THE GREAT PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ SŪTRA
Volume 381
Chapter 68: THE MARKS OF ALL MERITS (3)
Subhūti, what are the four fearlessnesses?
Subhūti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones declare: “I am a Perfectly Enlightened One.” Even if ascetics, brahmins, gods, Māras, Brahmās, or anyone else in the world should challenge this according to established doctrines, or cause others to think that the Buddha is not perfectly enlightened with respect to such teachings, I clearly see that such challenges are groundless. Because I clearly see them as groundless, I abide securely and firmly, free from fear and dread. Therefore I proclaim myself the honored Great Sage and, in the midst of the assembly, rightly utter the lion’s roar and turn the Great Brahma Wheel, which no ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone else in the world can rightly overturn. This is the first.
All Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones declare: “I have forever eradicated all defilements.” Even if ascetics, brahmins, gods, Māras, Brahmās, or anyone else in the world challenge this according to established doctrines, or cause others to think that the Buddha has not completely eradicated those defilements, I know clearly that such challenges are without basis. Because I know them to be groundless, I abide securely and firmly, free from fear and dread. Therefore I proclaim myself the honored Great Sage and, in the midst of the assembly, rightly utter the lion’s roar and turn the Great Brahma Wheel, which no ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone else in the world can rightly overturn. This is the second.
All Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones declare: “For my disciples I teach those things that obstruct cultivation.” I do not regard this as difficult and have no fear at all. All defilements are certainly obstacles to cultivation. Even if ascetics, brahmins, gods, Māras, Brahmās, or anyone else in the world challenge this according to established doctrines, or claim that certain defiled states cannot obstruct cultivation, I clearly see that such challenges are without basis. Because I clearly see them as groundless, I abide securely and firmly, free from fear and dread. Therefore I proclaim myself the honored Great Sage and, in the midst of the assembly, rightly utter the lion’s roar and turn the Great Brahma Wheel, which no ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone else in the world can rightly overturn. This is the third.
All Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones declare: “For my disciples I teach the path of liberation. The noble ones who cultivate it certainly attain liberation, certainly realize it, completely end suffering, and escape the cycle of affliction.” Even if ascetics, brahmins, gods, Māras, Brahmās, or anyone else in the world challenge this according to established doctrines, or claim that by cultivating this path one does not truly attain liberation, realization, the ending of suffering, or freedom from the cycle of affliction, I clearly see that such challenges are without basis. Because I clearly see them as groundless, I abide securely and firmly, free from fear and dread. Therefore I proclaim myself the honored Great Sage and, in the midst of the assembly, rightly utter the lion’s roar and turn the Great Brahma Wheel, which no ascetic, brahmin, god, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone else in the world can rightly overturn. This is the fourth.
Subhūti, these are called the four fearlessnesses.
Subhūti, what are the four unobstructed knowledges?
Subhūti, they are unobstructed knowledge of meaning, unobstructed knowledge of Dharma, unobstructed knowledge of language, and unobstructed knowledge of eloquence.
Subhūti, these are called the four unobstructed knowledges.
Subhūti, what is unobstructed knowledge of meaning? It is wisdom that apprehends meaning without obstruction.
Subhūti, what is unobstructed knowledge of Dharma? It is wisdom that apprehends Dharma without obstruction.
Subhūti, what is unobstructed knowledge of language? It is wisdom that apprehends language without obstruction.
Subhūti, what is unobstructed knowledge of eloquence?
It is wisdom that apprehends eloquence without obstruction.
Subhūti, what are the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha?
Subhūti, all Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones are never mistaken—this is the first unique quality of a Buddha. All Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones never speak hastily or harshly—this is the second unique quality. They never lose mindfulness—this is the third. They are always established in concentration—this is the fourth. They are free from all false conceptions—this is the fifth. Nothing is left unexamined or indiscriminately abandoned—this is the sixth. Their aspiration never declines—this is the seventh. Their diligence never retreats—this is the eighth. Their mindfulness is constant and never forgotten—this is the ninth. Their Prajñā (wisdom) never declines—this is the tenth. Their liberation never declines—this is the eleventh. Their knowledge and vision of liberation never decline—this is the twelfth. Whatever they know or see regarding the past is free from attachment and unobstructed—this is the thirteenth. Whatever they know or see regarding the present is free from attachment and unobstructed—this is the fourteenth. Whatever they know or see regarding the future is free from attachment and unobstructed—this is the fifteenth. Every bodily action is guided by wisdom and proceeds in accordance with wisdom—this is the sixteenth. Every verbal action is guided by wisdom and proceeds in accordance with wisdom—this is the seventeenth. Every mental action is guided by wisdom and proceeds in accordance with wisdom—this is the eighteenth.
