大般若波羅蜜多經

29

Furthermore, Kausika! Suppose all the various kinds of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, and Aparagodaniya were included, and good men, good women, and others taught all the various kinds of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, Aparagodaniya, and Uttarakuru, causing them all to cultivate and learn the ten wholesome courses of karma. What do you think? Would those good men, good women, and others gain much merit through this cause and condition?

Sakra, Lord of the Gods, replied, “World-Honored One! Very much indeed! Sugata! Very much indeed!”

The Buddha said, “Kausika! If good men, good women, and others copy out such profound prajnaparamita and give it to others to read and recite, or pass it from one to another to be copied and widely disseminated, the merit gained by those good men, good women, and others would be vastly greater than the former merit. Why is this?

Kausika! It is because all uncontaminated dharmas are extensively taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita. Persons of the sravaka lineage who cultivate and learn this Dharma swiftly enter the certainty of rightness of a sravaka and attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, and the fruit of arhatship.

Persons of the pratyekabuddha lineage who cultivate and learn this Dharma swiftly enter the certainty of rightness of a pratyekabuddha and gradually realize the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood. Persons of the bodhisattva lineage who cultivate and learn this Dharma swiftly enter the certainty of rightness of a bodhisattva, gradually cultivate the bodhisattva practices, and realize unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

“Kausika! All uncontaminated dharmas are extensively taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, namely: the perfection of generosity, the perfection of pure ethical discipline, the perfection of patient acceptance, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom;

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, absolute emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of non-apprehension, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence;

suchness, the dharma-dhatu, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature of separation from arising, the certainty of Dharma, the abiding nature of Dharma, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; the four uncontaminated meditative concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless attainments; the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive meditative attainments, and the ten totalities; the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path;

the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness; the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; the Buddha’s ten powers, four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; all dharani gateways, all samadhi gateways, and immeasurable and boundless other Buddha-dharmas—all are uncontaminated dharmas taught therein.

“Kausika! If good men, good women, and others teach one sentient being and establish that being in the fruit of stream-entry, the merit they gain would surpass that gained by teaching all the various kinds of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, Aparagodaniya, and Uttarakuru to cultivate and learn the ten wholesome courses of karma. Why is this? Kausika! Sentient beings who practice the ten wholesome courses of karma are not thereby freed from the hells or the realms of animals and hungry ghosts. But sentient beings established in the fruit of stream-entry are forever freed from the three evil destinies. How much more, then, would the merit gained by teaching them and establishing them in the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship surpass the former merit!

“Kausika! If good men, good women, and others taught all the various kinds of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, Aparagodaniya, and Uttarakuru, establishing them all in the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship, the merit they gained would not equal that gained by someone who taught a single sentient being and established that being in the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood. Why is this? Kausika! It is because the merit of the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood surpasses that of stream-entry and the other fruits by hundreds and thousands of times.

“Kausika! If good men, good women, and others taught all the various kinds of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, Aparagodaniya, and Uttarakuru, establishing them all in the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood, the merit they gained would not equal that gained by someone who taught a single sentient being and caused that being to proceed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why is this?

Kausika! It is because teaching a sentient being and causing that being to proceed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment ensures that the Buddha-eye will never be cut off in the world. Why is this?

Because great bodhisattvas exist, there come to be the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and pratyekabuddhahood. Because great bodhisattvas exist, there come to be Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones who realize unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Because great bodhisattvas exist, there come to be the Jewel of the Buddha, the Jewel of the Dharma, and the Jewel of the Sangha, in which all the world takes refuge and to which it makes offerings.

Therefore, Kausika, the entire world—including gods, maras, brahmas, sramanas, brahmins, asuras, humans, nonhumans, and others—should respectfully make offerings to great bodhisattvas, honor them, and praise them with immeasurable garlands of wondrous flowers, fragrant ointments, powdered incense, and other offerings; with robes, necklaces, banners, pennants, precious canopies, various precious jewels, music, bright lamps, and everything they possess.”

