:
Good Present, it is so, it is so! All phenomena are unborn. Here, if there is no object of creation or aspiration, how can one know that all phenomena are unborn?
The venerable Good Present again addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One, whether the Tathāgata appears in the world or does not appear in the world, phenomena, the realm of phenomena, and the nature of phenomena are always abiding.
The Buddha said:
Good Present, it is so, it is so! Whether the Tathāgata appears in the world or does not appear in the world, phenomena, the realm of phenomena, and the nature of phenomena are always abiding. However, sentient beings are unable to clearly understand that phenomena, the realm of phenomena, and the nature of phenomena are always abiding. For the sake of benefiting them, the Great Bodhisattvas carry out and develop the path of cultivation leading to enlightenment, and through that path they become liberated from the sufferings of birth and death.
The venerable Good Present addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One, do the Great Bodhisattvas attain Bodhi through the path of birth?
The Buddha said:
No!
World-Honored One, do they attain Bodhi through the path of non-birth?
The Buddha said:
No!
World-Honored One, do they attain Bodhi through the path of birth and non-birth?
The Buddha said:
No!
World-Honored One, do they attain Bodhi through the path that is neither birth nor non-birth?
The Buddha said:
No!
The venerable Good Present again addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One, then how do Great Bodhisattvas attain Bodhi?
The Buddha said:
Good Present, they do not attain Bodhi by means of the path, nor do they attain Bodhi by means of what is not the path. Why? Good Present, because Bodhi itself is the path, and the path itself is Bodhi.
The venerable Good Present addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One, if Bodhi itself is the path and the path itself is Bodhi, then one should already have attained Bodhi. If so, why does the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, teach them about the thirty-two marks of a Great Being, the eighty subsidiary characteristics, the ten powers of the Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of unobstructed understanding, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, the eighteen uncommon Buddha qualities, and countless Buddha teachings, causing them to cultivate and realize them?
The Buddha said:
Good Present, what do you think? Could you possibly think that the Buddha attains Bodhi?
Subhūti replied:
“World-Honored One, no! Sugata, no! Why? World-Honored One, because the Buddha itself is Bodhi, and Bodhi itself is the Buddha; therefore, one should not say that the Buddha attains Bodhi.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, it is so, it is so! But what you asked—does it not mean that the Great Bodhisattvas have already attained the path of Bodhi, and therefore have attained Bodhi? Subhūti, the Great Bodhisattvas who cultivate the path of Bodhi have not yet perfected it; then how can one say that they have already attained Bodhi?
Subhūti, if the Great Bodhisattvas have already perfectly accomplished generosity, pure morality, patience, vigor, meditative absorption, and Prajñāpāramitā; if they have already perfectly accomplished emptiness within, emptiness without, emptiness of both within and without, 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 inherent nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness throughout all phenomena, emptiness that cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness; if they have already perfectly accomplished 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; if they have already perfectly accomplished the noble truths of suffering, arising, cessation, and the path; if they have already perfectly accomplished the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations; if they have already perfectly accomplished the eight liberations, the eight bases of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten universal bases; if they have already perfectly accomplished all dhāraṇī methods and all samādhi methods; if they have already perfectly accomplished the liberation methods of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; if they have already perfectly accomplished the stages of Extreme Joy, Freedom from Defilement, Radiant Light, Flaming Wisdom, Extremely Difficult to Conquer, Manifest Before Oneself, Far-Going, Immovable, Excellent Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud; if they have already perfectly accomplished the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers; if they have already perfectly accomplished 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; if they have already perfectly accomplished the thirty-two marks of a great being and the eighty secondary characteristics; if they have already perfectly accomplished the quality of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity; if they have already perfectly accomplished all-knowing wisdom, wisdom of the aspects of the path, and wisdom of all aspects; if they have already perfectly accomplished all practices of Great Bodhisattvas; if they have already perfectly accomplished the observation of the twelve links of dependent origination in forward and reverse order; if they have already perfectly accomplished all the自在 spiritual powers of Bodhisattvas; if they have already perfectly accomplished superior Śamatha and Vipaśyanā; if they have already perfectly accomplished all necessary accumulations of merit and wisdom; if they have already perfectly accomplished bringing about the attainment of sentient beings and adorning and purifying Buddha realms; if they have already perfectly accomplished the immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable wondrous teachings of all Buddhas, then from that point onward they continuously use a single moment of the Vajra-like Samādhi, associated with sublime wisdom, to permanently cut off all afflictions, the two obscurations regarding knowable objects, and the continuous coarse habitual tendencies; and when they attain the unsurpassed enlightenment, only then are they called Thus Come One, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, completely sovereign over all phenomena, bringing benefit and happiness to all sentient beings throughout the future until the end of time.”
At that time, Venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, how does a Great Bodhisattva adorn and purify a Buddha realm?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, from the time a Great Bodhisattva first generates the aspiration until reaching the ultimate completion, they constantly purify their own coarse aspects of body, speech, and mind, and also purify the coarse aspects of body, speech, and mind of others. That Great Bodhisattva, by purifying the three coarse aspects of themselves and others, can adorn and purify the object they aspire to attain, which is the Buddha realm.”