Subhūti, these are the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha.
Subhūti, what are the thirty-two marks of a Great Being possessed by the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One?
Subhūti, the soles of the World-Honored One’s feet are level, full, beautiful, and firm, like the bottom of a box. Whether the ground is high or low, wherever his feet tread it becomes level, with every part making contact. This is the first mark.
On the soles of the World-Honored One’s feet are wheel signs with a thousand spokes, each perfectly formed. This is the second mark.
His hands and feet are soft like silk, surpassing all others in beauty. This is the third mark.
Between each finger and toe are golden-colored webs, like those of a royal swan, beautifully patterned as though embroidered. This is the fourth mark.
His fingers and toes are long, slender, rounded, and exceedingly graceful. This is the fifth mark.
His heels are broad, long, full, and proportionate to the insteps, surpassing those of all other beings. This is the sixth mark.
The insteps of his feet are high, full, soft, and beautiful, proportionate to the heels. This is the seventh mark.
His thighs are gracefully rounded like those of the king of deer. This is the eighth mark.
His arms are long, straight, and round like the trunk of the king of elephants; when standing upright, his hands reach his knees. This is the ninth mark.
His male organ is concealed like that of a noble horse or a king elephant. This is the tenth mark.
Each pore of his body grows only one hair, soft, dark blue, and curling to the right. This is the eleventh mark.
The hair on his body grows upward, curls toward the face, is soft and dark blue, and exceedingly lovely. This is the twelfth mark.
His skin is smooth and delicate so that dust and water do not adhere to it. This is the thirteenth mark.
His skin shines with the brilliant golden color of refined gold, resplendent and adorned like the finest treasures. This is the fourteenth mark.
His two feet, two hands, neck, and shoulders are perfectly proportioned in seven places. This is the fifteenth mark.
The back of his neck and shoulders are beautifully rounded and full. This is the sixteenth mark.
His armpits are full and well formed. This is the seventeenth mark.
His bearing is majestic and perfectly dignified. This is the eighteenth mark.
His body is tall and noble in appearance. This is the nineteenth mark.
His stature is perfectly proportioned in every direction, round and full like the Nyagrodha tree. This is the twentieth mark.
His chest and upper body are broad and majestic like the king of lions. This is the twenty-first mark.
His radiant halo extends one fathom in every direction. This is the twenty-second mark.
He has forty teeth, evenly aligned, closely set, deeply rooted, and whiter than snowy jade. This is the twenty-third mark.
His four canine teeth are brilliantly white and sharp. This is the twenty-fourth mark.
The World-Honored One always enjoys the finest flavors because his throat channels are straight, allowing the finest essence to nourish every subtle channel of the body. Disorders of wind, phlegm, and heat cannot invade him. Since such illnesses do not arise, his bodily channels remain free from imbalance, damage, obstruction, or disease. Food passes directly through his throat, digestion is smooth, and both body and mind remain refreshed. This is the twenty-fifth mark.
His tongue is thin, pure, broad, and long, capable of covering his entire face and reaching his ears and hairline. This is the twenty-sixth mark.
Whenever he speaks, his voice is gentle, refined, and far-reaching. Whether the audience is large or small, all can hear him. His voice resounds like a heavenly drum and is melodious like the song of the Kalaviṅka bird. This is the twenty-seventh mark.
His eyelashes resemble those of the king of oxen, always straight and never tangled. This is the twenty-eighth mark.
His eyes are bright blue and white, with reddish circles, clear and luminous. This is the twenty-ninth mark.
His face is like the full moon, and his eyebrows are bright and pure like the bow of Indra. This is the thirtieth mark.
Between his eyebrows is a white curl of soft hair, turning to the right, shining more brilliantly than snowy jade. This is the thirty-first mark.
On the crown of his head is a fleshy protuberance, round like a heavenly parasol. This is the thirty-second mark.
