大般若波羅蜜多經

03

At that time, within this three-thousandfold world-system, the hosts of gods of the Four Great Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yama Heaven, the Tusita Heaven, the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, the Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Emanations, the Brahma Host Heaven, the Brahma Ministers Heaven, the Brahma Assembly Heaven, the Great Brahma Heaven, the Radiant Heaven, the Heaven of Lesser Radiance, the Heaven of Measureless Radiance, the Heaven of Utmost Radiant Purity, the Pure Heaven, the Heaven of Lesser Purity, the Heaven of Measureless Purity, the Heaven of Pervasive Purity, the Vast Heaven, the Heaven of Lesser Vastness, the Heaven of Measureless Vastness, the Heaven of Abundant Fruit, the Heaven Free from Affliction, the Heaven Free from Heat,

the Heaven of Excellent Manifestation, the Heaven of Excellent Vision, and the Akanistha Heaven spoke with one voice to Sakra, lord of the gods:

“Great Seer! The Great Seer should receive this Prajnaparamita! The Great Seer should retain this Prajnaparamita! The Great Seer should read this Prajnaparamita! The Great Seer should recite this Prajnaparamita! The Great Seer should diligently cultivate and study this Prajnaparamita! The Great Seer should contemplate this Prajnaparamita in accordance with principle! The Great Seer should reverently make offerings to, honor, and praise this Prajnaparamita. Why is this? Great Seer! If one constantly receives and retains, reads and recites, diligently cultivates and studies, contemplates in accordance with principle, reverently makes offerings to, honors, and praises this Prajnaparamita, all unwholesome dharmas will diminish and wholesome dharmas will increase.

“Great Seer! If one constantly receives and retains, reads and recites, diligently cultivates and studies, contemplates in accordance with principle, reverently makes offerings to, honors, and praises this Prajnaparamita, the entire host of gods will increase, while the hosts of asuras will diminish.

“Great Seer! If one constantly receives and retains, reads and recites, diligently cultivates and studies, contemplates in accordance with principle, reverently makes offerings to, honors, and praises this Prajnaparamita, the eye of the Buddha, the eye of the Dharma, and the eye of the Sangha will never perish.

“Great Seer! If one constantly receives and retains, reads and recites, diligently cultivates and studies, contemplates in accordance with principle, reverently makes offerings to, honors, and praises this Prajnaparamita, the lineage of the precious Buddha, the lineage of the precious Dharma, and the lineage of the precious Sangha will remain unbroken. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal-and-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, final emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of non-change, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unobtainable,

the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence appear in the world.

Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, suchness, the dharma realm, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm appear in the world. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the Noble Truth of suffering and the Noble Truths of its origin, cessation, and the path appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the four meditative concentrations and the four formless attainments appear in the world.

Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the eight liberations, eight spheres of mastery, nine successive attainments, and ten totalities appear in the world. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and Noble Eightfold Path appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the liberation gateways of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness appear in the world.

Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the five kinds of eyes and six superknowledges appear in the world. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the ten powers of a Buddha, four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity appear in the world.

Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways appear in the world. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the wisdom of all-knowledge, the wisdom of the aspects of the paths, and the wisdom of all aspects appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Supreme Vehicle appear in the world.

Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats appear in the world. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, those practicing toward stream-entry and the fruit of stream-entry, those practicing toward once-returning and the fruit of once-returning, those practicing toward non-returning and the fruit of non-returning, and those practicing toward arhatship and the fruit of arhatship appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, pratyekabuddhas, those practicing toward pratyekabuddhahood, and the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood appear in the world.

Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, great bodhisattvas and Samyaksambuddhas appear in the world. Great Seer!

You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, great bodhisattvas and the dharmas of the ten stages of great bodhisattvas, and so forth, appear in the world. Great Seer! You should know that because the lineages of the Three Jewels remain unbroken, Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Awakened Ones, and the fruit of supreme enlightenment appear in the world.

Therefore, Great Seer, you should receive and retain, read and recite, diligently cultivate and study, contemplate in accordance with principle, reverently make offerings to, honor, and praise this Prajnaparamita.”

At that time, the Buddha said to Sakra, lord of the gods, “Kausika! You should receive this profound Prajnaparamita. You should retain this profound Prajnaparamita.

You should read this profound Prajnaparamita. You should recite this profound Prajnaparamita. You should diligently cultivate and study this profound Prajnaparamita.

You should contemplate this profound Prajnaparamita in accordance with principle. You should reverently make offerings to, honor, and praise this profound Prajnaparamita. Why is this?

