THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SŪTRA
VOLUME 427
Chapter 27: SCATTERING FLOWERS (2)
O Kāśika, previously you asked: where should the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas be sought?
Kāśika, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas should not be sought in form, nor should it be sought apart from form; it should not be sought in feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, nor should it be sought apart from feeling, perception, formations, consciousness. Thus, extending further, it should not be sought in the wisdom of omniscience, nor should it be sought apart from the wisdom of omniscience. It should not be sought in the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths, nor in the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects; nor should it be sought apart from the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects.
Why is this? O Kāśika, whether Prajñāpāramitā, whether seeking, whether form, and broadly extending up to the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects, all of these are neither in accordance nor not in accordance, formless, unseen, without opposition, with only one characteristic: the characteristic of emptiness.
Why is this? Because the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is not form, is not apart from form, is not feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and is not apart from feeling, perception, formations, consciousness. Thus, extending further, it is not the wisdom of omniscience, nor apart from the wisdom of omniscience; it is not the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects, nor apart from the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects.
It is not the suchness of form, yet it is not separate from the suchness of form. It is not the suchness of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, yet it is not separate from the suchness of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. Thus, extending further, it is not the suchness of the wisdom of omniscience, yet it is not separate from the suchness of the wisdom of omniscience. It is not the suchness of the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects, yet it is not separate from the suchness of the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects.
It is not the dharma-nature of form, yet it is not separate from the dharma-nature of form; it is not the dharma-nature of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, yet it is not separate from the dharma-nature of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. Thus, extending further, it is not the dharma-nature of the wisdom of omniscience, yet it is not separate from the dharma-nature of the wisdom of omniscience; it is not the dharma-nature of the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects, yet it is not separate from the dharma-nature of the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects.
Why is this? O Kāśika, all such phenomena are nonexistent and cannot be grasped. Because they are nonexistent and cannot be grasped, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is not form and is not separate from form. Broadly extending further, it is not the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects and is not separate from the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects. It is not the suchness of form and is not separate from the suchness of form. Broadly extending further, it is not the suchness of the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects and is not separate from the suchness of the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects. It is not the dharma-nature of form and is not separate from the dharma-nature of form. Broadly extending further, it is not the dharma-nature of the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects and is not separate from the dharma-nature of the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects.
At that time, Śakra, lord of the gods, said to the Venerable Subhūti:
“Great Venerable One, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is the great perfection, the immeasurable perfection, and the boundless perfection. Those who are Stream-enterers study this teaching and attain the fruit of Stream-entry. Those who are Once-returners study this teaching and attain the fruit of Once-returning. Those who are Non-returners study this teaching and attain the fruit of Non-returning. Those who are Arhats study this teaching and attain the fruit of Arhatship. Those who are Pratyekabuddhas study this teaching and attain Pratyekabuddha enlightenment. The Great Bodhisattvas who study this teaching will bring about the complete accomplishment of countless hundreds of thousands, hundreds of millions, and tens of millions of sentient beings; according to their suitability, they will teach the path of the Three Vehicles, and they will be able to adorn and purify Buddha realms, attaining the supreme state of Awakening.”
The Venerable Subhūti said:
“Indeed, indeed, it is as you have said! Kāśika, because form is great, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also great. Because feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are great, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also great. Thus, extending further, because the wisdom of omniscience is great, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also great. Because the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects are great, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also great.
Why is this? Kāśika, because form and so forth up to the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects cannot be grasped in the past, future, or present, therefore they are called great. Because those phenomena are great, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also called Great. For this reason, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas should be called the great perfection.
Kāśika, because form is immeasurable, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also immeasurable. Because feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are immeasurable, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also immeasurable. Thus, extending further, because the wisdom of omniscience is immeasurable, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also immeasurable. Because the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects are immeasurable, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also immeasurable.
Why is this? O Kāśika, because the measure of form up to the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects cannot be grasped, just as the measure of space cannot be grasped. Form and so forth are likewise so; therefore they are said to be immeasurable.
Kāśika, because space is immeasurable, form and so forth are also immeasurable. Because form and so forth are immeasurable, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also immeasurable. For this reason, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas should be called the immeasurable perfection.
Kāśika, because form is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless. Because feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless. Thus, extending further, because the wisdom of omniscience is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless. Because the wisdom of the knowledge of the paths and the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects are boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.
Why is this? O Kāśika, because the boundary of form up to the wisdom of the knowledge of all aspects cannot be grasped, just as the boundary of space cannot be grasped. Form and so forth are likewise so; therefore they are said to be boundless.