Subhūti, these are the thirty-two marks of a Great Being.
Subhūti, what are the eighty secondary characteristics of the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One?
Subhūti, the World-Honored One’s fingernails are narrow, long, thin, soft, bright, and pure, like the blossoms of the copper tree. This is the first secondary characteristic.
His fingers and toes are rounded, tapered, long, straight, and supple, with joints that do not protrude. This is the second.
The spaces between his fingers and toes are evenly filled and uniform. This is the third.
His hands and feet are perfectly rounded, soft, pure, smooth, and colored like lotus flowers. This is the fourth.
His veins and sinews are firmly connected and hidden from view. This is the fifth.
His ankles are concealed and do not protrude. This is the sixth.
He walks calmly and directly like the king of elephants. This is the seventh.
His gait is majestic like the king of lions. This is the eighth.
His steps are calm and steady, neither too long nor too short, like those of the king of oxen. This is the ninth.
He stops and stands with perfect propriety like the king of geese. This is the tenth.
When looking back, he always turns to the right like the king of elephants, moving his entire body. This is the eleventh.
The joints of his body are perfectly rounded and well arranged. This is the twelfth.
His bones are firmly joined without gaps, like a coiled dragon. This is the thirteenth.
His kneecaps are perfectly formed, strong, and complete. This is the fourteenth.
His private parts possess graceful markings, complete dignity, and perfect purity. This is the fifteenth.
His body is moist, smooth, soft, radiant, and clean, with no dust adhering to it. This is the sixteenth.
His appearance is dignified, fearless, and never timid. This is the seventeenth.
His body is firm, solid, and perfectly proportioned. This is the eighteenth.
His body is stable, full, never shaken, complete, and indestructible. This is the nineteenth.
His bodily form resembles that of the king of immortals, wholly dignified, radiant, and free from dullness. This is the twentieth.
His body is surrounded by a halo that continually emits light wherever he goes. This is the twenty-first.
His abdomen is square, full, soft, and well concealed, adorned with all auspicious signs. This is the twenty-second.
His navel is deep, spirals to the right, round, beautiful, clean, and radiant. This is the twenty-third.
The opening of his navel is thick, neither sunken nor protruding, and beautifully proportioned. This is the twenty-fourth.
His skin is free from scabies, itching, moles, tumors, and all skin diseases. This is the twenty-fifth.
His palms are full and soft, and the soles of his feet are level. This is the twenty-sixth.
The lines on his palms are deep, long, straight, fresh, moist, and unbroken. This is the twenty-seventh.
His lips are bright, moist, and crimson like the Tinduka fruit, with the upper and lower lips perfectly proportioned. This is the twenty-eighth.
His mouth is neither too long nor too short, neither too large nor too small, but perfectly proportioned and dignified. This is the twenty-ninth.
His tongue is soft, broad, long, and copper-colored. This is the thirtieth.
His voice is majestic, resonant, profound, and clear like the roar of the king of elephants. This is the thirty-first.
The tones of his speech are gentle and perfectly rounded, like echoes in a deep valley. This is the thirty-second.
His nose is high, long, and straight, with nostrils that are not exposed. This is the thirty-third.
His teeth are evenly aligned, straight, and beautifully white. This is the thirty-fourth.
His front teeth are clear, white, bright, and sharp. This is the thirty-fifth.
His eyes are clean, bright, and clear. This is the thirty-sixth.
His eyes are long and broad like the petals of a blue lotus, exceedingly lovely. This is the thirty-seventh.
His upper and lower eyelids are straight, thick, and full. This is the thirty-eighth.
His eyebrows are long, full, fine, and soft. This is the thirty-ninth.
His eyebrows are beautifully ordered, dark blue like lapis lazuli. This is the fortieth.
His eyebrows are high, distinct, and radiant, shaped like the crescent moon. This is the forty-first.
His ears are thick, broad, long, with beautifully rounded lobes. This is the forty-second.
Both ears are smooth, beautiful, and free from defects. This is the forty-third.
His appearance inspires all who see him with reverence and affection, never diminishing. This is the forty-fourth.
His forehead is broad, round, level, and beautifully formed. This is the forty-fifth.
The upper half of his body is perfect like that of the king of lions, majestic beyond compare. This is the forty-sixth.
