THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SŪTRA
Volume 312
Chapter 44: Various Analogies (2)
Furthermore, Subhūti, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, practice, and expound to others the profound Prajñāpāramitā; if they do not use the profound Prajñāpāramitā to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the Pāramitās of Dhyāna (Meditative Concentration), Vigor, Forbearance, Moral Discipline, and Generosity to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undifferentiated emptiness, unchangeable emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use Suchness, the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed dharma, abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the Noble Truth of Suffering, or the Noble Truths of Origination, Cessation, and the Path to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the four Dhyānas, the four Immeasurables, and the four Formless Concentrations to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the eight Liberations, the eight Fields of Mastery, the nine Successive Meditative Attainments, and the ten All-Pervading Meditations to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the liberation gateway of Emptiness, or the liberation gateways of Signlessness and Wishlessness to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the ten Bodhisattva stages to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great Loving-kindness, great Compassion, great Sympathetic Joy, great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the dharma of non-forgetfulness and the constant nature of relinquishment to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use all Dhāraṇī gateways and all Samādhi gateways to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the fruit of Stream-entry, Once-returning, Non-returning, and Arhatship to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas to embrace and guide other sentient beings; or do not use the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas to embrace and guide other sentient beings.
And, Subhūti, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle do not practice in accordance with the profound Prajñāpāramitā; or do not practice in accordance with Dhyāna, Vigor, Forbearance, Moral Discipline, and Generosity; or do not practice in accordance with the emptiness of internal phenomena, or the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undifferentiated emptiness, unchangeable emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature; or do not practice in accordance with Suchness, the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed dharma, abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; or do not practice in accordance with the Noble Truth of Suffering, or the Noble Truths of Origination, Cessation, and the Path; or do not practice in accordance with the four Dhyānas, the four Immeasurables, and the four Formless Concentrations; or do not practice in accordance with the eight Liberations, the eight Fields of Mastery, the nine Successive Meditative Attainments, and the ten All-Pervading Meditations; or do not practice in accordance with the four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; or do not practice in accordance with the liberation gateway of Emptiness, or the liberation gateways of Signlessness and Wishlessness; or do not practice in accordance with the ten Bodhisattva stages; or do not practice in accordance with the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers; or do not practice in accordance with the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great Loving-kindness, great Compassion, great Sympathetic Joy, great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; or do not practice in accordance with the dharma of non-forgetfulness and the constant nature of relinquishment; or do not practice in accordance with omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects; or do not practice in accordance with all Dhāraṇī gateways and all Samādhi gateways; or do not practice in accordance with the fruit of Stream-entry, Once-returning, Non-returning, and Arhatship; or do not practice in accordance with the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha; or do not practice in accordance with all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas; or do not practice in accordance with the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, because of these causes and conditions, will fall into one of the two stages of the Two Vehicles, namely, the stage of a Śrāvaka or the stage of a Pratyekabuddha. Why? Because these good men and good women do not constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the profound Prajñāpāramitā; nor do they constantly use the profound Prajñāpāramitā to embrace and guide other sentient beings; nor do they constantly practice in accordance with the profound Prajñāpāramitā. Because of these causes and conditions, they will fall into one of the two stages of the Two Vehicles, namely, the stage of a Śrāvaka or the stage of a Pratyekabuddha.
Furthermore, Subhūti, it is like a boat drifting upon the great ocean that breaks apart. If those inside do not cling to wood, do not cling to floating objects, do not hold onto a buoy, do not support themselves with a plank, and do not grasp a corpse as a support, then they will surely drown and will not reach the shore.
Subhūti, suppose there is another boat drifting upon the great ocean. Although it breaks apart, those aboard cling to wood, floating objects, buoys, or corpses as supports. You should know that these people will certainly not drown but will reach the safe shore unharmed and enjoy excellent happiness.
Subhūti, likewise, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle have only a small measure of faith, reverence, delight, and aspiration toward the Great Vehicle, yet do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the profound Prajñāpāramitā as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice Dhyāna, Vigor, Forbearance, Moral Discipline, and Generosity as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the emptiness of internal phenomena as their refuge, or the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undifferentiated emptiness, unchangeable emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice Suchness as their refuge, or the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed dharma, abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the Noble Truth of Suffering as their refuge, or the Noble Truths of Origination, Cessation, and the Path as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the four Dhyānas as their refuge, or the four Immeasurables and the four Formless Concentrations as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the eight Liberations as their refuge, or the eight Fields of Mastery, the nine Successive Meditative Attainments, and the ten All-Pervading Meditations as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the four Foundations of Mindfulness as their refuge, or the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the liberation gateway of Emptiness as their refuge, or the liberation gateways of Signlessness and Wishlessness as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the ten Bodhisattva stages as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the five kinds of eyes or the six supernatural powers as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the ten powers of a Buddha as their refuge, or the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great Loving-kindness, great Compassion, great Sympathetic Joy, great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the dharma of non-forgetfulness as their refuge, or the constant nature of relinquishment as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice omniscient wisdom as their refuge, or the wisdom of the path and the wisdom of all aspects as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice all Dhāraṇī gateways as their refuge, or all Samādhi gateways as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the fruit of Stream-entry as their refuge, or the fruits of Once-returning, Non-returning, and Arhatship as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas as their refuge; or do not copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas as their refuge, then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will decline halfway, fail to attain unsurpassed enlightenment, and fall back to the stage of a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha.