Kāśika, because space is boundless, form and so forth are also boundless. Because form and so forth are boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.
O Kāśika, because the object of cognition is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.
Śakra, lord of the gods, asked:
“How is it that because the object of cognition is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless?”
The Venerable Subhūti replied:
“The object of cognition of the wisdom of omniscience is boundless, therefore the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless. O Kauśika, the object of cognition of the dharma realm is boundless, therefore the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.”
Śakra, lord of the gods, asked:
“How is it that because the object of cognition of the dharma realm is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless?”
The Venerable Subhūti replied:
“The dharma realm is boundless, therefore the object of cognition is also boundless. The object of cognition is boundless, therefore the dharma realm is also boundless. Because the object of cognition of the dharma realm is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.
O Kāśika, because the object of cognition of suchness is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.”
Śakra, lord of the gods, asked:
“How is it that because the object of cognition of suchness is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless?”
Subhūti replied:
“Suchness is boundless, therefore the object of cognition is also boundless. The object of cognition is boundless, therefore suchness is also boundless. Because the object of cognition of suchness is boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.
O Kāśika, because sentient beings are boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.”
Śakra, lord of the gods, asked:
“How is it that because sentient beings are boundless, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless?”
The Venerable Subhūti replied:
“What do you think? When we say ‘sentient beings,’ what phenomenon does that designation refer to?”
Śakra, lord of the gods, replied:
“When we say ‘sentient beings,’ that designation does not refer to a phenomenon, nor does it refer to a non-phenomenon. It is a provisional designation, belonging to a false name, a name without reality, a name without function.”
The Venerable Subhūti said:
“What do you think? Does this profound Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra also clearly state that sentient beings truly exist?”
Śakra, lord of the gods, said:
“Great Venerable One, it does not!”
The Venerable Subhūti said:
“Since this profound Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra does not clearly state that sentient beings truly exist, they are said to be boundless. For their boundaries also cannot be grasped.
Kāśika, what do you think? If all the Thus Come, Worthy, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, throughout countless eons equal to the sands of the Ganges, were to speak of the names of sentient beings, within that would there be sentient beings, with arising and ceasing?”
Śakra, lord of the gods, replied:
“No, Great Venerable One. Why? Because sentient beings are pure in their intrinsic nature; from beginningless time until now, they have never truly existed.”
The Venerable Subhūti said:
“Therefore I say that sentient beings are boundless, and thus the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas is also boundless.
Kāśika, for this reason, the study of Prajñāpāramitā by the Great Bodhisattvas should be said to be boundless.”
Chapter 28: PROPHECY OF ATTAINMENT (PREDICTION)
At that time, within the assembly, such as Śakra, lord of the gods…, the gods of the Desire Realm, Brahmā kings…, the gods of the Form Realm, and the divine sages and celestial maidens of Īśāna, all together praised three times the teachings expounded by Venerable Subhūti and said:
“Venerable Subhūti, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power as his support, has skillfully analyzed and revealed for us the profound and deep Prajñāpāramitā. The Buddha appeared in the world for the sake of the unsurpassed Dharma. If a Great Bodhisattva can, in this profound Prajñāpāramitā, practice according to what has been taught and never depart from it, then we should honor them as we honor the Buddha. Why? Because in this profound Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, there is no phenomenon whatsoever that can be grasped. That is to say, within it there is no form that can be grasped; there are no feelings, perceptions, formations, or consciousness that can be grasped. Thus, extending up to the wisdom of omniscience, there is nothing that can be grasped; there is no path-aspect wisdom or all-aspects wisdom that can be grasped. Although there are no such graspable phenomena, the noble teachings of the three vehicles are proclaimed therein, namely the teachings of the Śrāvaka vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Unsurpassed Vehicle.”
At that time, the Buddha said to the gods:
“Indeed, indeed! Just as you have said, in this profound Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, although there are no… phenomena such as form that can be grasped, the noble teachings of the three vehicles are nevertheless proclaimed. If a Great Bodhisattva, taking non-attainment as the skillful means, practices according to the teachings without abandoning this Prajñāpāramitā, then you gods should always honor them as you honor the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones. Why? O gods, although this profound Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra extensively explains the noble teachings of the three vehicles, it is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through the perfection of giving, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from the perfection of giving; likewise, it is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through the perfection of wisdom, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from the perfection of wisdom. It is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through inner emptiness, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from inner emptiness; likewise, it is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through emptiness of the emptiness of inherent nature, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from emptiness of the emptiness of inherent nature. It is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through the four foundations of mindfulness, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from the four foundations of mindfulness; extending broadly, it is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through the eighteen distinct qualities of a Buddha, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from the eighteen distinct qualities of a Buddha. Thus, extending up to the wisdom of omniscience, it is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through the wisdom of omniscience, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from the wisdom of omniscience; it is not that the Tathāgata can be grasped through path-aspect wisdom and all-aspects wisdom, nor that the Tathāgata can be grasped apart from path-aspect wisdom and all-aspects wisdom.