Kauśika, therefore you should know that if good men or good women and others copy out such profound prajnaparamita and present it to others for reading and recitation, or pass it among themselves for copying and disseminate it widely, the merit they obtain will be immeasurably and boundlessly greater than the former merit. Why? Because all the supreme wholesome dharmas, mundane and supramundane, are extensively taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita.

Because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the great kshatriya clans, the great brahmin clans, the great householder clans, and the great lay devotee clans; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the devas of the Four Great Kings, the Thirty-three Gods, the Yama devas, the Tushita devas, the Delight in Creation devas, and the Mastery over Others’ Creations devas; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Brahma Assembly devas, the Ministers of Brahma devas, the Retinue of Brahma devas, and the Great Brahma devas;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Light devas, the Limited Light devas, the Immeasurable Light devas, and the Radiant Purity devas; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Purity devas, the Limited Purity devas, the Immeasurable Purity devas, and the Pervasive Purity devas; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Vast devas, the Limited Vastness devas, the Immeasurable Vastness devas, and the Abundant Fruit devas;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Free from Affliction devas, the Free from Heat devas, the Good Manifestation devas, the Good Vision devas, and the Ultimate Form devas; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the devas of the Sphere of Infinite Space, the devas of the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, the devas of the Sphere of Nothingness, and the devas of the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the paramita of generosity, the paramita of pure morality, the paramita of patient acceptance, the paramita of diligence, the paramita of meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the boundless, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the unchanging, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the ungraspable, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world suchness, the dharma-dhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature transcending birth, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world 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;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless attainments; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten spheres of totality; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the eightfold noble path;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the quality of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats, as well as 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; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world pratyekabuddhas and the attainment of pratyekabuddhahood; because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all great bodhisattvas and the practices of great bodhisattvas;

because of the Dharma taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, and the unsurpassed awakening of the Buddhas.

Furthermore, Kauśika, setting aside the various kinds of sentient beings throughout the four great continents, if good men or good women and others were to teach and transform all the various kinds of sentient beings in a small thousandfold world, causing them all to cultivate and train in the ten wholesome courses of karma, what do you think? Would those good men or good women and others gain much merit through these causes and conditions?

Shakra, Lord of the Devas, replied: “World-Honored One, very much indeed! Sugata, very much indeed!”

The Buddha said: “Kauśika, if good men and good women copy out such profound prajnaparamita and present it to others for reading and recitation, or pass it from one to another to be copied and widely disseminated, the merit gained by those good men and good women will far surpass that previously mentioned. Why is this? Kauśika, it is because all uncontaminated dharmas are extensively taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita.

Individuals of the śrāvaka lineage who study and practice this Dharma swiftly enter the śrāvaka’s certainty of rightness, attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, and the fruit of arhatship. Individuals of the pratyekabuddha lineage who study and practice this Dharma swiftly enter the pratyekabuddha’s certainty of rightness and gradually realize the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood.

Individuals of the bodhisattva lineage who study and practice this Dharma swiftly enter the bodhisattva’s certainty of rightness, gradually cultivate the bodhisattva practices, and realize unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

“Kauśika, all the uncontaminated dharmas extensively taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita are as follows: the perfection of generosity, the perfection of pure morality, the perfection of patient acceptance, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of prajnaparamita;

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, emptiness without bounds, 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 unobtainable, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence;

suchness, the dharma-dhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature beyond arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; the four uncontaminated meditative absorptions, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations; the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten totalities; the four establishments of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path;

the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness; the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha; the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; all dharani gateways, all samadhi gateways, and immeasurable and boundless other Buddha-Dharmas—all are uncontaminated dharmas taught therein.

“Kauśika, if good men and good women guide one sentient being to abide in the fruit of stream-entry, the merit they gain will surpass that gained by guiding all kinds of sentient beings throughout a small chiliocosm to study and practice the ten wholesome courses of karma. Why is this? Kauśika, sentient beings who practice the ten wholesome courses of karma are not thereby freed from the hells or from rebirth as animals or hungry ghosts; but sentient beings who abide in the fruit of stream-entry are forever freed from the three evil destinies. How much more, then, would the merit gained by guiding them to abide in the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship surpass the former merit?