Kausika! If the fierce and unruly hosts of asuras should give rise to this evil thought: ‘We shall marshal our forces and wage war against the gods of the Thirty-Three,’ then you and the gods in your retinue should sincerely recite and recollect this profound Prajnaparamita and reverently make offerings to, honor, and praise it. At that very moment, the evil intentions of those fierce and unruly hosts of asuras will be extinguished and will not arise again.”

Kausika! If the five signs of decline appear in any deva or devī, causing them to become terrified and fear falling into an evil realm, then you devas and your retinues should stand before them and, with utmost sincerity, recite and recollect the prajnaparamita in this way. At that time, because those devas or devīs possess the wholesome root of hearing this prajnaparamita, they will give rise to pure faith in it.

Consequently, the five signs of decline will disappear, and their bodies and minds will become peaceful and at ease. Even if their lives come to an end, they will be reborn in their former celestial abode and enjoy heavenly prosperity and happiness surpassing what they had before. Why is this?

Kausika! It is because the majestic power and merit of hearing and having faith in the prajnaparamita are exceedingly vast.

Kausika! Whether they are good men, good women, devas, or devīs, through the wholesome root arising from hearing this prajnaparamita even once, they will certainly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why is this?

Kausika! All the Buddhas and their disciples of the past trained in this prajnaparamita, attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and entered the realm of nirvana without remainder. All the Buddhas and their disciples of the future will train in this prajnaparamita, attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and enter the realm of nirvana without remainder.

The immeasurable Buddhas and their disciples presently dwelling throughout the ten directions all train in this prajnaparamita, directly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and enter the realm of nirvana without remainder. Why is this? Kausika!

It is because this prajnaparamita fully encompasses all the factors conducive to enlightenment, whether the Dharma of the śrāvakas, the Dharma of the pratyekabuddhas, the Dharma of the bodhisattvas, or the Dharma of the Tathagatas.

At that time, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, addressed the Buddha: “Blessed One! This prajnaparamita is a great divine mantra; this prajnaparamita is a great illumination mantra; this prajnaparamita is an unsurpassed mantra; this prajnaparamita is an unequaled mantra; this prajnaparamita is the king of all mantras, supreme and most wondrous, capable of subduing all things while never being subdued by anything. Why is this, Blessed One? It is because this prajnaparamita can eliminate all evil and unwholesome dharmas and can gather, foster, and increase all wholesome dharmas.”

At that time, the Buddha said to Śakra, Lord of the Devas: “So it is! So it is! It is just as you have said.

Kausika! This prajnaparamita is a great divine mantra, a great illumination mantra, an unsurpassed mantra, an unequaled mantra, and the king of all mantras, supreme and most wondrous, capable of subduing all things while never being subdued by anything. Why is this?

All the Buddhas of the past relied upon this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, and attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. All the Buddhas of the future will rely upon this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, and attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. The immeasurable Buddhas presently dwelling throughout the ten directions all rely upon this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, and directly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Why is this? Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the ten wholesome courses of karma appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that such practices as the gift of Dharma, observance of fasting precepts, and keeping the precepts appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, the four formless concentrations, the five superknowledges, and so forth appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the paramitas of generosity, pure ethical discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, dhyana, and prajnaparamita appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, final emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of non-change, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the nonexistence of self-nature appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that suchness, the dharma-dhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding order of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering, the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Truth of the path appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten totalities appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of supernormal power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the Dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that those practicing toward stream-entry, the fruit of stream-entry, those practicing toward once-returning, the fruit of once-returning, those practicing toward non-returning, the fruit of non-returning, those practicing toward arhatship, and the fruit of arhatship appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that pratyekabuddhas and the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood appear in the world.

Kausika! It is through the causal basis of this profound prajnaparamita, the great king of mantras, that great bodhisattvas and the practices of great bodhisattvas on the ten bhumis appear in the world.”

Kausika! It is by relying upon the profound prajnaparamita, the great king of spells, as such a cause that the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, and supreme awakening appear in the world.

Furthermore, Kausika! It is by relying upon the profound prajnaparamita, the great king of spells, as such a cause that great bodhisattvas appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the ten wholesome courses of karma appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that such practices as giving with wisdom, observing the fast, and maintaining the precepts appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, the four formless concentrations, the five superknowledges, and so forth appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the paramitas of generosity, pure discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, dhyana, and prajnaparamita appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal-and-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, final emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the unchanging, the emptiness of fundamental nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of nonapprehensibility, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, and the emptiness of the nonexistence of intrinsic nature become manifest in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that suchness, the dharma-dhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature that is not false, the nature that is unchanging, the nature of equality, the nature free from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the true limit, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm become manifest in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of the origin of suffering, the Noble Truth of cessation, and the Noble Truth of the path appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten totalities appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of supernormal power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the Buddha’s ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four unhindered understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the Dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that those practicing toward stream-entry, the fruit of stream-entry, those practicing toward once-returning, the fruit of once-returning, those practicing toward non-returning, the fruit of non-returning, those practicing toward arhatship, and the fruit of arhatship appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that pratyekabuddhas and the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that great bodhisattvas and the practices of the ten bodhisattva bhumis appear in the world.