O gods, if a Great Bodhisattva, taking non-attainment as the skillful means with regard to all phenomena, diligently cultivates and learns the perfection of giving, extending broadly up to all-aspects wisdom, then this Great Bodhisattva constantly practices the Prajñāpāramitā correctly and never abandons it. Therefore, you should honor that Great Bodhisattva as you would the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones.
O gods, know that long ago, during the time of the Buddha Dīpaṅkara, at the head of the crossroads of the capital city of Many Flowers, I encountered the Buddha Dīpaṅkara. I offered five lotus flowers and spread my hair over the muddy ground, seeking to hear the supreme wondrous Dharma. By using non-attainment as the skillful means, I immediately attained not being separated from the perfection of giving, extending up to the perfection of wisdom; not being separated from inner emptiness, extending up to emptiness of the emptiness of inherent nature; not being separated from the four foundations of mindfulness, extending up to the noble eightfold path; not being separated from the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; not being separated from all samādhi methods and all dhāraṇī methods; not being separated from the ten powers of the Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, the eighteen distinct qualities of a Buddha; and not being separated from countless, innumerable, boundless other Buddha qualities. At that time, Buddha Dīpaṅkara bestowed upon me the prediction of supreme enlightenment and said:
‘Good son, in a future age, after countless eons, during the Fortunate Eon, in this very world you will become a Buddha named Śākyamuni, the Perfectly Enlightened One, and teach the Prajñāpāramitā to liberate immeasurable sentient beings.’”
At that time, all the gods said:
“World-Honored One, this is truly extraordinary! Well-Gone One, this is truly extraordinary! Such Prajñāpāramitā is truly extraordinary. It enables all assemblies of Great Bodhisattvas to quickly attain all-knowing wisdom, using non-attainment as the skillful means, neither grasping nor rejecting all forms; neither grasping nor rejecting feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness. Extending up to the wisdom of omniscience, they neither grasp nor reject it; regarding path-aspect wisdom and all-aspects wisdom, they neither grasp nor reject them.”
At that time, the Buddha observed the harmonious gathering of the four assemblies, namely: monks, nuns, male lay followers, female lay followers, the assemblies of Great Bodhisattvas, the hosts of the Four Great Kings, extending up to the Heaven of Ultimate Form, all gathered in great numbers as witnesses. He turned and said to Śakra, lord of the gods:
“Kāśika, whether Great Bodhisattvas, monks, nuns, male lay followers, female lay followers, celestial sons, celestial maidens, or good men and good women, if they do not depart from the mind of all-knowing wisdom and take non-attainment as the skillful means, respectfully listen to, uphold, read, recite, contemplate properly, diligently cultivate and study, explain to others, and widely spread this Prajñāpāramitā, then know that all those who practice in this way cannot be disturbed or harmed by any evil Māras or the followers of evil Māras. Why? Kāśika, these good men and good women skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of form. They skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness. Likewise, extending up to the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the wisdom of omniscience. They skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of path-aspect wisdom and all-aspects wisdom. Therefore, they cannot be harmed by emptiness through emptiness, cannot be harmed by signlessness through signlessness, and cannot be harmed by wishlessness through wishlessness. Why? Because such phenomena have no inherent nature; therefore, neither the agent who harms nor the object that is harmed can be grasped.
Kāśika, these good men and good women cannot be harmed by any humans or non-humans. Why? Kāśika, because these good men and good women, taking non-attainment as the skillful means, skillfully cultivate the minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity toward all sentient beings.
Kāśika, these good men and good women will never suffer harm from wrongful conditions, evil circumstances, dangers, or calamities, nor will they suffer untimely death. Why? Kāśika, because these good men and good women cultivate the perfection of giving, which is the true place of refuge for sentient beings.
Kāśika, among the hosts of the Four Great Kings up to the gods of Vast Fruits throughout this great trichiliocosm, those who have generated the aspiration for supreme enlightenment but have not yet listened to, upheld, read, recited, properly reflected upon, and diligently cultivated this Prajñāpāramitā should now be caused to not depart from the mind of all-knowing wisdom, take non-attainment as the skillful means, and wholeheartedly listen to, uphold, read, recite, properly reflect upon, and diligently cultivate this Prajñāpāramitā.