“Kauśika, if good men and good women guide all kinds of sentient beings throughout a small chiliocosm to abide in the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship, the merit they gain will not equal that gained by someone who guides one sentient being to abide in the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood. Why is this? Kauśika, it is because the merit of the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood surpasses that of stream-entry and the other fruits a hundredfold and a thousandfold.

“Kauśika, if good men and good women guide all kinds of sentient beings throughout a small chiliocosm to abide in the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood, the merit they gain will not equal that gained by someone who guides one sentient being to proceed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why is this? Kauśika, it is because guiding a sentient being to proceed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment ensures that the Buddha-eye will never be cut off in the world.

Why is this? It is because great bodhisattvas exist that there come to be the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship, as well as the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood. It is because great bodhisattvas exist that there come to be Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones who realize unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

It is because great bodhisattvas exist that there come to be the Jewel of the Buddha, the Jewel of the Dharma, and the Jewel of the Sangha, in whom all the world takes refuge and to whom it makes offerings. Therefore, Kauśika, all beings in the worlds—whether devas, māras, Brahmās, śramaṇas, brahmins, asuras, humans, nonhumans, and others—should respectfully make offerings to great bodhisattvas and honor and praise them with immeasurable quantities of exquisite flower garlands, scented ointments, powdered incense, and other offerings; with garments, necklaces, banners, pennants, jeweled parasols, various precious gems, music, lamps, and all their possessions.”

O Kausika! Therefore, you should know that if good men, good women, and others copy out such profound prajnaparamita and present it to others for reading and recitation, or pass it among themselves to be copied and widely disseminated, the merit they gain will be immeasurably and boundlessly greater than that previously described. Why?

Because all the supreme wholesome dharmas, mundane and supramundane, have been extensively taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there comes to be in the world the great kshatriya class, the great brahmin class, the great householder class, and the great lay-following class. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of the Four Great Kings, the Thirty-Three Gods, the Yama gods, the Tushita gods, the Enjoying Emanations gods, and the Mastery over Others’ Emanations gods.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Brahma Retinue gods, the Brahma Ministers gods, the Brahma Assembly gods, and the Great Brahma gods. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Light gods, the Lesser Light gods, the Immeasurable Light gods, and the Utterly Pure Light gods. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Purity gods, the Lesser Purity gods, the Immeasurable Purity gods, and the Universal Purity gods.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Expansive gods, the Lesser Expansive gods, the Immeasurably Expansive gods, and the Abundant Fruit gods. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the Untroubled gods, the Unafflicted gods, the Beautifully Manifest gods, the Beautiful to Behold gods, and the Ultimate Form gods.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of the Sphere of Infinite Space, the gods of the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, the gods of the Sphere of Nothingness, and the gods of the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the perfection of generosity, the perfection of pure morality, the perfection of patient acceptance, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate-meaning emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the ungraspable, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world suchness, the dharma-dhatu, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature transcending arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world 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.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless attainments. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive meditative attainments, and the ten totality spheres.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the quality of never losing mindfulness and the nature of perpetual equanimity. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats, as well as those practicing toward stream-entry and those who have attained the fruit of stream-entry, those practicing toward once-returning and those who have attained the fruit of once-returning, those practicing toward non-returning and those who have attained the fruit of non-returning, and those practicing toward arhatship and those who have attained the fruit of arhatship.

Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world pratyekabuddhas and the fruition of pratyekabuddhahood. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all great bodhisattvas and the practices of great bodhisattvas. Because of the Dharma taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened Ones, and the unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddhas.

Furthermore, Kausika! Apart from the various kinds of sentient beings in a small chiliocosm, if good men, good women, and others were to teach and transform the various kinds of sentient beings in a medium chiliocosm, causing them all to cultivate and train in the ten wholesome courses of karma, what do you think? Would those good men, good women, and others, through this cause and condition, gain much merit?

Sakra, Lord of the Gods, replied: “World-Honored One, it would be very great! Sugata, it would be very great!”