His hair is long, dark blue, thick, and luxuriant. This is the forty-seventh.
His hair is fragrant, clean, fine, soft, glossy, and curled. This is the forty-eighth.
His hair is orderly, untangled, and never matted. This is the forty-ninth.
His hair is strong, never breaks, and never falls out. This is the fiftieth.
His hair is smooth and beautiful, with no dust adhering to it. This is the fifty-first.
His body is stronger and more robust than that of Nārāyaṇa. This is the fifty-second.
His body is tall, upright, and perfectly proportioned. This is the fifty-third.
All the openings of his body are clean, round, and beautiful. This is the fifty-fourth.
The limbs of his body possess unsurpassed marvelous power. This is the fifty-fifth.
His bodily appearance is always delightful to behold and never tires the eye. This is the fifty-sixth.
His face is long, broad, well proportioned, bright, and clear like the autumn full moon. This is the fifty-seventh.
His countenance is serene and radiant. He smiles before speaking and always looks straight ahead without turning back. This is the fifty-eighth.
His face is bright and joyful, free from wrinkles, discoloration, and blemishes. This is the fifty-ninth.
His skin is pure, spotless, and never emits unpleasant odors. This is the sixtieth.
The pores of his body constantly emit a wondrous, delightful fragrance. This is the sixty-first.
His mouth constantly emits a supreme fragrance. This is the sixty-second.
His head is perfectly round and beautiful like the Matadana fruit or a heavenly parasol. This is the sixty-third.
The hair on his body is dark blue and lustrous like the neck of a peacock, with the beauty of burnished copper. This is the sixty-fourth.
His Dharma voice adapts to every audience, whether great or small, neither increasing nor diminishing, always in accord with truth. This is the sixty-fifth.
The crown of his head cannot be seen to its utmost extent. This is the sixty-sixth.
Whether extending or withdrawing his hands and feet, every movement is clear, dignified, and beautiful, with the color of polished copper. This is the sixty-seventh.
When he walks, his feet are about four finger-breadths above the ground, yet they leave footprints. This is the sixty-eighth.
He maintains perfect balance without assistance; his body neither wavers nor inclines. This is the sixty-ninth.
His majestic virtue inspires all beings: those with evil minds become joyful upon seeing him, and those who are fearful become peaceful. This is the seventieth.
His voice is neither high nor low, but harmoniously suited to the wishes of living beings. This is the seventy-first.
He always teaches the Dharma to all beings in whatever voice pleases them. This is the seventy-second.
He expounds the true Dharma with a single voice, yet every type of being understands it according to its own nature. This is the seventy-third.
His teaching always follows a proper sequence, with definite causes and conditions, and every word is wholesome. This is the seventy-fourth.
He observes all beings, praising what is good and reproving what is evil, yet without attachment or aversion. This is the seventy-fifth.
Before doing anything, he first examines it carefully, then acts according to proper standards, making what is present and pure known. This is the seventy-sixth.
No sentient being can fully behold all of his auspicious marks. This is the seventy-seventh.
The bones at the back of his head are firm, round, and full. This is the seventy-eighth.
His appearance remains ever youthful, never aging, delighting in revisiting familiar places. This is the seventy-ninth.
His hands, feet, and chest all bear auspicious signs that spiral in graceful patterns like embroidery, colored like red gemstones. This is the eightieth.
Subhūti, these are called the eighty secondary characteristics.
Good Subhūti, the Thus Come One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, because of having perfected such excellent marks, can, at will, have the light from His body illuminate throughout the three-thousand great-thousand world system, leaving no place unreached. With but a single thought, it can immediately shine throughout immeasurable, boundless, countless worlds. Yet, out of compassion for sentient beings, He restrains His radiance so that it constantly shines only one fathom on each side. If the radiance from His body were fully emitted, then even the light of the sun, moon, and the like would be eclipsed. Sentient beings would no longer be able to distinguish day and night, half-months, days, hours, or years, and whatever they attempted to do could not be successfully accomplished. The Buddha’s voice, at will, can likewise pervade the entire three-thousand great-thousand world system. When He directs His mind to it, it can immediately reach immeasurable, boundless, countless worlds. Yet, in order to benefit sentient beings, that voice neither increases nor decreases according to the number of those who hear it.