Kāśika, if these good men and good women do not depart from the mind of all-knowing wisdom, take non-attainment as the skillful means, and wholeheartedly listen to, uphold, read, recite, properly reflect upon, and diligently cultivate this Prajñāpāramitā, then whether in an empty house, a wilderness, a dangerous road, or a place of peril, they will never experience extreme fear or terror. Why? Kāśika, because these good men and good women do not depart from the mind of all-knowing wisdom, take non-attainment as the skillful means, and skillfully cultivate from inner emptiness up to emptiness of the emptiness of inherent nature.”
At that time, within the Sahā world of this great trichiliocosm, all the hosts of gods from the Four Great Kings up to the Heaven of Ultimate Form… respectfully joined their palms and addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if these good men and good women do not depart from the mind of all-knowing wisdom, take non-attainment as the skillful means, and constantly wholeheartedly listen to, uphold, read, recite, properly reflect upon, diligently cultivate, copy, explain, and spread this profound Prajñāpāramitā widely, then we gods will always follow and protect them and will not allow disasters or unexpected calamities to invade or oppress them. Why? World-Honored One, because these good men and good women are Great Bodhisattvas.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, sentient beings forever put an end to the evil and dangerous paths of hell, animals, hungry ghosts, asuras….
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, gods, humans, yakṣas, dragons… forever become free from all suffering caused by calamities, illnesses, poverty, hunger, heat, cold….
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, gods, humans, asuras… forever become free from all undesirable things. They will never live in wars and killings, and all sentient beings will turn toward one another with loving-kindness.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, in the world there exist the ten paths of wholesome karma, or the four meditations, four immeasurables, four formless absorptions, or the perfection of giving up to the perfection of wisdom, or inner emptiness up to emptiness of the emptiness of inherent nature, or the four foundations of mindfulness, extending broadly up to the eighteen distinct qualities of a Buddha, and up to the wisdom of omniscience, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspects wisdom.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, the world has great Kṣatriya lineages, great Brahmin lineages, great elder lineages, great householder lineages, minor kings, Wheel-Turning Sage Kings, and ministers and officials who assist in governing the country.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, the world has the gods of the Four Great Kings, the gods of the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Others’ Creations, the Brahmā hosts, the Heaven of Ultimate Form, the Heaven of Boundless Space, and the Heaven of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, the world has Stream-Enterers and the fruition of Stream-Entry, extending up to Arhats and the fruition of Arhatship, or Pratyekabuddhas and the enlightenment of Pratyekabuddhas.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, the world has Great Bodhisattvas who bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha lands, attain supreme enlightenment, turn the wheel of wondrous Dharma, and liberate immeasurable sentient beings.
World-Honored One, through these Great Bodhisattvas, the world has the Buddha Treasure, Dharma Treasure, and Bhikṣu Saṅgha Treasure, creating benefit and happiness for all sentient beings.
World-Honored One, for this reason, we gods together with asuras, dragons, yakṣas, and powerful humans and non-humans will always observe, respectfully honor, support, protect, and preserve those assemblies of Great Bodhisattvas. We will not allow any unexpected calamities to invade and harm them, so that they may continue listening to, upholding, reading, reciting, cultivating, properly contemplating, copying, and carrying out such activities regarding the Prajñāpāramitā without interruption.”
At that time, the World-Honored One said to Śakra, lord of the gods, and the gods, dragons, asuras…:
“Indeed, indeed! It is exactly as you have said. It is because of those Great Bodhisattvas that sentient beings completely put an end to evil realms, and that the Three Jewels appear in the world, creating great benefits for sentient beings. Therefore, gods, dragons, spirits, and powerful humans and non-humans should always observe, make offerings to, honor, respect, praise, and diligently protect and support these Great Bodhisattvas. Do not allow any unexpected calamities to invade or oppress them. If you constantly honor, make offerings to, respect, praise, and support these Great Bodhisattvas, you should know that you are honoring, making offerings to, respecting, praising, and supporting the Tathāgatas and all the Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones in the ten directions. Therefore, you should always observe these Great Bodhisattvas and honor, make offerings to, respect, praise, support, and protect them, never abandoning them even for a moment.
