THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SUTRA
VOLUME 305
Chapter 41: THE MOTHER OF THE BUDDHAS (1)
The Buddha taught:
“Subhūti, it is like a mother who gives birth to and raises her children, whether five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or hundreds, or thousands of children. When the mother becomes ill, all the children together wholeheartedly seek medicines and treatments for her. They think: ‘How can we make our mother recover from illness, live a long life, be peaceful and happy, have no physical suffering, and have no worries or sorrow in her mind?’ At that time, all the children exert themselves to seek various peaceful means to shelter, protect, and care for their mother, not allowing mosquitoes, flies, snakes, scorpions, or conditions of cold and heat, hunger and thirst, to cause her distress and irritation. They also offer various excellent and precious things with reverence and make offerings, thinking: ‘Our mother loved us, gave birth to us, raised us, and taught us all worldly matters. How could we not repay our mother’s kindness?’
“Subhūti, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Fully Enlightened One, is likewise. He constantly uses the Buddha-eye to observe and protect the profound Prajñāpāramitā. Why, Subhūti? Because the profound Prajñāpāramitā has the ability to give rise to all Buddha-dharmas for us, and has the ability to reveal the true characteristics of all worldly phenomena. All Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones who are presently teaching the Dharma in the worlds of the ten directions also use the Buddha-eye to observe and protect the profound Prajñāpāramitā. Why, Subhūti? Because the profound Prajñāpāramitā has the ability to give rise to all the merits and virtues of the Buddhas, and has the ability to reveal the true characteristics of all worldly phenomena. For this reason, our Buddhas constantly use the Buddha-eye to observe and protect the profound Prajñāpāramitā; in order to repay that kindness, they never abandon it.
“Why, Subhūti? Because all Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones, the Prajñāpāramitā, Dhyāna meditation, Vigor, Patience, Pure Discipline, and Generosity pāramitās, all arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All phenomena of emptiness within, phenomena of emptiness without, phenomena of emptiness both within and without, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, supreme-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, scattered emptiness, emptiness of non-transformation, emptiness of inherent nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of shared characteristics, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of what cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-existence, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature — all arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā.
“All suchness, Dharma-realm, Dharma-nature, the nature of non-delusion, the nature of non-change, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, Dharma-determination, Dharma-abiding, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm — all arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā.
“All noble truths of suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the path arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All four meditations, four immeasurables, and four formless absorptions arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All eight liberations, eight spheres of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten universal bases arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All the liberation doors of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All ten stages of Bodhisattvas arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All five kinds of eyes and six supernatural powers arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All ten powers of the Buddha, four kinds of fearlessness, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of the Buddha arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All non-forgetfulness and the constant nature of equanimity arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All-wisdom, wisdom of the path-aspects, and wisdom of all aspects arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All dhāraṇī gateways and all samādhi gateways arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All Stream-enterers and the fruit of Stream-entry, Once-returners and the fruit of Once-returning, Non-returners and the fruit of Non-returning, Arhats and the fruit of Arhatship arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All Pratyekabuddhas and the fruition of Pratyekabuddhahood arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All great Bodhisattvas and the practices of great Bodhisattvas arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā. All Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones and the unsurpassed supreme enlightenment of all Buddhas arise from that profound Prajñāpāramitā.
“Subhūti, all Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones who have attained unsurpassed supreme enlightenment, who are presently attaining unsurpassed supreme enlightenment, and who will attain unsurpassed supreme enlightenment, all rely upon that profound Prajñāpāramitā. For this reason, the profound Prajñāpāramitā has great kindness and virtue toward all Tathāgatas; therefore, the Buddhas constantly use the Buddha-eye to observe and protect the profound Prajñāpāramitā.