Subhūti, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle possess complete faith, reverence, delight, and aspiration toward the Great Vehicle, and constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the profound Prajñāpāramitā as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice Dhyāna, Vigor, Forbearance, Moral Discipline, and Generosity as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the emptiness of internal phenomena as their refuge, or the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undifferentiated emptiness, unchangeable emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice Suchness as their refuge, or the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed dharma, abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the Noble Truth of Suffering as their refuge, or the Noble Truths of Origination, Cessation, and the Path as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the four Dhyānas as their refuge, or the four Immeasurables and the four Formless Concentrations as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the eight Liberations as their refuge, or the eight Fields of Mastery, the nine Successive Meditative Attainments, and the ten All-Pervading Meditations as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the four Foundations of Mindfulness as their refuge, or the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the liberation gateway of Emptiness as their refuge, or the liberation gateways of Signlessness and Wishlessness as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the ten Bodhisattva stages as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the ten powers of a Buddha as their refuge, or the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great Loving-kindness, great Compassion, great Sympathetic Joy, great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the dharma of non-forgetfulness as their refuge, or the constant nature of relinquishment as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice omniscient wisdom as their refuge, or the wisdom of the path and the wisdom of all aspects as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice all Dhāraṇī gateways as their refuge, or all Samādhi gateways as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the fruit of Stream-entry as their refuge, or the fruits of Once-returning, Non-returning, and Arhatship as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas as their refuge; or constantly copy, uphold, recite, contemplate, and practice the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas as their refuge, then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will never retreat halfway to the stage of a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha, but will certainly attain unsurpassed enlightenment.
Subhūti, it is like someone wishing to cross a dangerous wilderness. If he does not carry provisions and supplies, he cannot reach a place of safety, but will encounter hardships along the way and lose his life. Likewise, Subhūti, good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle may have faith in unsurpassed enlightenment, firm resolve, a pure mind, steadfast devotion, delight, superior understanding, renunciation, and diligence; yet if they do not embrace and uphold the profound Prajñāpāramitā, or Dhyāna, Vigor, Forbearance, Moral Discipline, and Generosity; or do not embrace and uphold the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undifferentiated emptiness, unchangeable emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature; or do not embrace and uphold Suchness, the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed dharma, abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; or do not embrace and uphold the Noble Truth of Suffering, or the Noble Truths of Origination, Cessation, and the Path; or do not embrace and uphold the four Dhyānas, the four Immeasurables, and the four Formless Concentrations; or do not embrace and uphold the eight Liberations, the eight Fields of Mastery, the nine Successive Meditative Attainments, and the ten All-Pervading Meditations; or do not embrace and uphold the four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; or do not embrace and uphold the liberation gateway of Emptiness, or the liberation gateways of Signlessness and Wishlessness; or do not embrace and uphold the ten Bodhisattva stages; or do not embrace and uphold the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers; or do not embrace and uphold the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great Loving-kindness, great Compassion, great Sympathetic Joy, great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; or do not embrace and uphold the dharma of non-forgetfulness and the constant nature of relinquishment; or do not embrace and uphold omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects; or do not embrace and uphold all Dhāraṇī gateways and all Samādhi gateways; or do not embrace and uphold the fruit of Stream-entry, or the fruits of Once-returning, Non-returning, and Arhatship; or do not embrace and uphold the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha; or do not embrace and uphold all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas; or do not embrace and uphold the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will decline halfway, fail to attain unsurpassed enlightenment, and fall back to the stage of a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha.