Gods, know that even if the Buddha realms throughout the great trichiliocosm were filled with Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas as numerous as sugar cane, reeds, bamboo forests, rice and sesame plants, and bushes, leaving no empty space at all; and if there were good men and good women who brought immeasurable kinds of the finest possessions to that field of merit and spent their entire lives honoring, making offerings to, respecting, and praising them; and yet another person merely for a moment honored, made offerings to, respected, and praised a newly aspiring Great Bodhisattva who does not depart from the six perfections—the former merit, compared with this merit, would not equal even one hundredth, one thousandth, or even the smallest fraction of it. Why? Because it is not through Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas that Great Bodhisattvas and Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones appear in the world. Rather, through Great Bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones appear in the world. Therefore, you and all gods, dragons, asuras, humans and non-humans… should always protect, honor, make offerings to, respect, and praise these Great Bodhisattvas. Do not allow any unexpected calamities to invade or oppress them. Through this, you will attain abundant merit in the realms of gods and humans and always enjoy happiness, until you attain supreme enlightenment. This merit that has been attained will never be exhausted.
**Chapter 29: RECEIVING AND PRESERVING (1)**
At that time, Śakra, lord of the gods, addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, these Great Bodhisattvas are truly extraordinary and exceptional. With wholeheartedness they listen to, uphold, read, recite, diligently cultivate, properly contemplate, copy, explain, and widely spread this Prajñāpāramitā. Having understood such rare present Dharma, they obtain superior merit and benefits, bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha lands, travel from one Buddha land to another, draw near and serve the Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, and through wholesome roots, according to their wishes, by respectfully honoring, making offerings to, respecting, and praising the Buddhas, they can cause those wholesome roots to grow and quickly become complete. In the presence of Buddhas, they hear and receive the true Dharma, and eventually attain supreme enlightenment. During that time, they never forget it and quickly obtain perfection of lineage, perfection of parents, perfection of excellent marks, perfection of radiance, perfection of superior eyes, perfection of superior ears, perfection of voice, perfection of all dhyāna concentrations, and perfection of dhāraṇīs. Through the power of skillful means, they manifest bodies like Buddha images and travel from this world to other worlds, arriving in worlds without Buddhas, praising the practice of the perfection of giving, extending up to the perfection of wisdom; praising inner emptiness up to emptiness of the emptiness of inherent nature; praising the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; praising the four foundations of mindfulness, extending broadly up to the eighteen distinct qualities of a Buddha. Through the power of skillful means, they explain essential Dharma to sentient beings according to their capacities, leading them to enter the teachings of the three vehicles, causing them to forever become liberated from birth, aging, illness, and death, and attain the state of complete Nirvāṇa without remainder. Or they rescue those suffering in evil paths and help them enjoy supreme happiness in the realms of gods and humans.
World-Honored One, this Prajñāpāramitā is truly extraordinary and wondrous. If one can understand such Prajñāpāramitā, then one fully understands the six perfections; broadly speaking, one also fully understands the eighteen distinct qualities of a Buddha, and likewise possesses the fruits of Stream-Entry, Once-Returner, Non-Returner, Arhatship, Pratyekabuddha enlightenment, all practices of Great Bodhisattvas, the supreme enlightenment of Buddhas, all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspects wisdom.”
The Buddha said to Śakra, lord of the gods:
“Indeed, indeed, just as you have said! If one can understand this Prajñāpāramitā, then one fully understands the six perfections, broadly extending up to fully understanding all-aspects wisdom.
And Kāśika, if good men and good women can wholeheartedly listen to, uphold, read, recite, diligently cultivate, properly contemplate, copy, explain, and widely spread this Prajñāpāramitā, then those good men and good women will receive the present teachings and superior future merit and benefits. Listen and apply skillful contemplation; the Tathāgata will explain and expound them for you.”
Śakra, lord of the gods, said:
“Yes, World-Honored One. Great Sage, please teach us. We wish to hear!”
The Buddha said:
“Kāśika, if there are families of non-Buddhist outsiders, or Māras of the Desire Realm’s Heaven of Freely Enjoying Others’ Creations and their retinues, or evil persons filled with excessive arrogance, who wish to bring disadvantage to these good men and good women, wishing to make them separate from, oppose, or slander the Prajñāpāramitā, then as soon as such thoughts arise, they immediately encounter calamities that destroy themselves and do not achieve the results they desire.”
Why? Kāśika, because this Great Bodhisattva practices day and night Giving, Pure Conduct, Patience, Diligence, Meditative Concentration, and Prajñāpāramitā.
Those sentient beings who, because of greed and stinginess, are constantly engaged in disputes—the Great Bodhisattva, with regard to all internal and external phenomena, relinquishes everything and seeks ways to teach them to abide in the perfection of Giving.
Those sentient beings who frequently violate precepts—the Great Bodhisattva, with regard to all internal and external phenomena, relinquishes everything and uses skillful means to teach them to abide in the perfection of Pure Conduct.