Good Subhūti, such supreme merits were already accomplished by me in the past when, as a Bodhisattva, I practiced Prajñāpāramitā. Therefore, I now possess these fully adorned excellent marks. All sentient beings who behold them rejoice and attain supreme benefit and peace.
Good Subhūti, in this way, when a Great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā, they are able to use the two kinds of giving—material giving and Dharma giving—to embrace and guide sentient beings. This is a most rare and extraordinary Dharma!
Good Subhūti, how does a Great Bodhisattva use kind speech to embrace and guide sentient beings?
Good Subhūti, when a Great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā, they use gentle and harmonious words. First, they teach sentient beings about the Perfection of Giving (Dāna Pāramitā), skillfully drawing them in. Next, they teach the Perfection of Moral Discipline (Śīla Pāramitā), skillfully drawing them in. Then they teach the Perfection of Patience (Kṣānti Pāramitā), skillfully drawing them in. After that, they teach the Perfection of Diligence (Vīrya Pāramitā), skillfully drawing them in. They then teach the Perfection of Meditation (Dhyāna Pāramitā), skillfully drawing them in. Finally, they teach the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā), skillfully drawing them in.
Good Subhūti, when a Great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā, they speak extensively and gently about these six Perfections in order to embrace sentient beings. Why is this? Because these six Perfections have the power to encompass and preserve all wholesome qualities.
Good Subhūti, how does a Great Bodhisattva use beneficial action to embrace and guide sentient beings?
Good Subhūti, when a Great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā, throughout endless time, they employ every skillful means to encourage sentient beings to diligently cultivate Giving, Moral Discipline, Patience, Diligence, Meditation, Prajñāpāramitā, and all other excellent wholesome teachings, never growing weary or abandoning them.
Good Subhūti, how does a Great Bodhisattva use cooperation and shared endeavor to embrace and guide sentient beings?
Good Subhūti, when a Great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā, through supreme spiritual powers and the wondrous force of great vows, they manifest within the realms of hell beings, animals, hungry ghosts, humans, heavenly beings, and others, working alongside them, skillfully drawing them in and enabling them to attain supreme benefit and peace.
Good Subhūti, in this way, a Great Bodhisattva is able to use Giving, Kind Speech, Beneficial Action, and Cooperation to embrace and guide sentient beings. This is a most rare and extraordinary Dharma.
Again, Subhūti, with the Buddha-eye I survey the immeasurable, Ganges-sand-like worlds throughout the ten directions and see great Bodhisattvas practicing the profound Prajñāpāramitā, transmitting and teaching it to other Bodhisattvas in this way:
“Good man, you should diligently learn, expound, and develop the letters according to the Dharma gate of Dhāraṇī. That is, you should skillfully learn one letter, two letters, three letters, four letters, five letters, six letters, seven letters, eight letters, nine letters, ten letters, and so on up to twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, a hundred, a thousand, and even countless letters, expounding them with complete freedom. You should also skillfully learn how all speech and language enter into one letter, or into two letters, three letters, four letters, five letters, six letters, seven letters, eight letters, nine letters, ten letters, and so on up to twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, hundreds, thousands, and countless letters, expounding and developing them freely. Furthermore, you should skillfully learn how within one letter all letters are contained, and within all letters one letter is contained, expounding them freely. You should also skillfully learn how one letter can encompass the forty-two letters, and how the forty-two letters can encompass one letter.
“Subhūti, that great Bodhisattva should learn in this way: the forty-two letters enter into one letter, and one letter also enters into the forty-two letters. Having learned thus, he skillfully expounds and develops the letters. Having attained this, he further becomes skillful in expounding what is beyond letters. Just as the Thus Come Ones, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones are skillful with the Dharma and skillful with letters, using all dharmas and all letters skillfully, they are likewise skillful in what is beyond letters. Because of this skillfulness, they are able to teach the Dharma with letters for the sake of sentient beings, teach the Dharma beyond letters, and explain the Dharma beyond letters by means of letters. Why? Subhūti, because apart from letters, what is beyond letters is not different from the Buddha-Dharma. Transcending all letters is what is truly called the Buddha-Dharma. Why? Because all dharmas and all sentient beings are ultimately empty, boundless emptiness.”