Kausika! It is by relying upon great bodhisattvas as the cause that the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, and supreme awakening appear in the world.

Kausika! Just as, by relying upon the full orb of the moon as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs, stars, mountains, and seas are made more radiant, so too, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly paths of the ten wholesome actions are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of worldly Dharma giving, observance of fasting precepts, keeping of precepts, and so forth are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly four dhyanas, four immeasurables, four formless concentrations, five superknowledges, and so forth are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly perfections of generosity, pure conduct, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of worldly inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of the conditioned, emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of the unchanging, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the ungraspable, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of worldly suchness, the dharma realm, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly Noble Truth of suffering, Noble Truth of its origin, Noble Truth of its cessation, and Noble Truth of the path are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly eight liberations, eight spheres of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten totalities are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of awakening, and eightfold noble path are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly gateways to liberation through emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly five kinds of eyes and six superknowledges are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly ten powers of a Buddha, four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly Dharma of never forgetting and the nature of perpetual equanimity are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of all worldly dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of worldly knowledge of all things, knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and knowledge of all aspects are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly candidates for stream-entry, fruits of stream-entry, candidates for once-returning, fruits of once-returning, candidates for non-returning, fruits of non-returning, candidates for arhatship, fruits of arhatship, candidates for pratyekabuddhahood, and fruits of pratyekabuddhahood are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all kinds of medicinal herbs of the worldly practices of the great bodhisattvas’ ten bhumis and the fruit of unsurpassed awakening are made more radiant. Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all the starry forms of worldly shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, both learners and those beyond learning, are made more radiant.

Likewise, by relying upon the full moon of the great bodhisattva as a cause, all the mountains and seas of great bodhisattvas and Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are made more radiant.

Kausika! If the Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones have not yet appeared in the world, only great bodhisattvas endowed with skillful means can expound to sentient beings all worldly and supramundane dharmas without confusing them. Why is this? Kausika! You should know that great bodhisattvas are capable of bringing forth the Human Vehicle, the Deva Vehicle, the Shravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Supreme Vehicle.

Kausika! The great bodhisattvas’ skillful means all arise and develop from such profound prajnaparamita.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the perfection of generosity and are able to cultivate the perfections of pure conduct, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate inner emptiness and are able to cultivate outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of the conditioned, emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, emptiness without boundaries, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of the unchanging, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the ungraspable, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate suchness and are able to cultivate the dharma realm, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the Noble Truth of suffering and are able to cultivate the Noble Truths of origin, cessation, and the path.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the four dhyanas and are able to cultivate the four immeasurables and four formless concentrations.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the eight liberations and are able to cultivate the eight spheres of mastery, nine successive concentrations, and ten totalities.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness and are able to cultivate the four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of awakening, and eightfold noble path.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the gateway to liberation through emptiness and are able to cultivate the gateways to liberation through signlessness and wishlessness.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain the five eyes and the six superknowledges.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed analytical knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain the Dharma of never forgetting and the nature of constant relinquishment.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain the thirty-two marks of a great being and the eighty accompanying characteristics.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they do not fall into the stage of the hearers and do not realize the stage of the solitary buddhas.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to bring sentient beings to maturity and to adorn and purify Buddha-fields.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to attain the perfection of lifespan, the perfection of material provisions, the perfection of pure lands, the perfection of lineage, the perfection of physical form and strength, and the perfection of retinues.

Kausika! Because great bodhisattvas have perfected the power of skillful means, they are able to cultivate the practices of the ten bodhisattva bhumis and attain the fruit of unsurpassed enlightenment.

Kausika! Thus, great bodhisattvas and their skillful means are all brought to perfection through prajnaparamita.

Furthermore, Kausika! If good men and good women listen wholeheartedly to this prajnaparamita, uphold it, read and recite it, diligently study and cultivate it, reflect upon it in accordance with principle, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, they will accomplish excellent meritorious benefits in the present and the future.

At that time, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, addressed the Buddha: “Blessed One! If good men, good women, and others listen wholeheartedly to this prajnaparamita, uphold it, read and recite it, diligently study and cultivate it, reflect upon it in accordance with principle, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, how will they accomplish excellent meritorious benefits in the present?”