Those sentient beings who are often angry—the Great Bodhisattva, with regard to all internal and external phenomena, relinquishes everything and uses skillful means to teach them to abide in the perfection of Patience.
Those sentient beings who are often lazy—the Great Bodhisattva, with regard to all internal and external phenomena, relinquishes everything and uses skillful means to teach them to abide in the perfection of Diligence.
Those sentient beings who are constantly scattered—the Great Bodhisattva, with regard to all internal and external phenomena, relinquishes everything and uses skillful means to teach them to abide in the perfection of Meditative Concentration.
Those sentient beings who are always deluded—the Great Bodhisattva, with regard to all internal and external phenomena, relinquishes everything and uses skillful means to teach them to abide in the perfection of Prajñā.
Those sentient beings who wander in the stream of birth and death, always bound and disturbed in mind by various afflictions such as greed, hatred, and delusion, creating countless harmful deeds—the Great Bodhisattva uses skillful means to help them eliminate all bondage of greed, hatred, and delusion, helping them abide in the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; or abide in the four foundations of mindfulness, extending broadly up to the eightfold Noble Path; or abide in the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; abide in the fruit of Stream-entry up to the fruit of Arhatship; abide in the fruit of Pratyekabuddha enlightenment; abide in the ten Bodhisattva stages; or abide in the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of all Buddhas.
Kāśika, this is called a Great Bodhisattva who, with regard to this Prajñāpāramitā, wholeheartedly listens, receives and maintains, recites, diligently cultivates and studies, reflects correctly according to reason, copies, explains, and widely propagates it, and has received the excellent merit and benefit of the present Dharma.
Kāśika, because of that cause and condition, this Great Bodhisattva in the future will quickly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, turn the wondrous Dharma wheel, and liberate countless sentient beings. According to their aspirations, he establishes skillful means to help them completely cultivate and learn the three vehicles, until they attain complete Nirvāṇa without remainder.
Kāśika, this is called a Great Bodhisattva who, with regard to Prajñāpāramitā, wholeheartedly listens, receives and maintains, recites, diligently cultivates and studies, reflects correctly according to reason, copies, explains, and widely propagates it, and has received the excellent merit and benefit in the future.
Kāśika, if good men and good women wholeheartedly listen to, receive and maintain, recite, diligently cultivate and study, reflect correctly according to reason, copy, explain, and widely propagate this Prajñāpāramitā, then in the place where they dwell, if there are evil demons and their retinues, or clans of various non-Buddhist sects, or other evil beings with excessive pride, who envy Prajñāpāramitā and wish to obstruct, destroy, or annihilate it, and therefore seek every means to question, criticize, insult, or oppose it, although they may have such intentions, they will never be able to cause harm. Those evil beings, merely by hearing the sound of Prajñāpāramitā, will gradually have their evils destroyed and their merits gradually arise; later, through the Dharma of the three vehicles, they will end suffering, or escape evil realms and be born among gods and humans.
Kāśika, it is like a powerful medicine called Mokki. This medicine has great power and can eliminate poisons; wherever this excellent medicine exists, poisonous creatures cannot approach. A great venomous snake, being hungry and searching for food, encountered creatures it wished to devour. Because they feared death, those creatures immediately ran toward the place where the excellent medicine was located. As soon as the venomous snake smelled the medicine, it retreated. Why? Kāśika, because this excellent medicine possesses great power, can benefit the body and life, and destroy poisons. Know that Prajñāpāramitā, possessing great majestic power, is the same way. If good men and good women wholeheartedly listen to, receive and maintain, recite, diligently cultivate and study, reflect correctly according to reason, copy, explain, and widely propagate it, then evil demons who wish to commit evil against this Great Bodhisattva, through the majestic spiritual power of Prajñāpāramitā, will have those evil actions naturally destroyed and will be unable to cause any harm. Why? Kāśika, because this Prajñāpāramitā possesses great majestic power, capable of breaking evil and increasing wholesome Dharma.
Kāśika, why does Prajñāpāramitā have the ability to break evil and increase wholesome Dharma?
Kāśika, because this Prajñāpāramitā can eliminate greed, hatred, delusion, ignorance, and all the way up to the entire mass of great suffering, all obscurations of afflictions, all bonds of defilements; or attachment to self, attachment to sentient beings, attachment to a transmigrating subject, attachment to annihilation, attachment to permanence, attachment to existence, attachment to nonexistence; and countless kinds of tendencies toward wrong views, greed, stinginess, violation of precepts, anger, laziness, distraction, ignorance; perceptions of permanence, bliss, self, purity, and so forth, together with all activities of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and views.
