THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SŪTRA
Volume 423
Chapter 23: LIMITLESSNESS (4)
At that time, the Venerable Subhūti addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, when a great Bodhisattva practices Prajñāpāramitā and contemplates all dharmas, at that time the great Bodhisattva does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self with regard to form; likewise, with regard to feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self. Why? World-Honored One, because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no form, nor even consciousness.
With regard to the eye-base, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-bases. Why? World-Honored One, because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no eye-base, nor even the mind-base.
With regard to visible forms, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental objects. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no visible forms, nor even mental objects.
With regard to the eye-element, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-elements. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no eye-element, nor even the mind-element.
With regard to the form-element, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the sound-, smell-, taste-, touch-, and dharma-elements. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no form-element, nor even the dharma-element.
With regard to the eye-consciousness element, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness elements. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no eye-consciousness element, nor even the mind-consciousness element.
With regard to eye-contact, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no eye-contact, nor even mind-contact.
With regard to the feelings arising dependent on eye-contact, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the feelings arising dependent on ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no feelings arising dependent on eye-contact, nor even those arising dependent on mind-contact.
With regard to the Perfection of Giving (Dāna Pāramitā), he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the Perfections of Morality, Patience, Diligence, Meditation, and Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā). Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no Perfection of Giving, nor even the Perfection of Wisdom.
With regard to the emptiness of internal phenomena, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, unchanging emptiness, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual and shared characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the ungraspable, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no internal emptiness, nor even the emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature.
With regard to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the Four Right Efforts, the Four Bases of Supernatural Power, the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no Four Foundations of Mindfulness, nor even the Noble Eightfold Path.
Likewise, even with regard to the Ten Powers of the Buddha, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with the Four Fearlessnesses, the Four Unobstructed Knowledges, Great Loving-kindness, Great Compassion, Great Joy, Great Equanimity, and the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no Ten Powers of the Buddha, nor even the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha.
With regard to all samādhi gateways, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with all dhāraṇī gateways. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no samādhi gateways nor any dhāraṇī gateways.
Likewise, with regard to Omniscient Knowledge, he does not grasp, seize, abide in, cling to, or establish a self; likewise with Knowledge of the Path and Knowledge of All Aspects. Why? Because at that very moment this great Bodhisattva sees no Omniscient Knowledge, no Knowledge of the Path, and no Knowledge of All Aspects.
World-Honored One, when great Bodhisattvas practice Prajñāpāramitā, they do not see form, nor feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. Why? Because the nature of form … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the eye-base, nor the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-base. Why? Because the nature of the eye-base … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see visible forms, nor sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, or mental objects. Why? Because the nature of visible forms … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the eye-element, nor the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-elements. Why? Because the nature of the eye-element … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the form-element, nor the sound-, smell-, taste-, touch-, or dharma-elements. Why? Because the nature of the form-element … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the eye-consciousness element, nor the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-consciousness elements. Why? Because the nature of the eye-consciousness element … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see eye-contact, nor ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact. Why? Because the nature of eye-contact … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see feelings arising dependent on eye-contact, nor those arising dependent on ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact. Why? Because the nature of feelings arising dependent on eye-contact … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the Perfection of Giving, nor the Perfections of Morality, Patience, Diligence, Meditation, or Wisdom. Why? Because the nature of the Perfection of Giving … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see internal emptiness, nor external emptiness, up to the emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature. Why? Because the nature of internal emptiness … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, nor the Four Right Efforts, up to the Noble Eightfold Path. Why? Because the nature of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
Likewise, they do not see the Ten Powers of the Buddha, nor the Four Fearlessnesses, up to the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha. Why? Because the nature of the Ten Powers of the Buddha … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see all samādhi gateways, nor all dhāraṇī gateways. Why? Because the nature of all samādhi gateways … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see the Dharma Realm, nor Suchness, Ultimate Reality, the Inconceivable Realm, or the Realm of Peace…. Why? Because the nature of the Dharma Realm … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see all the practices of great Bodhisattvas, nor the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas. Why? Because the nature of all Bodhisattva practices … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
They do not see Omniscient Knowledge, nor Knowledge of the Path, nor Knowledge of All Aspects. Why? Because the nature of Omniscient Knowledge … is emptiness, without arising or ceasing.