“Subhūti, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva vehicle are able to understand, copy, uphold, recite, cultivate, contemplate, and extensively teach the profound Prajñāpāramitā, then all Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones constantly use the Buddha-eye to observe and protect them, causing their body and mind to always be peaceful and joyful, enabling them to cultivate wholesome deeds and preventing them from encountering obstacles.
“Subhūti, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva vehicle, regarding this profound Prajñāpāramitā, are able to approach, understand, copy, uphold, recite, cultivate, contemplate, and explain it for others, then all Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones in the worlds of the ten directions will together protect and support them, causing them never to regress from unsurpassed supreme enlightenment.”
At that time, Venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha:
“Just as the World-Honored One has taught, the profound Prajñāpāramitā has the ability to give rise to the Buddhas; the profound Prajñāpāramitā has the ability to reveal the true characteristics of all worldly phenomena.
“World-Honored One, why does the profound Prajñāpāramitā have the ability to give rise to the Buddhas? Why does the profound Prajñāpāramitā have the ability to reveal the true characteristics of all worldly phenomena? Why did the Buddhas arise from the profound Prajñāpāramitā? Why do the Buddhas explain the characteristics of the world?”
The Buddha taught:
“Subhūti, the profound Prajñāpāramitā has the ability to give rise to the five kinds of eyes, the six supernatural powers, the ten powers of the Buddha, the four kinds of fearlessness, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, the eighteen unique qualities of the Buddha; the non-forgetfulness, the constant nature of equanimity; and the All-wisdom, wisdom of the path-aspects, and wisdom of all aspects of all Tathāgatas, Arhats, Fully Enlightened Ones.
“Subhūti, the immeasurable and boundless merits and virtues of the Buddhas such as these all arise from Prajñāpāramitā. Because they have attained such Buddha merits and virtues, they are called Buddhas. The profound Prajñāpāramitā has many abilities to give rise to such Buddha merits and virtues; therefore, it is said that it has the ability to give rise to the Buddhas, and it is also said that all Buddhas are born from the profound Prajñāpāramitā.”
O Subhūti, the profound Prajñāpāramitā has the function of clearly revealing the true nature of all phenomena in the world; that is, it has the function of clearly revealing the true nature of the five aggregates in the world. All Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, also teach the true nature of the five aggregates in the world.
“World-Honored One, why does the profound Prajñāpāramitā of the Buddhas reveal the true nature of the five aggregates in the world?”
O Subhūti, because the Prajñāpāramitā of the Buddhas does not explain that the five aggregates have arising or destruction, have birth or cessation, have defilement or purity, have increase or decrease, have entering or departing; it does not explain that the five aggregates belong to the past, future, or present, are wholesome, unwholesome, or indeterminate, are bound by the Desire Realm, bound by the Form Realm, or bound by the Formless Realm. Why, O Subhūti? Because it is not that phenomena of emptiness have arising or destruction; it is not that phenomena of signlessness have arising or destruction; it is not that phenomena of wishlessness have arising or destruction; it is not that phenomena of non-creation have arising or destruction; it is not that phenomena of non-arising and non-ceasing have arising or destruction; it is not that phenomena without intrinsic nature have arising or destruction.
O Subhūti, the Prajñāpāramitā of the Buddhas explains the true nature of the five aggregates in this way: the characteristics of the five aggregates are precisely the world; therefore, the world itself also has no characteristics of arising, destruction, birth, or cessation…
Furthermore, O Subhūti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, rely upon Prajñāpāramitā and are therefore able to realize and completely understand the infinite and countless different paths of the mental activities of sentient beings. Yet within the profound principle of this Prajñāpāramitā, there are no sentient beings, nor any arising of sentient beings, that can be apprehended; there is no form, nor any arising of form, that can be apprehended; there are no feelings, perceptions, formations, or consciousness, nor any arising of feelings, perceptions, formations, or consciousness, that can be apprehended; there is no eye-base, nor any arising of the eye-base, that can be apprehended; there are no ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind bases, nor any arising of the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind bases, that can be apprehended; there is no form-base, nor any arising of the form-base, that can be apprehended; there are no sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma bases, nor any arising of sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma bases, that can be apprehended.