Subhūti, just as someone wishing to cross a dangerous wilderness who always carries provisions and supplies will surely reach a place of peace and never encounter calamity or lose his life along the way, likewise, Subhūti, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle have faith in unsurpassed enlightenment, firm resolve, a pure mind, steadfast devotion, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence; and constantly embrace and uphold the profound Prajñāpāramitā; constantly embrace and uphold Dhyāna, Vigor, Forbearance, Moral Discipline, and Generosity; constantly embrace and uphold the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undifferentiated emptiness, unchangeable emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature; constantly embrace and uphold Suchness, the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed dharma, abiding dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; constantly embrace and uphold the Noble Truth of Suffering, and the Noble Truths of Origination, Cessation, and the Path; constantly embrace and uphold the four Dhyānas, the four Immeasurables, and the four Formless Concentrations; constantly embrace and uphold the eight Liberations, the eight Fields of Mastery, the nine Successive Meditative Attainments, and the ten All-Pervading Meditations; constantly embrace and uphold the four Foundations of Mindfulness, the four Right Efforts, the four Bases of Spiritual Power, the five Faculties, the five Powers, the seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; constantly embrace and uphold the liberation gateway of Emptiness, and the liberation gateways of Signlessness and Wishlessness; constantly embrace and uphold the ten Bodhisattva stages; constantly embrace and uphold the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers; constantly embrace and uphold the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great Loving-kindness, great Compassion, great Sympathetic Joy, great Equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; constantly embrace and uphold the dharma of non-forgetfulness and the constant nature of relinquishment; constantly embrace and uphold omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects; constantly embrace and uphold all Dhāraṇī gateways and all Samādhi gateways; constantly embrace and uphold the fruit of Stream-entry, the fruits of Once-returning, Non-returning, and Arhatship; constantly embrace and uphold the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha; constantly embrace and uphold all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas; and constantly embrace and uphold the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will certainly not decline halfway and rise no higher than the stage of a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. Rather, they will bring all sentient beings to complete fulfillment, adorn and purify the Buddha lands, and attain unsurpassed enlightenment.
Subhūti, it is like a man or woman carrying an earthen jar that has not been thoroughly fired to fetch water from a river, a pond, a well, a spring, or a canal. You should know that such a jar will soon crumble and break apart. Why? Because it has not been fully fired and cannot hold water; in the end it merely returns to earth.
“Subhūti, likewise, there are good men and good women who abide in the Bodhisattva Vehicle. Although, with regard to unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, they possess faith, firm resolve, purity of mind, dedication, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence, if they do not embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā together with skillful means; or if they do not embrace the pāramitās of meditation, vigor, patience, morality, and generosity; or if they do not embrace the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of both internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, undispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of characteristic marks, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unattainable, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature; or if they do not embrace suchness, the dharma realm, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, fixed reality, abiding reality, ultimate reality, the sphere of space, and the inconceivable realm; or if they do not embrace the Noble Truth of suffering, or the Noble Truths of origin, cessation, and the path; or if they do not embrace the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; or if they do not embrace the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten all-pervasive contemplations; or if they do not embrace the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of supernatural power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; or if they do not embrace the liberation gateway of emptiness, or the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; or if they do not embrace the ten Bodhisattva stages; or if they do not embrace the five kinds of divine vision and the six supernatural powers; or if they do not embrace the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; or if they do not embrace unfailing mindfulness and constant equanimity; or if they do not embrace omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects; or if they do not embrace all dhāraṇī gateways and all samādhi gateways; or if they do not embrace the fruit of Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner, and Arhat; or if they do not embrace the attainment of a Pratyekabuddha; or if they do not embrace all the practices of the Great Bodhisattvas; or if they do not embrace the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas—then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will decline halfway along the path, fail to attain unsurpassed enlightenment, and fall back to the stage of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha.
“Subhūti, it is like a man or woman carrying a fired clay jar to a river, pond, well, spring, or canal to fetch water. You should know that such a jar will never break. Why? Because it has been thoroughly fired, is very sturdy, and can hold a full measure of water.
“Subhūti, likewise, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle possess faith, firm resolve, purity of mind, dedication, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence regarding unsurpassed enlightenment, and constantly embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā together with skillful means; constantly embrace the pāramitās of meditation, vigor, patience, morality, and generosity; constantly embrace the emptinesses… [the same list of emptinesses, realities, truths, meditations, liberations, practices, virtues, wisdoms, attainments, and Buddha qualities as above]; and constantly embrace the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas—then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will never decline midway, will transcend the stages of the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha, bring beings to complete fulfillment, purify Buddha-fields, and attain unsurpassed enlightenment.
“Subhūti, suppose there were a merchant without wisdom or skillful means. While his ship was still on the shore, unrepaired and unprepared, he loaded it with goods, pushed it out into the open sea, and hurried away. Subhūti, you should know that this ship would sink halfway through the voyage; the people, the ship, and all the goods would be scattered. Such a merchant, lacking wisdom and skillful means, would lose his life, and all his treasures would perish as well.
“Subhūti, likewise, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, though possessing faith, firm resolve, purity of mind, dedication, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence regarding unsurpassed enlightenment, nevertheless do not embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā together with skillful means… [repeating the same comprehensive list of practices and qualities]… then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will decline midway, lose their lives, and lose all their treasures. Losing their lives means falling into the stage of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha. Losing their treasures means losing unsurpassed enlightenment.
“Subhūti, it is like a wise merchant possessing skillful means. While still at the seashore, he first repairs and equips the ship, launches it only after ensuring it is safe, then loads his goods and sets out calmly.