The Buddha said: “Kausika! If good men, good women, and others listen wholeheartedly to this prajnaparamita, uphold it, read and recite it, diligently study and cultivate it, reflect upon it in accordance with principle, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, then those good men, good women, and others will not presently be poisoned, harmed by weapons, burned by fire, drowned in water, or even die prematurely from any of the four hundred and four kinds of illness, except when they must undergo in this life fixed karma from previous lives.

“Kausika! If those good men, good women, and others encounter persecution by government officials, bandits, or enemies, and wholeheartedly recite and recollect this prajnaparamita, then even in such circumstances they will never be punished or harmed. Why? Because this is brought about by the majestic power and virtue of prajnaparamita.

“Kausika! If those good men and good women go into the presence of kings, princes, ministers, and others, and wholeheartedly recite and recollect this prajnaparamita, then the kings and others will certainly greet them joyfully and treat them with reverence and praise. Why? Because those good men, good women, and others never abandon thoughts of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity toward sentient beings.

“Kausika! If good men, good women, and others listen wholeheartedly to this prajnaparamita, uphold it, read and recite it, diligently study and cultivate it, reflect upon it in accordance with principle, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, they will accomplish such excellent meritorious benefits in the present.”

Then Sakra, Lord of the Devas, again addressed the Buddha: “Blessed One! If good men and good women listen wholeheartedly to this prajnaparamita, uphold it, read and recite it, diligently study and cultivate it, reflect upon it in accordance with principle, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, how will they accomplish excellent meritorious benefits in the future?”

The Buddha said: “Kausika! If good men, good women, and others wholeheartedly listen to this prajnaparamita, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, diligently cultivate and study it, contemplate it in accordance with reason, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, then wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the ten wholesome paths of karma. Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the practices of giving Dharma, observing fasts, and keeping the precepts.

Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, the four formless absorptions, the five supernatural powers, and so forth. Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the paramita of generosity, the paramita of pure morality, the paramita of patient acceptance, the paramita of diligence, the paramita of meditative concentration, and the prajnaparamita.

Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of the conditioned, emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of nonchange, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unattainable, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence.

Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from suchness, the dharma realm, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature transcending birth, the fixity of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm. Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of its origin, the Noble Truth of its cessation, and the Noble Truth of the path.

Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totalities. Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from 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.

Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will never be separated from the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness. Those good men, good women, and others will perfect the five kinds of eyes and the six supernatural powers. Those good men, good women, and others will perfect the Buddha’s ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha.

Those good men, good women, and others will perfect the Dharma of never forgetting and the nature of perpetual equanimity. Those good men, good women, and others will perfect all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways. Those good men, good women, and others will perfect the wisdom of all knowledge, the wisdom of the aspects of the paths, and the wisdom of all aspects.

Those good men, good women, and others will never fall into any realm of hell beings, animals, or hungry ghosts, except when, through the power of their vows, they are born in such realms to bring sentient beings to maturity. Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, their faculties will always be complete and without deficiency. Those good men, good women, and others will never be born into poor and lowly families or among miscellaneous artisans.

Those good men, good women, and others will never be born into families of butchers, fishermen, thieves, jailers, or other evildoers. Those good men, good women, and others will always be born into wealthy families—whether among kshatriyas, brahmins, elders, householders, and so forth—and will never be born into farming families. Wherever those good men, good women, and others are born, they will possess the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty accompanying characteristics, adorning their bodies so that all sentient beings who see them rejoice.

For many lifetimes, those good men, good women, and others will enter pure and magnificent realms, encounter Buddhas, and be born by transformation from lotus flowers; they will commit no evil karma. Those good men, good women, and others will never be separated from supernatural powers. Swiftly and freely, according to their wishes, they will journey throughout the Buddha realms, traveling from one Buddha realm to another, reverently making offerings to, honoring, and praising all Buddhas, the Blessed Ones; listening to the true Dharma; bringing sentient beings to maturity; purifying and adorning Buddha realms; and gradually realizing the unsurpassed fruit of enlightenment.

“Kausika! If good men, good women, and others wholeheartedly listen to this prajnaparamita, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, diligently cultivate and study it, contemplate it in accordance with reason, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely, they will attain such excellent benefits and merits in the future. Therefore, Kausika, if good men, good women, and others wish never to be separated from such excellent benefits and merits in the present and the future, up to and including the unsurpassed fruit of enlightenment, they should, with a mind associated with the wisdom of all-knowledge and employing nonattainment as skillful means, wholeheartedly listen to this prajnaparamita, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, diligently cultivate and study it,

contemplate it in accordance with reason, copy it, expound it, and disseminate it widely.