At that time the Venerable Subhūti addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One, if all dharmas and all sentient beings are ultimately empty, boundless emptiness, and therefore transcend all letters, then the true nature of all dharmas and all sentient beings is completely ungraspable. If so, why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate Prajñāpāramitā, cultivate Dhyāna, vigor, patience, morality, and generosity as pāramitās? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the four meditations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate 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? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the liberation gate of Emptiness, the liberation gates of Signlessness and Wishlessness? Why does a great Bodhisattva abide in the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, intrinsic emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, the emptiness of all dharmas, ungraspable emptiness, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature? Why does a great Bodhisattva abide in suchness, the Dharma realm, Dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the equal nature, the nature beyond arising, fixed Dharma, abiding Dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm? Why does a great Bodhisattva abide in the noble truth of suffering, the noble truths of origin, cessation, and the path? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive meditative attainments, and the ten total pervasions? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate all Dhāraṇī Dharma gates and all Samādhi Dharma gates? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the stages of Great Joy, Stainlessness, Radiance, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Conquer, Manifest Presence, Far Going, Immovability, Good Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the five kinds of vision and the six supernatural powers? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered knowledges, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate unfailing mindfulness and constant relinquishment? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate omniscient wisdom, the wisdom of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects? Why does a great Bodhisattva cultivate the thirty-two marks of a Great Person and the eighty secondary characteristics? Why does a great Bodhisattva abide in the six supernatural powers arising from merit and then expound the true Dharma for sentient beings?
“World-Honored One, all sentient beings are ungraspable, and even the designation ‘sentient beings’ is ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, form is ungraspable; feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the eye-base is ungraspable; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind bases are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, visible forms are ungraspable; sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and mental objects are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the eye-realm is ungraspable; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind realms are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the realm of visible forms is ungraspable; the realms of sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and mental objects are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the realm of eye-consciousness is ungraspable; the realms of ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, eye-contact is ungraspable; ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the feelings arising in dependence upon eye-contact are ungraspable, and so too are the feelings arising in dependence upon ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the earth element is ungraspable; the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, causes and conditions are ungraspable; immediately preceding conditions, object conditions, and dominant conditions are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, all dharmas arising from conditions are ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, ignorance is ungraspable; formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, distress, and despair are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, generosity as pāramitā is ungraspable; morality, patience, vigor, meditation, and Prajñāpāramitā are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the four meditations are ungraspable; the four immeasurables and the four formless absorptions are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the four foundations of mindfulness are ungraspable; the four right efforts, four bases of supernatural power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and Noble Eightfold Path are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the liberation gate of Emptiness is ungraspable; the liberation gates of Signlessness and Wishlessness are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the emptiness of the internal is ungraspable; the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, intrinsic emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, the emptiness of all dharmas, ungraspable emptiness, the emptiness of non-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, suchness is ungraspable; the Dharma realm, Dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the equal nature, the nature beyond arising, fixed Dharma, abiding Dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the noble truth of suffering is ungraspable; the noble truths of origin, cessation, and the path are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the eight liberations are ungraspable; the eight spheres of mastery, nine successive meditative attainments, and ten total pervasions are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, all Dhāraṇī Dharma gates are ungraspable; all Samādhi Dharma gates are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the stage of Great Joy is ungraspable; the stages of Stainlessness, Radiance, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Conquer, Manifest Presence, Far Going, Immovability, Good Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the five kinds of vision are ungraspable; the six supernatural powers are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the Buddha’s ten powers are ungraspable; the four fearlessnesses, four unhindered knowledges, and eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, great loving-kindness is ungraspable; great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, unfailing mindfulness is ungraspable; constant relinquishment is likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, omniscient wisdom is ungraspable; the wisdom of the path and the wisdom of all aspects are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the fruit of Stream-enterer is ungraspable; the fruits of Once-returner, Non-returner, Arhat, and Pratyekabuddha are likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, all practices of a great Bodhisattva are ungraspable, and the supreme enlightenment of all Buddhas is likewise ungraspable. Because all sentient beings are ungraspable, the thirty-two marks of a Great Person are ungraspable, and the eighty secondary characteristics are likewise ungraspable.