The Buddha said: “Kausika, if good men and good women and others copy out such profound prajnaparamita and give it to others to read and recite, or pass it among themselves to be copied and disseminated widely, the merit they thereby acquire will be far greater than the former. Why is this? Kausika, it is because all uncontaminated dharmas are extensively taught within the treasury of mysteries of such profound prajnaparamita.

Persons belonging to the lineage of the sravakas who cultivate and study this Dharma swiftly enter the fixed state of a sravaka and attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, and the fruit of arhatship. Persons belonging to the lineage of the pratyekabuddhas who cultivate and study this Dharma swiftly enter the fixed state of a pratyekabuddha and gradually attain the fruition of pratyekabuddhahood.

Persons belonging to the lineage of bodhisattvas who cultivate and study this Dharma swiftly enter the fixed state of a bodhisattva, gradually cultivate the bodhisattva practices, and attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

“Kausika, all the uncontaminated dharmas extensively taught within the treasury of mysteries of such prajnaparamita are: the perfection of generosity, the perfection of pure morality, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom;

internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal-and-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the unchanging, 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;

suchness, the dharma-dhatu, dharma-nature, 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 ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; the four uncontaminated meditative concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless attainments; the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten totalities; the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path;

the gateway to liberation through emptiness, the gateway to liberation through signlessness, and the gateway to liberation through wishlessness; the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha; the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; all dharani gateways, all samadhi gateways, and immeasurable and boundless other Buddhadharmas—all these are uncontaminated dharmas taught therein.

“Kausika, if good men and good women and others guide a single sentient being to abide in the fruit of stream-entry, the merit they thereby acquire surpasses even that gained by guiding all kinds of sentient beings throughout a medium-sized world-system to cultivate and study the ten wholesome courses of karma. Why is this? Kausika, it is because sentient beings who practice the ten wholesome courses of karma are not yet freed from the hells, the animal realm, and the realm of hungry ghosts; but sentient beings who abide in the fruit of stream-entry are forever freed from the three evil destinies. How much more so if they guide them to abide in the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship! Would not the merit thereby acquired be even greater?

“Kausika, if good men and good women and others guide all kinds of sentient beings throughout a medium-sized world-system to abide in the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship, the merit they thereby acquire does not equal that gained by one who guides a single sentient being to abide in the fruition of pratyekabuddhahood. Why is this? Kausika, it is because the merit of the fruition of pratyekabuddhahood surpasses that of stream-entry and the other fruits by hundreds and thousands of times.

“Kausika, if good men and good women and others guide all kinds of sentient beings throughout a medium-sized world-system to abide in the fruition of pratyekabuddhahood, the merit they thereby acquire does not equal that gained by one who guides a single sentient being toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why is this? Kausika, it is because guiding a sentient being toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment ensures that the Buddha-eye will not be cut off in the world.

Why is this? Because great bodhisattvas exist, there come to be the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and the fruition of pratyekabuddhahood. Because great bodhisattvas exist, Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones come to attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Because great bodhisattvas exist, there come to be the Jewel of the Buddha, the Jewel of the Dharma, and the Jewel of the Sangha, to which all the world takes refuge and makes offerings. Therefore, Kausika, the entire world—with its devas, maras, brahmas, sramanas, brahmins, asuras, humans, nonhumans, and others—should respectfully make offerings to, honor, and praise great bodhisattvas with immeasurable and exquisite flower garlands, scented ointments, powdered incense, and other such offerings; with garments, jeweled necklaces, banners, canopies, various precious gems, music, lamps, and all their possessions.”

Kausika! Therefore, you should know that if good men, good women, and others copy out such profound prajnaparamita and present it to others for reading and recitation, or pass it among themselves to be copied and widely disseminated, the merit they gain will surpass the merit previously described by an immeasurable and boundless amount. Why?