There is no eye element, nor any arising of the eye element, that can be apprehended; there is no form element, eye-consciousness element, or eye-contact, nor the feelings arising dependent upon eye-contact, and there is no arising of the form element up to the feelings arising dependent upon eye-contact that can be apprehended; there is no ear element, nor any arising of the ear element, that can be apprehended; there is no sound element, ear-consciousness element, or ear-contact, nor the feelings arising dependent upon ear-contact, and there is no arising of the sound element up to the feelings arising dependent upon ear-contact that can be apprehended; there is no nose element, nor any arising of the nose element, that can be apprehended; there is no smell element, nose-consciousness element, or nose-contact, nor the feelings arising dependent upon nose-contact, and there is no arising of the smell element up to the feelings arising dependent upon nose-contact that can be apprehended; there is no tongue element, nor any arising of the tongue element, that can be apprehended; there is no taste element, tongue-consciousness element, or tongue-contact, nor the feelings arising dependent upon tongue-contact, and there is no arising of the taste element up to the feelings arising dependent upon tongue-contact that can be apprehended; there is no body element, nor any arising of the body element, that can be apprehended; there is no touch element, body-consciousness element, or body-contact, nor the feelings arising dependent upon body-contact, and there is no arising of the touch element up to the feelings arising dependent upon body-contact that can be apprehended; there is no mind element, nor any arising of the mind element, that can be apprehended; there is no dharma element, mind-consciousness element, or mind-contact, nor the feelings arising dependent upon mind-contact, and there is no arising of the dharma element up to the feelings arising dependent upon mind-contact that can be apprehended.
There is no earth element, nor any arising of the earth element, that can be apprehended; there are no water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements, nor any arising of the water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements, that can be apprehended; there is no ignorance, nor any arising of ignorance, that can be apprehended; there are no formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and distress, nor any arising from formations up to aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and distress, that can be apprehended.
There is no perfection of giving, nor any arising of the perfection of giving, that can be apprehended; there are no perfection of morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, or Prajñāpāramitā, nor any arising from the perfection of morality up to Prajñāpāramitā, that can be apprehended; there is no emptiness of the internal, nor any arising of the emptiness of the internal, that can be apprehended; there is no emptiness of the external, emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of conditioned phenomena, emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, emptiness of the ultimate, emptiness without boundaries, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of non-change, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of own characteristics, emptiness of shared characteristics, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness that cannot be apprehended, emptiness of no nature, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness, nor any arising from the emptiness of the external up to the emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness, that can be apprehended.
There is no suchness, nor any arising of suchness, that can be apprehended; there is no dharma realm, dharma nature, non-deceptive nature, unchanging nature, equal nature, nature free from arising, fixed nature of phenomena, abiding nature of phenomena, ultimate reality, realm of space, or inconceivable realm, nor any arising from the dharma realm up to the inconceivable realm, that can be apprehended.
There is no Noble Truth of suffering, nor any arising of the Noble Truth of suffering, that can be apprehended; there are no Noble Truths of origin, cessation, and path, nor any arising of the Noble Truths of origin, cessation, and path, that can be apprehended.
There are no four meditative absorptions, nor any arising of the four meditative absorptions, that can be apprehended; there are no four immeasurables or four formless absorptions, nor any arising of the four immeasurables or four formless absorptions, that can be apprehended; there are no eight liberations, nor any arising of the eight liberations, that can be apprehended; there are no eight bases of mastery, nine sequential concentrations, or ten universal bases, nor any arising of the eight bases of mastery, nine sequential concentrations, or ten universal bases, that can be apprehended.