They should also make offerings to it of various flower garlands, fragrant ointments, powdered incense, and so forth; garments, necklaces, banners, streamers, precious canopies, various precious jewels, music, and exquisitely bright lamps.”

At that time, a large number of brahminical non-Buddhist ascetics came to the Buddha, wishing to find fault with him. When Sakra, Lord of the Devas, saw them, he thought: “This large group of brahminical non-Buddhist ascetics has come to this Dharma assembly to watch for the Buddha’s shortcomings. Could it be that they intend to obstruct the prajnaparamita?

I should recite and recollect the profound prajnaparamita that I received as instruction from the Buddha, thereby causing these followers of false paths to withdraw.” Having thought this, he immediately recited and recollected the profound prajnaparamita. At that very moment, while the brahminical non-Buddhist ascetics were still approaching, they displayed signs of reverence from afar, circumambulated the Blessed One clockwise, and then returned to where they had come from.

Seeing this, Sariputra thought: “For what reason have they withdrawn?”

Knowing his thought, the Buddha immediately told Sariputra: “Those non-Buddhists had assembled and come here in order to find fault with me. But because Sakra, Lord of the Devas, recited and recollected the prajnaparamita, the power of this great king of mantras caused them to withdraw.

“Sariputra! I see not even the slightest wholesome dharma in those non-Buddhists. They came to me harboring only malicious intentions, wishing to find fault with me.”

Śāriputra! I do not perceive any deva, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇa, brāhmaṇa, heretic, or other sentient being in the world who, harboring malicious intent, would dare approach the Prajnaparamita and be able to accomplish his purpose. Why is this? Śāriputra!

It is because all the devas of the Four Great Kings, the Thirty-Three, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Paranirmitavaśavartin heavens; all the devas of the Brahmā hosts, Brahmā ministers, Brahmā assemblies, and Great Brahmā heavens; the Light, Lesser Light, Immeasurable Light, and Utterly Pure Light heavens; the Lesser Purity, Immeasurable Purity, and Universal Purity heavens; the Vast Fruit, Free from Affliction, Free from Heat, Beautiful Appearance, Beautiful Vision, and Akaniṣṭha heavens;

all śrāvakas, all pratyekabuddhas, all great bodhisattvas, I myself, and all nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and others possessing great power throughout the three-thousandfold great-thousand world all together protect this Prajnaparamita and do not allow evil beings to obstruct it.

Why is this? Śāriputra! It is because all those devas and others are born from the Prajnaparamita.

Furthermore, Śāriputra! All Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, all śrāvakas, all pratyekabuddhas, all great bodhisattvas, and all devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and others throughout the innumerable Buddha-worlds of the ten directions all together protect this Prajnaparamita and do not allow evil beings to obstruct it. Why is this? Śāriputra! It is because all those Buddhas and others are born from the Prajnaparamita.

At that time, the evil Māra thought: “The Tathagata, the Arhat, the Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, is now surrounded by the four assemblies, while devas, humans, and others of the Desire Realm and Form Realm have all gathered together as he expounds the Prajnaparamita. Among them there must certainly be a great bodhisattva who will receive a prediction of attaining the fruit of unsurpassed awakening. I must go there and destroy that Dharma eye.” Having thought this, he conjured four elite divisions of troops, which advanced with a great tumult toward the Buddha.

Then Śakra, Lord of the Devas, saw them and thought: “Could this have been conjured by the evil Māra, who wishes to come and trouble the Buddha and obstruct the Prajnaparamita? Why? These four divisions of troops are adorned with such wondrous beauty that the splendid fourfold army of the great king Ảnh Kiên of Magadha cannot compare with them; the splendid fourfold army of the great king Thắng Quân of Kosala cannot compare with them; the splendid fourfold army of the Śākya royal clan of Kapilavastu cannot compare with them; the splendid fourfold army of the Licchavi clan of Vaiśālī cannot compare with them; and the splendid fourfold army of the Malla royal clan of Kiết-tường-mao cannot compare with them.

“From observing these four divisions of troops, they must certainly have been conjured by the evil Māra. The evil Māra is constantly watching for an opportunity to harm the Buddha and destroy the supreme practices cultivated by sentient beings. I must recite the profound Prajnaparamita that I received from the Buddha, so that this host of evil Māras will retreat.”

Having thought this, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, then recited the profound Prajnaparamita. At that very moment, the host of evil Māras retreated to their former abode, turned back by the divine power of the profound Prajnaparamita, the great king of spells.

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