World-Honored One, form neither arises nor ceases; therefore it is not truly form. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness neither arise nor cease; therefore they are not truly feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. Why? Because form … and non-arising and non-ceasing are not two and not separate. Why? Because the dharma of non-arising and non-ceasing is neither one, nor two, nor many, nor different. Therefore, form that neither arises nor ceases is not truly form; likewise with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.
World-Honored One, the eye-base neither arises nor ceases; therefore it is not truly the eye-base; likewise with the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-bases….”
(The text continues in the same repetitive pattern, applying the principle of **non-arising, non-ceasing, non-duality, and emptiness** to all categories previously listed: the sense fields, elements, consciousnesses, contacts, feelings, the Six Perfections, the various kinds of emptiness, the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment, the Buddha’s qualities, samādhis, dhāraṇīs, the Dharma Realm, Suchness, Bodhisattva practices, Buddhahood, Omniscient Knowledge, Knowledge of the Path, and Knowledge of All Aspects.)
It further states that all these dharmas are **non-dual**, are **not what they conventionally appear to be**, and all **belong equally within the category of non-duality**.
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**Chapter 24: DETACHMENT (1)**
At that time, the Venerable Śāriputra asked Subhūti:
“As you have said, when a great Bodhisattva practices Prajñāpāramitā, he contemplates all dharmas. What is a great Bodhisattva? What is Prajñāpāramitā? What does it mean to contemplate all dharmas?”
The Venerable Subhūti replied:
“You ask what is a great Bodhisattva. Venerable Śāriputra, one who diligently aspires to unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment for the benefit and happiness of sentient beings is called a Bodhisattva. One who fully and correctly understands all the characteristics of all dharmas without attachment is called a Mahāsattva (Great Being).”
Then Śāriputra again asked:
“How does a great Bodhisattva fully understand all the characteristics of all dharmas without attachment?”
Subhūti answered:
“Venerable Śāriputra, great Bodhisattvas truly know the characteristics of all forms without attachment; they truly know the characteristics of all feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness without attachment. They truly know the characteristics of all eye-bases without attachment; likewise the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-bases. They truly know the characteristics of all visible forms without attachment; likewise sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental objects. They truly know the characteristics of all elements, all consciousnesses, all contacts, all feelings arising from contact, all the Perfections, all forms of emptiness, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path, the Ten Powers of the Buddha, the Four Fearlessnesses, the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha, all samādhi gateways, all dhāraṇī gateways, the Dharma Realm, Suchness, Ultimate Reality, the Inconceivable Realm, the Realm of Peace, Omniscient Knowledge, Knowledge of the Path, and Knowledge of All Aspects—yet without attachment.”
At that time Śāriputra asked:
“What are called the characteristics of all dharmas?”
Subhūti replied:
“Venerable Śāriputra, whatever characteristics of conditioned phenomena enable one to recognize dharmas as form, sound, smell, taste, touch, mental objects, internal, external, contaminated, uncontaminated, conditioned, or unconditioned—these are called the characteristics of all dharmas.
“Furthermore, Venerable Śāriputra, you ask what is Prajñāpāramitā. Venerable Śāriputra, it is supreme and subtle wisdom that has abandoned all things that ought to be abandoned; therefore it is called Prajñāpāramitā.”
Śāriputra asked:
“What dharmas can this wisdom abandon?”
Subhūti replied:
“This wisdom can abandon the aggregates, the sense bases, the elements, afflictions, wrong views, and the six realms of existence. Therefore it is called Prajñāpāramitā.
“Furthermore, Venerable Śāriputra, it is supreme and subtle wisdom that reaches the profound depths; therefore it is called Prajñāpāramitā.”
Śāriputra asked:
“To what dharmas does this wisdom penetrate so profoundly?”