“Subhūti, you should know that such a ship will certainly not sink. Both people and goods will safely reach their destination.
“Subhūti, likewise, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle possess faith, firm resolve, purity of mind, dedication, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence regarding unsurpassed enlightenment, and constantly embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā together with skillful means… [again repeating the same list]… then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will never decline midway, will transcend the stages of the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha, bring beings to complete fulfillment, purify Buddha-fields, and attain unsurpassed enlightenment.
“Subhūti, suppose there were a person one hundred and twenty years old, frail with age and weakened further by illnesses such as paralysis, fever, asthma, or all three combined. Subhūti, what do you think? Could such an old and sick person rise from bed by himself?”
Subhūti replied:
“No, Blessed One.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, even if someone helped him stand up, he would not have enough strength to walk even one krośa, much less two or three. Why? Because he is exceedingly old and infirm.
“Subhūti, likewise, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, though possessing faith, firm resolve, purity of mind, dedication, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence, do not embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā together with skillful means… [again repeating the same complete list]… then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will decline midway, fail to attain unsurpassed enlightenment, and fall back to the stage of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha. Why? Because they do not embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā, nor ultimately the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, together with skillful means.
“Subhūti, suppose there were again a person one hundred and twenty years old, frail and afflicted by paralysis, fever, asthma, or all three. Wishing to leave his bed and go elsewhere, he could not walk by himself. Then two strong people supported him under each arm and encouraged him, saying, ‘Do not worry. Walk on with confidence. We will never abandon you.’ That old man would certainly reach his destination safely and unharmed.
“Subhūti, likewise, if good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle possess faith, firm resolve, purity of mind, dedication, delight, supreme understanding, renunciation, and diligence regarding unsurpassed enlightenment, and constantly embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā together with skillful means… [again repeating the same comprehensive list]… then, Subhūti, you should know that these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle will never decline midway, will transcend the stages of the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha, bring beings to complete fulfillment, purify Buddha-fields, and attain unsurpassed enlightenment. Why? Because they constantly embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā, up to constantly embracing the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas, together with complete skillful means.
At that time, the Venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha:
“Blessed One, why is it that good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, because they do not embrace the profound Prajñāpāramitā and do not embrace skillful means, fall back into the stage of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha?”
The Buddha said:
“Excellent, excellent, Subhūti! You ask the Tathāgata this essential question because you wish to bring benefit to good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle. Listen carefully, and I shall explain.
“Subhūti, from the very moment they first generate the aspiration, these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle cling to a self and what belongs to a self while practicing the pāramitā of generosity; they cling to a self and what belongs to a self while practicing the pāramitā of morality; they cling to a self and what belongs to a self while practicing the pāramitā of patience; they cling to a self and what belongs to a self while practicing the pāramitā of vigor; they cling to a self and what belongs to a self while practicing the pāramitā of meditation; and they cling to a self and what belongs to a self while practicing the pāramitā of wisdom.
“Subhūti, when such good men and good women practice generosity, they think, ‘I practice generosity. That person receives my gift. I give such and such things.’ When practicing morality, they think, ‘I uphold the precepts. These precepts are what I uphold. I have perfected these precepts.’ When practicing patience, they think, ‘I practice patience. That is what I endure. I have perfected this patience.’ When practicing vigor, they think, ‘I exert myself diligently. I cultivate for the sake of this diligence. I always fulfill this diligence.’ When practicing meditation, they think, ‘I diligently cultivate concentration. I devote myself to this cultivation. I have perfected this concentration.’ When practicing wisdom, they think, ‘I diligently cultivate wisdom. I devote myself to cultivating this wisdom. I have perfected this wisdom.’
“Furthermore, Subhūti, these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, when practicing generosity, cling to the existence of generosity, cling to the cause of generosity, and regard generosity as belonging to a self. When practicing morality, they cling to the existence of morality, cling to its cause, and regard morality as belonging to a self. Likewise with patience, vigor, meditation, and wisdom. Why? Because within the pāramitā of generosity there is no such discrimination. Why? Because freedom from this shore and the other shore is the characteristic of the pāramitā of generosity. Likewise, within the pāramitā of morality there is no such discrimination, for freedom from this shore and the other shore is its characteristic. The same is true of the pāramitās of patience, vigor, meditation, and wisdom.
“Subhūti, because these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle do not truly understand the nature of this shore and the other shore, they are unable to embrace the pāramitā of generosity, nor the pāramitās of morality, patience, vigor, meditation, and wisdom. They are unable to embrace the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external… [again the same comprehensive list of emptinesses, realities, truths, meditations, liberations, Bodhisattva stages, powers, wisdoms, attainments, and Buddha qualities]… and they are unable to embrace the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas. Therefore, Subhūti, these good men and good women abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle fall into the stage of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha and fail to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.