The Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
Volume 310
Chapter 42: The Inconceivable (3)
“Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can form be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the eye base be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind bases be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the visible-form base be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental-object bases be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the eye element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the form element, eye-consciousness element, eye-contact, and the feelings arising dependent on eye-contact be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the ear element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the sound element, ear-consciousness element, ear-contact, and the feelings arising dependent on ear-contact be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the nose element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the smell element, nose-consciousness element, nose-contact, and the feelings arising dependent on nose-contact be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the tongue element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the taste element, tongue-consciousness element, tongue-contact, and the feelings arising dependent on tongue-contact be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the body element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the touch element, body-consciousness element, body-contact, and the feelings arising dependent on body-contact be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the mind element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the mental-object element, mind-consciousness element, mind-contact, and the feelings arising dependent on mind-contact be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the earth element be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can ignorance be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, distress, and despair be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the perfection of generosity be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and the perfection of wisdom be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the emptiness of internal phenomena be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of internal and external phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, intrinsic-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all phenomena, ungraspable emptiness, non-nature emptiness, self-nature emptiness, and emptiness of self-nature be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can suchness be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the Dharma realm, Dharma nature, non-false nature, unchanging nature, equality nature, unborn nature, fixed Dharma, abiding Dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the Noble Truth of suffering be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the Noble Truths of origin, cessation, and the path be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the four dhyānas be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the four immeasurables and the four formless absorptions be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the eight liberations be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the eight masteries, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten total pervasions be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the four establishments of mindfulness be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the four right efforts, the four bases of supernatural power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the liberation door of emptiness be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the liberation doors of signlessness and wishlessness be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the ten Bodhisattva stages be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the five kinds of eyes be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the six supernatural powers be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the ten powers of a Buddha be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can 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 be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the quality of never forgetting be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the quality of constant relinquishment be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can omniscient wisdom be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the wisdom of the path and all-aspects wisdom be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can all dhāraṇī gateways be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can all samādhi gateways be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the fruit of stream-entry be apprehended? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the fruits of once-returner, non-returner, and arhatship be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the realization of a Pratyekabuddha be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can all the practices of a great Bodhisattva be apprehended?
Subhūti, what do you think? Within that which is inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, incomparable, and without intrinsic nature, can the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas be apprehended?”
Subhūti replied:
“World-Honored One, no.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, exactly so, exactly so! For this reason, all dharmas are inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, because all dharmas are inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable, the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, and the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are likewise inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, since the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, and the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are inconceivable, all conceptual thought is extinguished. Since they are inexpressible, all verbal description is extinguished. Since they are immeasurable, all measures are extinguished. Since they are incomparable, all comparisons are extinguished.
Subhūti, for this reason, all dharmas are likewise inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, and the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, transcend conceptual thought because they are inconceivable; transcend verbal description because they are inexpressible; transcend all measure because they are immeasurable; and transcend all comparison because they are incomparable.
Subhūti, for this reason, all dharmas are likewise inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, ‘inconceivable’ is only inconceivable from the standpoint of language. ‘Inexpressible’ is only inexpressible from the standpoint of language. ‘Immeasurable’ is only immeasurable from the standpoint of language. ‘Incomparable’ is only incomparable from the standpoint of language.
Subhūti, for this reason, the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, and the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, they are inconceivable like space; inexpressible like space; immeasurable like space; incomparable like space.
Subhūti, for this reason, the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, and the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, as well as the Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, gods, humans, asuras, and all beings in the world, are inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.
Subhūti, for this reason, the Buddha Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharma, the naturally arising Dharma, and the omniscient wisdom of all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are inconceivable, inexpressible, immeasurable, and incomparable.”
When the Buddha expounded this Dharma of the inconceivable, the inexpressible, the immeasurable, and the incomparable, five hundred bhikṣus in the assembly became free from all defilements and attained liberation of mind. Sixty thousand laymen, having abandoned all defilements and impurities with regard to all dharmas, attained the pure Dharma-eye. Thirty-seven thousand laywomen likewise attained the pure Dharma-eye. Twenty thousand great Bodhisattvas attained the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas and received predictions of Buddhahood in the Auspicious Aeon.