“World-Honored One, within what is ungraspable there are no sentient beings and no designation of sentient beings; there is no form and no designation of form; there are no feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness and no designation of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; there is no eye-base and no designation of the eye-base; there are no ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind bases and no designation of them; there are no visible forms and no designation of visible forms; there are no sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, or mental objects and no designation of them; there is no eye-realm and no designation of the eye-realm; there are no ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind realms and no designation of them; there is no realm of visible forms and no designation of it; there are no realms of sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, or mental objects and no designation of them; there is no eye-consciousness realm and no designation of it; there are no ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-consciousness realms and no designation of them; there is no eye-contact and no designation of it; there are no ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact and no designation of them; there are no feelings arising from eye-contact and no designation of such feelings; there are no feelings arising from ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact and no designation of them; there is no earth element and no designation of it; there are no water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness elements and no designation of them; there are no causes and conditions and no designation of them; there are no immediately preceding conditions, object conditions, or dominant conditions and no designation of them; there are no conditioned dharmas and no designation of conditioned dharmas; there is no ignorance and no designation of ignorance; there are no formations, consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, distress, or despair, and no designation of them; there is no generosity as pāramitā and no designation of it; there are no morality, patience, vigor, meditation, or Prajñāpāramitā and no designation of them; there are no four meditations and no designation of them; there are no four immeasurables or four formless absorptions and no designation of them; there are no four foundations of mindfulness and no designation of them; there are no four right efforts, four bases of supernatural power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, or Noble Eightfold Path, and no designation of them; there is no liberation gate of Emptiness and no designation of it; there are no liberation gates of Signlessness or Wishlessness and no designation of them; there is no emptiness of the internal and no designation of it; there are no emptiness of the external, emptiness of both internal and external, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, boundless emptiness, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, intrinsic emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, ungraspable emptiness, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, or emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature, and no designation of them; there is no suchness and no designation of it; there are no Dharma realm, Dharma-nature, nature free from falsity, unchanging nature, equal nature, nature beyond arising, fixed Dharma, abiding Dharma, ultimate reality, realm of space, or inconceivable realm, and no designation of them; there is no noble truth of suffering and no designation of it; there are no noble truths of origin, cessation, or the path and no designation of them; there are no eight liberations and no designation of them; there are no eight spheres of mastery, nine successive meditative attainments, or ten total pervasions and no designation of them; there are no Dhāraṇī Dharma gates and no designation of them; there are no Samādhi Dharma gates and no designation of them; there is no stage of Great Joy and no designation of it; there are no stages of Stainlessness through Dharma Cloud and no designation of them; there are no five kinds of vision and no designation of them; there are no six supernatural powers and no designation of them; there are no Buddha’s ten powers and no designation of them; there are no four fearlessnesses, four unhindered knowledges, or eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha and no designation of them; there is no great loving-kindness and no designation of it; there are no great compassion, great sympathetic joy, or great equanimity and no designation of them; there is no unfailing mindfulness and no designation of it; there is no constant relinquishment and no designation of it; there is no omniscient wisdom and no designation of it; there are no wisdom of the path or wisdom of all aspects and no designation of them; there is no fruit of Stream-enterer and no designation of it; there are no fruits of Once-returner, Non-returner, Arhat, or Pratyekabuddha and no designation of them; there are no practices of a great Bodhisattva and no designation of them; there is no supreme enlightenment of all Buddhas and no designation of it; there are no thirty-two marks of a Great Person and no designation of them; there are no eighty secondary characteristics and no designation of them.
“World-Honored One, if all sentient beings, dharmas, and their designations are ungraspable and entirely without possession, then why does a great Bodhisattva, while practicing the profound Prajñāpāramitā, expound the various dharmas for sentient beings? World-Honored One, may it never be that a great Bodhisattva abides in false Dharma, teaches false Dharma to sentient beings, encourages them to abide in false Dharma, or establishes them through inverted Dharma. Why? Because when a great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā, he has not yet attained Bodhi, much less any constituent of Bodhi that can be attained. He has not yet attained the state of a great Bodhisattva, much less any Dharma of a great Bodhisattva that can be attained.”