Venerable Subhūti again said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, what are the coarse aspects of the body, speech, and mind of a Great Bodhisattva?”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, killing living beings, taking what is not given, engaging in sexual misconduct, and such unwholesome evil actions of the body are called the bodily coarse aspects of a Great Bodhisattva. Speaking false words, divisive words, harsh words, or frivolous mixed speech, and such unwholesome evil actions of speech are called the verbal coarse aspects of a Great Bodhisattva. Desire, anger, wrong views, and such unwholesome evil actions of mind are called the mental coarse aspects of a Great Bodhisattva.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if the aggregate of morality, the aggregate of concentration, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation, and the aggregate of liberating knowledge and vision of a Great Bodhisattva are not pure, they are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva has a mind of greed and stinginess, a mind that violates precepts, a mind of anger, a lazy mind, a distracted mind, or an evil wisdom, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from 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, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from emptiness within, emptiness without, emptiness of both within and without, 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 inherent nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness throughout all phenomena, emptiness that cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the noble truths of suffering, arising, cessation, and the path, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the eight liberations, the eight bases of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten universal bases, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from dhāraṇī methods and samādhi methods, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the liberation methods of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the stages of Great Bodhisattvas, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from 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, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from the quality of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from all-knowing wisdom, wisdom of the aspects of the path, and wisdom of all aspects, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva distances themselves from all practices of Great Bodhisattvas and the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, these are also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva becomes attached to attaining the fruit of Stream-entry, Once-returning, Non-returning, Arhatship, or the fruit of a Pratyekabuddha, this is also called coarse.
Furthermore, Subhūti, if a Great Bodhisattva forms a conception of form, or forms conceptions of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of the eye faculty, or conceptions of the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind faculties, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of the form sphere, or conceptions of sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma spheres, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of the eye element, or conceptions of the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind elements, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of the form element, or conceptions of sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma elements, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of the eye consciousness element, or conceptions of ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind consciousness elements, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of eye contact, or conceptions of ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of feelings arising from eye contact as condition, or feelings arising from ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind contact as condition, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of the earth element, or conceptions of the water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of causal conditions, or conceptions of immediately preceding conditions, object conditions, or dominant conditions, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of phenomena arising from conditions, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of ignorance, or conceptions of formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging and death, sorrow, grief, suffering, lamentation, and distress, this is also called coarse; if they form a conception of generosity pāramitā, or conceptions of pure morality, patience, vigor, meditative absorption, and Prajñāpāramitā, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of emptiness within, emptiness without, emptiness of both within and without, 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 inherent nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness throughout all phenomena, emptiness that cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the four foundations of mindfulness, or conceptions of the four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and eightfold noble path, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the noble truth of suffering, or conceptions of the noble truths of arising, cessation, and path, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the four meditations, or conceptions of the four immeasurables and four formless concentrations, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the eight liberations, or conceptions of the eight bases of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten universal bases, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of all dhāraṇī methods, or conceptions of all samādhi methods, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the liberation method of emptiness, or conceptions of the liberation methods of signlessness and wishlessness, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the stage of Extreme Joy, or conceptions of the stages of Freedom from Defilement, Radiant Light, Flaming Wisdom, Extremely Difficult to Conquer, Manifest Before Oneself, Far-Going, Immovable, Excellent Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the five kinds of eyes, or conceptions of the six supernatural powers, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the ten powers of a Buddha, or conceptions of the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the thirty-two marks of a great being, or conceptions of the eighty secondary characteristics, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the quality of never forgetting, or conceptions of the nature of constant equanimity, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of all-knowing wisdom, or conceptions of wisdom of the aspects of the path and wisdom of all aspects, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the fruit of Stream-entry, or conceptions of the fruits of Once-returning, Non-returning, Arhatship, or Pratyekabuddhahood, this is also called coarse; if they form conceptions of all practices of Great Bodhisattvas, or conceptions of the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, or conceptions of ordinary beings, conceptions of Śrāvakas, conceptions of Pratyekabuddhas, conceptions of Bodhisattvas, or conceptions of Thus Come Ones, these are also called coarse; if they form conceptions of hell beings, or conceptions of animals, the realm of hungry ghosts, gods, humans, males, or females, these are also called coarse; if they form conceptions of the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm; conceptions of wholesome, unwholesome, or indeterminate; conceptions of worldly or transcendent; conceptions of contaminated or uncontaminated; conceptions of conditioned or unconditioned, these are also called coarse.
Subhūti, the immeasurable and boundless kinds of attachment toward such phenomena, the false discriminations and the bodily, verbal, and mental actions that sentient beings have produced, together with the unstable nature of those beings, are all called coarse.
Subhūti, that Great Bodhisattva, having abandoned the various kinds of coarseness as explained above, practices generosity pāramitā themselves and also teaches others to practice generosity pāramitā. If sentient beings need food, they provide food; if they need drink, they provide drink; if they need clothing, they provide clothing; if they need vehicles, they provide vehicles; if they need houses, they provide houses; if they need servants, they provide servants; if they need guards, they provide guards; if they need flowers and fragrances, they provide flowers and fragrances; if they need ornaments, they provide ornaments; if they need banners and canopies, they provide banners and canopies; if they need beautiful music, they provide beautiful music; if they need bedding, they provide bedding; if they need lamps, they provide lamps; if they need beds and seats, they provide beds and seats. According to their needs for various necessities, at the appropriate time and place, they give all of these without exception. Just as they themselves do, they teach others to do likewise. Having practiced such generosity, they dedicate this root of virtue equally to all sentient beings; they dedicate it toward their aspiration to adorn and purify the Buddha realm, causing it to be quickly perfected and bringing benefit and welfare to sentient beings.
Subhūti, that Great Bodhisattva practices pure morality pāramitā themselves and teaches others to practice pure morality pāramitā; practices patience pāramitā themselves and teaches others to practice patience pāramitā; practices vigor pāramitā themselves and teaches others to practice vigor pāramitā; practices meditative absorption pāramitā themselves and teaches others to practice meditative absorption pāramitā; practices Prajñāpāramitā themselves and teaches others to practice Prajñāpāramitā. Having performed these deeds, that Great Bodhisattva dedicates this root of virtue equally to all sentient beings; they dedicate it toward their aspiration to adorn and purify the Buddha realm, causing it to be quickly perfected and bringing benefit and welfare to sentient beings.