There are no four foundations of mindfulness, nor any arising of the four foundations of mindfulness, that can be apprehended; there is no emptiness liberation-door, nor any arising of the emptiness liberation-door, that can be apprehended; there are no signless or wishless liberation-doors, nor any arising of the emptiness liberation-door, that can be apprehended; there are no ten stages of the Bodhisattva, nor any arising of the ten stages of the Bodhisattva, that can be apprehended; there are no five types of eyes, nor any arising of the five types of eyes, that can be apprehended; there are no six supernatural powers, nor any arising of the six supernatural powers, that can be apprehended.
There are no ten powers of the Buddha, nor any arising of the ten powers of the Buddha, that can be apprehended; there is no non-forgetting quality, nor any arising of the non-forgetting quality, that can be apprehended; there is no constant equanimity, nor any arising of constant equanimity, that can be apprehended; there is no omniscient wisdom, nor any arising of omniscient wisdom, that can be apprehended; there is no wisdom of the path, wisdom of all aspects, nor any arising of the wisdom of the path or wisdom of all aspects, that can be apprehended.
There are no complete dhāraṇī methods, nor any arising of all dhāraṇī methods, that can be apprehended; there are no complete samādhi methods, nor any arising of all samādhi methods, that can be apprehended; there is no fruit of stream-entry, nor any arising of the fruit of stream-entry, that can be apprehended; there are no fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship, nor any arising of the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship, that can be apprehended; there is no fruit of the Pratyekabuddha, nor any arising of the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha, that can be apprehended; there are no practices of the great Bodhisattva, nor any arising of all practices of the great Bodhisattva, that can be apprehended; there is no unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas, nor any arising of the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas, that can be apprehended.
Venerable Subhuti, the Prajñā-pāramitā spoken of by all Buddhas clearly reveals the true nature of the world in this way.
Venerable Subhuti, however, within the profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out form, nor does it point out feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within the profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness that can be pointed out.
Within the profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the eye-base, nor does it point out the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind bases. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the eye-base, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind bases that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the form-base, nor does it point out the sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharma bases. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the form-base, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharma bases that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the eye-element, nor does it point out the form-element, eye-consciousness element, eye-contact, and the feelings arising dependent upon eye-contact. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the eye-element and so forth, up to the feelings arising dependent upon eye-contact, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the ear-element, nor does it point out the sound-element, ear-consciousness element, ear-contact, and the feelings arising dependent upon ear-contact. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the ear-element and so forth, up to the feelings arising dependent upon ear-contact, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the nose-element, nor does it point out the scent-element, nose-consciousness element, nose-contact, and the feelings arising dependent upon nose-contact. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the nose-element and so forth, up to the feelings arising dependent upon nose-contact, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the tongue-element, nor does it point out the taste-element, tongue-consciousness element, tongue-contact, and the feelings arising dependent upon tongue-contact. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the tongue-element and so forth, up to the feelings arising dependent upon tongue-contact, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the body-element, nor does it point out the touch-element, body-consciousness element, body-contact, and the feelings arising dependent upon body-contact. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the body-element and so forth, up to the feelings arising dependent upon body-contact, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the mind-element, nor does it point out the dharma-element, mind-consciousness element, mind-contact, and the feelings arising dependent upon mind-contact. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the mind-element and so forth, up to the feelings arising dependent upon mind-contact, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the earth element, nor does it point out the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the earth element, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out ignorance, nor does it point out formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be ignorance and so forth, up to aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, and distress that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the perfection of generosity, nor does it point out pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, or Prajñā-pāramitā. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the perfection of generosity up to Prajñā-pāramitā that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, supreme meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundary, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, inherent-nature emptiness, self-characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness that cannot be grasped, emptiness of non-existence, emptiness of self-nature, emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be inner emptiness and so forth, up to emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out suchness, nor does it point out the dharma realm, dharma-nature, the non-deluded nature, the unchanging nature, the equality nature, the nature free from arising, the established dharma, the abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, or the inconceivable realm. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be suchness and so forth, up to the inconceivable realm, that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the Noble Truth of suffering, nor does it point out the Noble Truth of origination, cessation, and path. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of origination, cessation, and path that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the four meditative absorptions, nor does it point out the four immeasurables or the four formless concentrations. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the four meditative absorptions, four immeasurables, and four formless concentrations that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, or the ten universal bases. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the eight liberations, eight spheres of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten universal bases that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the four foundations of mindfulness, nor does it point out the four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and eightfold noble path. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the four foundations of mindfulness up to the eightfold noble path that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the liberation door of emptiness, nor does it point out the liberation doors of signlessness and wishlessness. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the liberation door of emptiness, the liberation door of signlessness, and the liberation door of wishlessness that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the ten bodhisattva grounds. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the ten bodhisattva grounds that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the five types of eyes, nor does it point out the six supernatural powers. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the five types of eyes and six supernatural powers that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the ten powers of the Buddha, nor does it point out the four fearlessnesses, four kinds of unobstructed knowledge, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the ten powers of the Buddha up to the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the quality of never forgetting, nor does it point out the nature of always remaining in equanimity. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the quality of never forgetting and the nature of always remaining in equanimity that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out omniscient wisdom, nor does it point out path-knowing wisdom and all-characteristics-knowing wisdom. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be omniscient wisdom, path-knowing wisdom, and all-characteristics-knowing wisdom that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out all dhāraṇī teachings, nor does it point out all samādhi teachings. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be all dhāraṇī teachings and all samādhi teachings that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the fruit of stream-entry, nor does it point out the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the fruit of the solitary buddha. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the fruit of the solitary buddha that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out all practices of great bodhisattvas. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be all practices of great bodhisattvas that can be pointed out.
Within such a profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, it does not point out the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas. Why, Venerable Subhuti? Because within that profound principle of Prajñā-pāramitā, even the profound Prajñā-pāramitā itself is still without possession and cannot be grasped, how much less can there be the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas that can be pointed out.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all sentient beings who utter words—whether they have form or are formless, whether they possess perception or are without perception, or are neither with perception nor without perception, whether in this world or in all other worlds throughout the ten directions—those sentient beings, with purified minds or scattered minds, are all known truly by all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, through reliance upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā.
The World-Honored One, how is it that the Tathāgata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One truly knows the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, because of the nature of phenomena, truly know the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, through the nature of phenomena, truly know the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that within the nature of phenomena, even the nature of phenomena itself cannot be grasped, how much less can there be purified minds or scattered minds!
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, through the nature of phenomena, truly know the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, through complete exhaustion, through freedom from defilement, through cessation, through cutting off, through tranquility, through separation, truly know the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings.
World-Honored One, why is it that through complete exhaustion, freedom from defilement, cessation, cutting off, tranquility, and separation, one truly knows the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that within complete exhaustion, freedom from defilement, cessation, cutting off, tranquility, and separation, even the natures of these states cannot be grasped, how much less can there be purified minds and scattered minds! Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, through complete exhaustion and so forth, truly know the purified minds and scattered minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know that those various sentient beings have minds of greed, minds free from greed; minds of anger, minds free from anger; minds of delusion, minds free from delusion.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know those various sentient beings as having minds of greed and minds free from greed; minds of anger and minds free from anger; minds of delusion and minds free from delusion?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the greed, anger, and delusion of those various sentient beings according to true nature: there are neither minds of greed, anger, and delusion, nor minds free from greed, anger, and delusion. Why? Because in true nature, the phenomena of mind and mental factors cannot even be grasped, how much less can there be minds of greed, anger, and delusion, or minds free from greed, anger, and delusion!
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the minds of those various sentient beings free from greed, anger, and delusion according to true nature: there are neither minds of greed, anger, and delusion, nor minds free from greed, anger, and delusion. Why? Because in true nature, the phenomena of mind and mental factors cannot even be grasped, how much less can there be minds of greed, anger, and delusion, or minds free from greed, anger, and delusion!