Chapter 43: Explaining the Matter (1)
At that time, the Venerable Subhūti addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, the profound Prajñāpāramitā appears in the world for a great purpose; it appears in the world for what is inconceivable; for what is inexpressible; for what is immeasurable; and for what is incomparable.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, exactly so, exactly as you have said! The profound Prajñāpāramitā appears in the world for a great purpose; for what is inconceivable; for what is inexpressible; for what is immeasurable; and for what is incomparable. Why is this? Because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the perfections of generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the emptiness of internal phenomena, external phenomena, internal and external phenomena, emptiness itself, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, intrinsic-nature emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all phenomena, ungraspable emptiness, non-nature emptiness, self-nature emptiness, and emptiness of self-nature.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish suchness, the Dharma realm, Dharma nature, non-false nature, unchanging nature, equality nature, unborn nature, fixed Dharma, abiding Dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the Noble Truths of suffering, origin, cessation, and the path.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the four dhyānas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the eight liberations, the eight masteries, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten total pervasions.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the four establishments of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of supernatural power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the liberation doors of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the ten Bodhisattva stages.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish 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.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the qualities of never forgetting and constant relinquishment.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and all-aspects wisdom.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish all dhāraṇī gateways and all samādhi gateways.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the fruits of stream-entry, once-returner, non-returner, and arhatship.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the realization of a Pratyekabuddha.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish all the practices of great Bodhisattvas.
Subhūti, because the profound Prajñāpāramitā is able to accomplish the unsurpassed enlightenment of all Buddhas.
Subhūti, just as a consecrated Kṣatriya king, endowed with sovereign majesty, having conquered all, entrusts all affairs of state to his ministers and dwells at ease in peace and security,
so too does the Tathāgata, the Great Dharma King, entrust and hand over the Dharma of the Śrāvakas, the Pratyekabuddhas, the Bodhisattvas, and the Buddhas entirely to the profound Prajñāpāramitā. Therefore, the profound Prajñāpāramitā is capable of accomplishing every undertaking.
Therefore, Subhūti, exactly so, exactly as you have said! The profound Prajñāpāramitā appears in the world for a great purpose; for what is inconceivable; for what is inexpressible; for what is immeasurable; and for what is incomparable. Why? Because the profound Prajñāpāramitā appears in the world without attachment to form, and therefore can accomplish every undertaking; without attachment to feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, and therefore can accomplish every undertaking.”
(The discourse then continues by repeating this same pattern for every category previously listed: the sense bases, sense objects, elements, dependent origination, the perfections, the various emptinesses, suchness and related realities, the Four Noble Truths, meditative attainments, liberations, Bodhisattva stages, the Buddha’s qualities, omniscient wisdom, dhāraṇīs, samādhis, the fruits of the noble paths, the Bodhisattva practices, and the unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddhas—stating that Prajñāpāramitā appears in the world without attachment to any of them and is therefore able to accomplish all undertakings.)
Then the Venerable Subhūti asked the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, why does the profound Prajñāpāramitā appear in the world without attachment to form, without attachment to feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness…?” (He repeats the same question for each of the categories previously enumerated.)
The Buddha replied:
“Subhūti, what do you think? Do you see form as something that can be grasped or clung to? Do you see feeling, perception, volitional formations, or consciousness as something that can be grasped or clung to? Do you see any dharma that can be grasped or clung to? Do you see any dharma by means of which grasping or clinging exists?”
Subhūti answered:
“World-Honored One, no.”
The Buddha then repeated the same line of questioning for all the previously listed categories—the sense bases, sense objects, elements, dependent origination, the perfections, the various emptinesses, suchness, the Four Noble Truths, meditative attainments, liberations, Bodhisattva stages, the Buddha’s qualities, omniscient wisdom, dhāraṇīs, samādhis, the fruits of the noble paths, the practices of great Bodhisattvas, and the unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddhas. Each time he asked whether any of these could truly be grasped or clung to, whether any dharma could be grasped or clung to, or whether there was any basis for grasping and clinging.
Each time Subhūti replied:
“World-Honored One, no.”