Subhūti replied:
“This wisdom can penetrate deeply into the Perfection of Giving (Dāna Pāramitā) up to the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñā Pāramitā); therefore it is called Prajñā Pāramitā. This wisdom can penetrate deeply into the inner emptiness up to the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of emptiness; therefore it is called Prajñā Pāramitā. This wisdom can penetrate deeply into the Four Foundations of Mindfulness up to the Noble Eightfold Path; therefore it is called Prajñā Pāramitā. Likewise, this wisdom can penetrate deeply into the Ten Powers of a Buddha up to the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha; therefore it is called Prajñā Pāramitā. Furthermore, this wisdom can penetrate deeply into Omniscient Knowledge, the Knowledge of the Path, and the Knowledge of All Aspects; therefore it is called Prajñā Pāramitā.
“Venerable Śāriputra, for this reason it is called Prajñā Pāramitā.
“Furthermore, Venerable Śāriputra, you asked: ‘How should one contemplate all dharmas?’
“Venerable Śāriputra, when great Bodhisattvas practice Prajñā Pāramitā, they contemplate form up to consciousness as being neither permanent nor impermanent, neither pleasurable nor painful, neither self nor non-self, neither pure nor impure, neither empty nor non-empty, neither with characteristics nor without characteristics, neither with aspiration nor without aspiration, neither tranquil nor not tranquil, neither detached nor not detached. They contemplate the eye-base up to the mind-base as neither permanent nor impermanent, neither pleasurable nor painful, neither self nor non-self, neither pure nor impure, neither empty nor non-empty, neither with characteristics nor without characteristics, neither with aspiration nor without aspiration, neither tranquil nor not tranquil, neither detached nor not detached. They contemplate the form-base up to the dharma-base in the same way. They contemplate the eye-element up to the mind-element in the same way. They contemplate the form-element up to the dharma-element in the same way. They contemplate the eye-consciousness element up to the mind-consciousness element in the same way. They contemplate eye-contact up to mind-contact in the same way. They contemplate the feelings arising dependent on eye-contact up to the feelings arising dependent on mind-contact in the same way. They contemplate the Perfection of Giving up to the Perfection of Wisdom in the same way. They contemplate the inner emptiness up to the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of emptiness in the same way. They contemplate the Four Foundations of Mindfulness up to the Noble Eightfold Path in the same way. Likewise, they contemplate the Ten Powers up to the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha as neither permanent nor impermanent, neither pleasurable nor painful, neither self nor non-self, neither pure nor impure, neither empty nor non-empty, neither with characteristics nor without characteristics, neither with aspiration nor without aspiration, neither tranquil nor not tranquil, neither detached nor not detached. They contemplate all samādhi gateways and all dhāraṇī gateways in the same way. Likewise, they contemplate Omniscient Knowledge, the Knowledge of the Path, and the Knowledge of All Aspects as neither permanent nor impermanent, neither pleasurable nor painful, neither self nor non-self, neither pure nor impure, neither empty nor non-empty, neither with characteristics nor without characteristics, neither with aspiration nor without aspiration, neither tranquil nor not tranquil, neither detached nor not detached.
“Venerable Śāriputra, this is what is called contemplating all dharmas.
“Venerable Śāriputra, when great Bodhisattvas practice Prajñā Pāramitā, they should contemplate all dharmas in this manner.”
Then the Venerable Śāriputra asked Subhūti:
“Venerable sir, for what reason is it said that form is unborn and unceasing, and therefore is not truly form; that feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are unborn and unceasing, and therefore are not truly feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness? Likewise, why is it said that Omniscient Knowledge is unborn and unceasing, and therefore is not truly Omniscient Knowledge, nor the Knowledge of the Path, nor the Knowledge of All Aspects?”
Subhūti replied:
“Venerable Śāriputra, form—the nature of form—is emptiness. Feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness—their nature—is emptiness. Within this emptiness there is no birth, no cessation, and also no form up to consciousness. Therefore it is said that form is unborn and unceasing, and therefore is not truly form; feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are unborn and unceasing, and therefore are not truly feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.
“Venerable Śāriputra, likewise, Omniscient Knowledge—the nature of Omniscient Knowledge—is emptiness. The Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects—their nature—is emptiness. Within this emptiness there is no birth, no cessation, and also no Omniscient Knowledge, no Knowledge of the Path, and no Knowledge of All Aspects. Therefore it is said that Omniscient Knowledge is unborn and unceasing, and therefore is not truly Omniscient Knowledge; the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects are unborn and unceasing, and therefore are not truly the Knowledge of the Path or the Knowledge of All Aspects.”