The Buddha said:
“Subhūti, so it is, so it is, exactly as you have said. All sentient beings are ungraspable, and even the designation of all sentient beings is ungraspable. All dharmas are also ungraspable, and even the designation of all dharmas is ungraspable. Because they are ungraspable and entirely without possession, know that the internal is empty; know that the external is empty; know that both internal and external are empty; know emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, boundless emptiness, dispersed emptiness, unchanging emptiness, intrinsic emptiness, characteristic emptiness, common-characteristic emptiness, emptiness of all dharmas, ungraspable emptiness, emptiness of non-nature, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of non-nature. Know that suchness is empty; know that the Dharma realm, Dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the equal nature, the nature beyond arising, fixed Dharma, abiding Dharma, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm are all empty. Know that the noble truth of suffering is empty; know that the noble truths of origin, cessation, and the path are empty. Know that form is empty; know that feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are empty. Know that the eye-base is empty; know that the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind bases are empty. Know that visible forms are empty; know that sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and mental objects are empty. Know that the eye-realm is empty; know that the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind realms are empty. Know that the realm of visible forms is empty; know that the realms of sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and mental objects are empty. Know that the realm of eye-consciousness is empty; know that the realms of ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness are empty. Know that eye-contact is empty; know that ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact are empty. Know that the feelings arising from eye-contact are empty; know that the feelings arising from ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact are empty. Know that the earth element is empty; know that the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness elements are empty. Know that causes and conditions are empty; know that immediately preceding conditions, object conditions, and dominant conditions are empty. Know that all conditioned dharmas are empty. Know that ignorance is empty; know that formations, consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, distress, and despair are empty. Know that self is empty; know that sentient beings, life-stream, generating capacity, nourishment, growth, transmigrating subject, mind-born being, youth, capacity to act, capacity to cause others to act, capacity to create karma, capacity to cause others to create karma, capacity to receive karmic results, capacity to cause others to receive karmic results, the knower, and the seer are all empty. Know that generosity as pāramitā is empty; know that morality, patience, vigor, meditation, and Prajñāpāramitā are all empty. Know that the four meditations are empty; know that the four immeasurables and four formless absorptions are empty. Know that the four foundations of mindfulness are empty; know that the four right efforts, four bases of supernatural power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and Noble Eightfold Path are all empty. Know that the liberation gate of Emptiness is empty; know that the liberation gates of Signlessness and Wishlessness are empty. Know that the eight liberations are empty; know that the eight spheres of mastery, nine successive meditative attainments, and ten total pervasions are empty. Know that all Dhāraṇī Dharma gates are empty; know that all Samādhi Dharma gates are empty. Know that the stage of Great Joy is empty; know that the stages of Stainlessness, Radiance, Blazing Wisdom, Difficult to Conquer, Manifest Presence, Far Going, Immovability, Good Wisdom, and Dharma Cloud are all empty. Know that the five kinds of vision are empty; know that the six supernatural powers are empty. Know that the Buddha’s ten powers are empty; know that the four fearlessnesses, four unhindered knowledges, and eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha are all empty. Know that great loving-kindness is empty; know that great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity are all empty. Know that unfailing mindfulness is empty; know that constant relinquishment is empty. Know that omniscient wisdom is empty; know that the wisdom of the path and the wisdom of all aspects are empty. Know that the fruit of Stream-enterer is empty; know that the fruits of Once-returner, Non-returner, Arhat, and Pratyekabuddha are all empty. Know that all practices of a great Bodhisattva are empty. Know that the supreme enlightenment of all Buddhas is empty. Know that all Buddha lands are empty. Know that the accomplishment and fulfillment of sentient beings is empty. Know that the thirty-two marks of a Great Person are empty; know that the eighty secondary characteristics are empty.
“Subhūti, when a great Bodhisattva practices the profound Prajñāpāramitā and sees that all dharmas are empty, he expounds the various dharmas for sentient beings so that they may abandon delusion. Although he teaches the dharmas for the sake of sentient beings, there is absolutely nothing attained with respect to sentient beings. With regard to the characteristics of emptiness, there is neither increase nor decrease, neither grasping nor abandoning. Therefore, although he teaches the dharmas, there is no object of teaching.
“Subhūti, when this great Bodhisattva contemplates all dharmas in this way, he attains unobstructed wisdom regarding all dharmas. Through this wisdom, he neither destroys the dharmas nor divides them into dualities. He expounds them truthfully for sentient beings, enabling them to abandon attachment, false imagination, and delusion, and according to their capacities, he guides them toward the fruit of the three vehicles.