Because all the excellent wholesome dharmas, worldly and supramundane, have been extensively taught within such a secret treasury of prajnaparamita. Because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there comes to be in the world the great kshatriya class, the great brahmin class, the great householder class, and the great lay family class; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of the Four Great Kings, the gods of the Thirty-Three, the Yama gods, the Tushita gods, the gods Who Delight in Creation, and the gods Who Exercise Mastery over the Creations of Others;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of the Brahma Host, the Ministers of Brahma, the Assembly of Brahma, and Great Brahma; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of Light, the gods of Limited Light, the gods of Immeasurable Light, and the gods of Utmost Radiant Purity; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of Purity, the gods of Limited Purity, the gods of Immeasurable Purity, and the gods of Pervasive Purity;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of Vastness, the gods of Limited Vastness, the gods of Immeasurable Vastness, and the gods of Abundant Fruit; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods Free from Affliction, the gods Free from Heat, the Fair-Appearing gods, the Fair-Seeing gods, and the gods of the Ultimate Form Realm; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the gods of the Sphere of Infinite Space, the gods of the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, the gods of the Sphere of Nothingness, and the gods of the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the perfection of generosity, the perfection of pure morality, the perfection of patient acceptance, the perfection of vigor, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the unchanging, the emptiness of essential 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;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world suchness, the dhatu of dharmas, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature free from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of empty space, and the inconceivable realm; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world 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;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the four meditative absorptions, the four immeasurables, and the four formless attainments; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten totalities; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the eight factors of the Noble Path;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the quality of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats, as well as those practicing for stream-entry, the fruit of stream-entry, those practicing for once-returning, the fruit of once-returning, those practicing for non-returning, the fruit of non-returning, those practicing for arhatship, and the fruit of arhatship; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world pratyekabuddhas and the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood; because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all great bodhisattvas and the practices of great bodhisattvas;

because of the dharmas taught in this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, there come to be in the world all Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Awakened Ones, and the unsurpassed perfect awakening of the Buddhas.

Furthermore, Kausika! Suppose that, let alone the various kinds of sentient beings in a middle-thousand world, good men, good women, and others were to teach and transform all the various kinds of sentient beings throughout a great trichiliocosm, causing them all to train in the ten wholesome courses of karma. What do you think? Would those good men, good women, and others gain much merit through this cause and condition?

Sakra, Lord of the Gods, replied: World-Honored One! Very much indeed! Sugata! Very much indeed!

The Buddha said: “Kausika, if good men and good women copy out such profound prajnaparamita and give it to others to read and recite, or pass it from one to another to be copied and widely disseminated, the merit gained by those good men and good women will be far greater than that mentioned before. Why is this? Kausika, it is because all uncontaminated dharmas are extensively taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita.

Persons belonging to the lineage of the shravakas who study and practice this Dharma quickly enter the shravakas’ right determination transcending birth, attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, and the fruit of arhatship. Persons belonging to the lineage of the pratyekabuddhas who study and practice this Dharma quickly enter the pratyekabuddhas’ right determination transcending birth and gradually attain the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood.

Persons belonging to the lineage of the bodhisattvas who study and practice this Dharma quickly enter the bodhisattvas’ right determination transcending birth, gradually cultivate the bodhisattva practices, and attain the fruit of unsurpassed enlightenment.

“Kausika, all uncontaminated dharmas are extensively taught within this secret treasury of prajnaparamita, namely: the perfection of generosity, the perfection of pure morality, the perfection of patient endurance, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom;

the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of that which has no boundary, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of that which is without 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;

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 fixed order of dharmas, the abiding order of dharmas, the reality-limit, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; the four uncontaminated dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations; the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten spheres of totality; the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path;

the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness; the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; all dharani gateways, all samadhi gateways, and immeasurable and boundless other Buddha-dharmas—all are uncontaminated dharmas taught therein.

“Kausika, if good men and good women lead even one sentient being to abide in the fruit of stream-entry, the merit they gain will surpass that gained by leading all the various sentient beings throughout a great trichiliocosm to study and practice the ten wholesome courses of karma. Why is this? Kausika, it is because sentient beings who practice the ten wholesome courses of karma are not freed from the hells, the animal realm, and the realm of hungry ghosts; but sentient beings who abide in the fruit of stream-entry are forever freed from the three evil destinies. How much more so if they lead sentient beings to abide in the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship! Would not the merit gained thereby surpass the former?”

Fascicle 131

End