Kāśika, thus Prajñāpāramitā can eliminate attachment to form up to attachment to consciousness; eliminate attachment to the eye up to attachment to the mind; eliminate attachment to forms up to attachment to dharmas; eliminate attachment to eye-consciousness up to attachment to mind-consciousness; eliminate attachment to eye-contact up to attachment to mind-contact; eliminate attachment to feelings arising dependent upon eye-contact up to attachment to feelings arising dependent upon mind-contact; eliminate attachment to the perfection of Giving up to attachment to the perfection of Prajñā; eliminate attachment to the emptiness of internal phenomena up to attachment to the emptiness of emptiness of intrinsic nature; eliminate attachment to the four foundations of mindfulness, extending broadly up to attachment to the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; eliminate attachment to all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspect wisdom; eliminate attachment to awakening to Nirvāṇa.
Kāśika, thus Prajñāpāramitā can cut off all those phenomena and can increase the antidotal practices that counteract them. Therefore Prajñāpāramitā possesses immense, supreme, and unsurpassed majestic power.
Kāśika, if good men and good women wholeheartedly listen to, receive and maintain, recite, diligently cultivate and study, reflect correctly according to reason, copy, explain, and widely propagate Prajñāpāramitā, then these good men and good women will constantly be protected by the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Śakra the Lord of the Heaven of Endurance, the Great Brahmā King, the Pure Abode gods, gods, dragons, yakṣas, asuras, and all heavenly beings throughout the three-thousandfold world system. They will not allow any disasters or unexpected calamities to invade or oppress them; whatever lawful wishes they seek will be completely fulfilled. In the east, west, south, north, the four directions, above and below, in countless worlds of Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, will also constantly protect and remember these good men and good women, causing evils to gradually disappear and wholesome Dharma to increase. This means causing the perfection of Giving up to the perfection of Prajñā to increase, using non-attainment as the means; causing contemplation of the emptiness of internal phenomena up to contemplation of the emptiness of emptiness of intrinsic nature to increase, using non-attainment as the means; causing the four foundations of mindfulness, extending broadly up to the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, to increase, using non-attainment as the means; causing all samādhi methods and all dhāraṇī methods to increase, using non-attainment as the means; causing all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspect wisdom to increase, using non-attainment as the means.
Kāśika, these good men and good women, because of these causes and conditions, will always have dignified speech, causing listeners to respect and praise them; all discussions and words will be without confusion or error. They will know kindness and repay kindness, treat good friends well, and not be covered by greed, jealousy, anger, hatred, resentment, concealment, flattery, deceit, arrogance, and so forth.
Kāśika, these good men and good women themselves can abandon the karma of killing and encourage others to abandon the karma of killing; they will also rejoice in and praise the Dharma of non-killing and happily praise those who do not kill. Up to this point, they themselves can abandon wrong views and encourage others to abandon wrong views, praise the Dharma of abandoning wrong views, and happily praise those who abandon wrong views.
They themselves can practice the perfection of Giving and encourage others to practice the perfection of Giving, praise the Dharma of practicing the perfection of Giving, and happily praise those who practice the perfection of Giving; up to practicing the perfection of Prajñā themselves and encouraging others to practice the perfection of Prajñā, praising the Dharma of practicing the perfection of Prajñā, and happily praising those who practice the perfection of Prajñā.
They themselves can practice the emptiness of internal phenomena, encourage others to practice the emptiness of internal phenomena, praise the Dharma of practicing the emptiness of internal phenomena, and happily praise those who practice the emptiness of internal phenomena; up to practicing the emptiness of emptiness of intrinsic nature themselves, encouraging others to practice the emptiness of emptiness of intrinsic nature, praising the Dharma of practicing the emptiness of emptiness of intrinsic nature, and happily praising those who practice the emptiness of emptiness of intrinsic nature.
They themselves can cultivate all samādhi methods, encourage others to cultivate all samādhi methods, praise the Dharma of cultivating all samādhi methods, and happily praise those who cultivate all samādhi methods; they themselves can cultivate all dhāraṇī methods, encourage others to cultivate all dhāraṇī methods, praise the Dharma of cultivating all dhāraṇī methods, and happily praise those who cultivate all dhāraṇī methods.
They themselves can cultivate the four meditations, encourage others to cultivate the four meditations, praise the Dharma of cultivating the four meditations, and happily praise those who cultivate the four meditations; they themselves can cultivate the four immeasurables, encourage others to cultivate the four immeasurables, praise the Dharma of cultivating the four immeasurables, and happily praise those who cultivate the four immeasurables; they themselves can cultivate the four formless absorptions, encourage others to cultivate the four formless absorptions, praise the Dharma of cultivating the four formless absorptions, and happily praise those who cultivate the four formless absorptions.