Then the Venerable Śāriputra asked Subhūti:
“Venerable sir, for what reason is it said that form is non-dual and therefore is not truly form; that feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are non-dual and therefore are not truly feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness? Likewise, why is it said that Omniscient Knowledge is non-dual and therefore is not truly Omniscient Knowledge; and that the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects are non-dual and therefore are not truly the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects?”
Subhūti replied:
“Venerable Śāriputra, whether it is form or non-duality; whether it is feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness or non-duality—all such things are neither associated nor unassociated, without form, without visible appearance, without opposition; they are of one characteristic, called the characteristic of no characteristic. Therefore it is said that form is non-dual and therefore is not truly form; feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are non-dual and therefore are not truly feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.
“Venerable Śāriputra, likewise, whether it is Omniscient Knowledge or non-duality; whether it is the Knowledge of the Path, the Knowledge of All Aspects, or non-duality—all such things are neither associated nor unassociated, without form, without visible appearance, without opposition; they are of one characteristic, called the characteristic of no characteristic. Therefore it is said that Omniscient Knowledge is non-dual and therefore is not truly Omniscient Knowledge; the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects are non-dual and therefore are not truly the Knowledge of the Path or the Knowledge of All Aspects.”
Then the Venerable Śāriputra asked Subhūti:
“Venerable sir, for what reason is it said that form belongs to the category of non-dual dharmas; that feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness belong to the category of non-dual dharmas? Likewise, why is it said that Omniscient Knowledge belongs to the category of non-dual dharmas; and that the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects belong to the category of non-dual dharmas?”
Subhūti replied:
“Venerable Śāriputra, form is not different from the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is not different from form. Form is precisely the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is precisely form. Feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are not different from the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is not different from feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. Feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are precisely the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is precisely feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. Therefore it is said that form belongs to the category of non-dual dharmas; feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness belong to the category of non-dual dharmas.
“Venerable Śāriputra, likewise, Omniscient Knowledge is not different from the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is not different from Omniscient Knowledge. Omniscient Knowledge is precisely the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is precisely Omniscient Knowledge. The Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects are not different from the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is not different from the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects. The Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects are precisely the unborn and unceasing; the unborn and unceasing is precisely the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects. Therefore it is said that Omniscient Knowledge belongs to the category of non-dual dharmas, and the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects belong to the category of non-dual dharmas.”
Then the Venerable Subhūti addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, when a great Bodhisattva practicing Prajñā Pāramitā contemplates all dharmas, then that Bodhisattva sees that the self is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that seeing itself is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that form is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that consciousness is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the eye-base is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the mind-base is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the form-base is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the dharma-base is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the eye-element is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the mind-element is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the form-element is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the dharma-element is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the eye-consciousness element is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the mind-consciousness element is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that eye-contact is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that mind-contact is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the feelings arising dependent on eye-contact are unborn because they are ultimately pure; up to seeing that the feelings arising dependent on mind-contact are unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees that the Perfection of Giving is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the Perfection of Wisdom is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the inner emptiness is unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing that the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of emptiness is unborn because it is ultimately pure. He sees that the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are unborn because they are ultimately pure; up to the Noble Eightfold Path as unborn because it is ultimately pure. Likewise, he sees that the Ten Powers of a Buddha are unborn because they are ultimately pure; up to the Eighteen Unique Qualities of a Buddha as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees all samādhi gateways as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees all dhāraṇī gateways as unborn because they are ultimately pure. Likewise, he sees Omniscient Knowledge as unborn because it is ultimately pure; up to seeing the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of All Aspects as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of ordinary beings as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees ordinary beings as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of Stream-enterers as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees Stream-enterers as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of Once-returners as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees Once-returners as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of Non-returners as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees Non-returners as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of Arhats as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees Arhats as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of Pratyekabuddhas as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees Pratyekabuddhas as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of Bodhisattvas as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees Bodhisattvas as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of all Buddhas as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees all Buddhas as unborn because they are ultimately pure. He sees the dharmas of all sentient beings as unborn because they are ultimately pure; he sees all sentient beings as unborn because they are ultimately pure.