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know that those various sentient beings have minds of greed and minds free from greed; minds of anger and minds free from anger; minds of delusion and minds free from delusion.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that those various sentient beings have minds with greed, anger, and delusion; neither have minds with greed, anger, and delusion; nor are free from minds with greed, anger, and delusion. Why? Because these two kinds of minds do not harmonize.
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that those various sentient beings have minds free from greed, anger, and delusion; minds that neither have greed, anger, and delusion; nor are free from greed, anger, and delusion. Why? Because these two kinds of minds do not harmonize.
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know that those various sentient beings have minds of greed and minds free from greed; minds of anger and minds free from anger; minds of delusion and minds free from delusion.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that the all-pervading minds of those various sentient beings are neither broad nor narrow, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither coming nor going; because they are free from the nature of mind, they are neither broad nor narrow, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither going nor coming. Why? Because the self-nature of mind is without possession; therefore, what could be called broad, narrow, increasing, decreasing, going, or coming?
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the all-pervading minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the great minds of those various sentient beings.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the great minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the great minds of those various sentient beings as neither going nor coming, neither arising nor ceasing, neither abiding nor changing, neither large nor small. Why? Because the self-nature of mind is without possession, neither going nor coming, neither arising nor ceasing, neither abiding nor changing, neither large nor small.
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the great minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the immeasurable minds of those various sentient beings.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the immeasurable minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the immeasurable minds of those various sentient beings as neither abiding nor not abiding, neither going nor not going. Why? Because the nature of immeasurable mind is undefiled and without a basis of dependence; therefore, how can it be said to have abiding, not abiding, going, or not going?
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the immeasurable minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the non-visible, unobstructed minds of those various sentient beings.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the non-visible, unobstructed minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that the non-visible, unobstructed minds of those various sentient beings have no characteristics of mind. Why? Because all self-characteristics of mind are empty.
Subhuti, in this way the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the non-visible, unobstructed minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the formless, imperceptible minds of those various sentient beings.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the formless, imperceptible minds of those various sentient beings?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the formless, imperceptible minds of those various sentient beings, which cannot be seen even by the five kinds of eyes of the Buddhas. Why? Because the nature of all minds is empty.
Subhuti, the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, truly know the formless, imperceptible minds of those various sentient beings.
Furthermore, Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, relying upon profound Prajñā-pāramitā, know truly the phenomena of mind and mental factors in other sentient beings, whether manifest, hidden, contracted, or expanded.
World-Honored One, how do the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the phenomena of mind and mental factors in other sentient beings, whether manifest, hidden, contracted, or expanded?
Subhuti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know that the phenomena of mind and mental factors in other sentient beings, whether manifest, hidden, contracted, or expanded, all arise dependent upon form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.
Now, Subhūti, thus it is that the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, relying on the profound Prajñāpāramitā, knows truly and as it really is the dharmas of the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings, whether manifest, concealed, contracted, or expanded; meaning that the Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, truly know the manifest, concealed, contracted, and expanded dharmas of the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings: whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as permanent, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as impermanent, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as both permanent and impermanent, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as neither permanent nor impermanent, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as having limits, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as limitless, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as both limited and limitless, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp at the self and the world as neither limited nor limitless, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp that the life principle is identical with the body, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp that the life principle is different from the body, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp that the Tathāgata after passing into final nirvāṇa exists, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp that the Tathāgata after passing into final nirvāṇa does not exist, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp that the Tathāgata after passing into final nirvāṇa both exists and does not exist, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken; or whether they rely on form, or rely on feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, and grasp that the Tathāgata after passing into final nirvāṇa is neither existent nor nonexistent, considering that to be correct and everything else to be mistaken.
Subhūti, in this way the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, relying on the profound Prajñāpāramitā, knows truly and as it really is the dharmas of the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings, whether manifest, concealed, contracted, or expanded.