They themselves can cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness, encourage others to cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness, praise the Dharma of cultivating the four foundations of mindfulness, and happily praise those who cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness; they themselves can cultivate the eightfold Noble Path, encourage others to cultivate the eightfold Noble Path, praise the Dharma of cultivating the eightfold Noble Path, and happily praise those who cultivate the eightfold Noble Path.
They themselves can cultivate the three liberation gates, encourage others to cultivate the three liberation gates, praise the Dharma of cultivating the three liberation gates, and happily praise those who cultivate the three liberation gates.
They themselves can cultivate the eight liberations, encourage others to cultivate the eight liberations, praise the Dharma of cultivating the eight liberations, and happily praise those who cultivate the eight liberations; they themselves can enter the nine sequential meditative absorptions in forward and reverse order, encourage others to enter the nine sequential meditative absorptions in forward and reverse order, praise the Dharma of entering the nine sequential meditative absorptions in forward and reverse order, and happily praise those who enter the nine sequential meditative absorptions in forward and reverse order.
They themselves can cultivate the ten powers of the Buddha, encourage others to cultivate the ten powers of the Buddha, praise the Dharma of cultivating the ten powers of the Buddha, and happily praise those who cultivate the ten powers of the Buddha; they themselves can cultivate the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, encourage others to cultivate the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, praise the Dharma of cultivating the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, and happily praise those who cultivate the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha.
They themselves can cultivate the Dharma of not forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity, encourage others to cultivate the Dharma of not forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity, praise the Dharma of cultivating the Dharma of not forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity, and happily praise those who cultivate the Dharma of not forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity.
They themselves can cultivate all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspect wisdom; encourage others to cultivate all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspect wisdom; praise the Dharma of cultivating all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspect wisdom; and happily praise those who cultivate all-knowing wisdom, path-aspect wisdom, and all-aspect wisdom.
Kāśika, these good men and good women practice Giving… up to Prajñāpāramitā, using non-attainment as the means, and equally bestow upon sentient beings, together dedicating [the merit] toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
Kāśika, these good men and good women constantly think: If I do not practice the perfection of Giving, I will be born into a poor family and still lack power and influence; how then could I bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha realms, let alone attain all-knowing wisdom? If I do not maintain the perfection of Pure Conduct, I will fall into evil realms and still be unable even to become a lowly human; how then could I bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha realms, let alone attain all-knowing wisdom? If I do not cultivate the perfection of Patience, my faculties will be deficient and my body ugly, lacking the complete form and appearance of a Bodhisattva. If I possess the perfected form of a Bodhisattva and practice the Bodhisattva path, sentient beings who see me will rejoice greatly, believe and accept my words, and all will attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. If I do not possess this perfected form, how could I bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha realms, let alone attain all-knowing wisdom? If I am lazy and do not arouse the perfection of Diligence, I will still be unable to attain the supreme path of a Bodhisattva; how then could I bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha realms, let alone attain all-knowing wisdom? If my mind is scattered and I do not enter the perfection of Meditative Concentration, I will still be unable to generate the supreme meditative concentration of a Bodhisattva; how then could I bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha realms, let alone attain all-knowing wisdom? If I am without wisdom and do not study Prajñāpāramitā, I will still be unable to obtain skillful means surpassing those of the two vehicles; how then could I bring about the accomplishment of sentient beings, purify Buddha realms, let alone attain all-knowing wisdom?
Kāśika, these good men and good women constantly think: I should not follow the power of greed and stinginess; if I follow that power, my perfection of Giving will not be complete. I should not follow the power of breaking precepts; if I follow that power, my perfection of Pure Conduct will not be complete. I should not follow the power of anger; if I follow that power, my perfection of Patience will not be complete. I should not follow the power of laziness; if I follow that power, my perfection of Diligence will not be complete. I should not follow the power of distracted mind; if I follow that power, my perfection of Meditative Concentration will not be complete. I should not follow the power of wrong wisdom; if I follow that power, my practice of Prajñāpāramitā will not be complete.
If my practice of Giving, Pure Conduct, Patience, Diligence, Meditative Concentration, and Prajñā is not complete, I will never be able to attain all-knowing wisdom.
Kāśika, these good men and good women do not depart from the mind of all-knowing wisdom, and using non-attainment as the means, wholeheartedly listen to, receive and maintain, recite, diligently cultivate and study, reflect correctly according to reason, copy, explain, and widely propagate this Prajñāpāramitā. They will certainly attain such present Dharma and obtain excellent merit and benefit in the future.