Mahāyāna — Northern Canon · Linh Sơn Vietnamese Mahāyāna Canon

大般若波羅蜜多經

Chinese title:大般若波羅蜜多經

📖7,900 words · ~32 min read

Interpreted by Inti AI (English)

🪷 AI interpretation

XXXXVII. CHAPTER ON SUCHNESS

At that time, Sariputra said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! For what reason do some bodhisattvas cultivate the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness without being embraced by prajnaparamita and without the power of skillful means, and consequently realize the ultimate reality and attain the fruit of a sravaka or the state of a pratyekabuddha; while other bodhisattvas cultivate the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, are embraced by prajnaparamita, and possess the power of skillful means, and consequently do not realize the ultimate reality prematurely but instead advance toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?”

The Buddha said: “Sariputra! If bodhisattvas, having become separated from the aspiration for all-knowledge, cultivate the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, then because they are not embraced by prajnaparamita and lack the power of skillful means, they realize the ultimate reality and attain the fruit of a sravaka or the state of a pratyekabuddha.

“If bodhisattvas cultivate the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness without becoming separated from the aspiration for all-knowledge, then because they are embraced by prajnaparamita and possess the power of skillful means, they are able to enter the bodhisattva’s stage of the certainty of freedom from arising and attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

“Sariputra! Suppose there were a bird whose body measured one hundred yojanas in length, or two hundred, or even five hundred yojanas, but which had no wings. That bird were to plunge from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three toward Jambudvipa, yet midway it were to think: ‘I wish to return to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.’ Sariputra, what do you think? Could that bird return to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three?”

Sariputra replied: “World-Honored One, it could not!”

The Buddha said: “Sariputra! Or suppose that bird, while still midway, were to form this wish: ‘When I reach Jambudvipa, may my body suffer no injury.’ Sariputra, what do you think? Could that bird’s wish be fulfilled?”

Sariputra replied: “World-Honored One, it could not! When that bird reaches Jambudvipa, its body will certainly be injured; it may die or suffer agony near to death. Why? World-Honored One, because that bird has an enormous body but no wings and is falling from a great height.”

The Buddha said: “Sariputra! So it is! So it is!

It is exactly as you have said. Sariputra! Some bodhisattvas are just like this.

Although, for as many great kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, they diligently cultivate generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, and meditative concentration, and also cultivate the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; although they undertake great works and arouse a vast aspiration, wishing to attain the immeasurable, subtle, unsurpassed perfect enlightenment that has nothing to which it clings; nevertheless, because they lack prajnaparamita and are separated from the power of skillful means, they fall into the state of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha.

Why? Sariputra! Because these bodhisattvas are separated from the aspiration for all-knowledge.

Although for many kalpas they diligently cultivate generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, and meditative concentration, and also cultivate the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, because they lack prajnaparamita and also lack the power of skillful means, they fall into the state of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha.

“Sariputra! Although these bodhisattvas recollect the aggregates of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation of all the past, future, and present Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, respectfully make offerings to them, and practice in accordance with them, because they apprehend characteristics within those dharmas, they are unable to understand correctly the true qualities of the aggregates of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation of those Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones.

“Sariputra! Because these bodhisattvas are unable to understand correctly the Buddha’s qualities, although they hear the words concerning the bodhisattva path and the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, they rely upon those words and apprehend their characteristics. Having apprehended those characteristics, they dedicate them toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

By making such a dedication, these bodhisattvas do not attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment but instead abide in the state of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha. Why? Sariputra!

Because these bodhisattvas are separated from prajnaparamita and the power of skillful means, although they dedicate the various roots of virtue they have cultivated toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, they nevertheless abide in the state of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha.

“Sariputra! There are bodhisattvas who, from the moment they first arouse the aspiration, never become separated from the aspiration for all-knowledge. They diligently cultivate generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, and meditative concentration, without becoming separated from prajnaparamita and skillful means.

Although they recollect the aggregates of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation of all the past, future, and present Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, they do not apprehend their characteristics. Although they cultivate all the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, they likewise do not apprehend their characteristics. Although they recollect the various meritorious roots of virtue of themselves and others and dedicate them all toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, they likewise do not apprehend their characteristics.

Sariputra, you should know that such great bodhisattvas do not abide in the states of sravakas or pratyekabuddhas but proceed directly toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why? Sariputra!

From the moment they first arouse the aspiration until the ultimate attainment, these great bodhisattvas never become separated from the aspiration for all-knowledge. Although they cultivate generosity, they do not apprehend its characteristics. Although they cultivate pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajna, they likewise do not apprehend their characteristics.

Although they recollect the aggregates of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation of all the past, future, and present Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, they likewise do not apprehend their characteristics. Although they cultivate every bodhisattva path and the liberations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, they likewise do not apprehend their characteristics.

“Sariputra! Because these great bodhisattvas possess skillful means, they cultivate the perfection of generosity with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, they cultivate the perfections of pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajna.

“Sariputra! Because these great bodhisattvas possess skillful means, with a mind free from characteristics they abide in internal emptiness; with a mind free from characteristics they abide in external emptiness, internal-and-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of the ultimate meaning, emptiness of the conditioned, emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of the immutable, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unapprehensible, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, and emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence.

“Sariputra! Because these great bodhisattvas possess skillful means, with a mind free from characteristics they abide in suchness; with a mind free from characteristics they abide in the dharmadhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the immutable nature, the nature of equality, the nature free from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm.

“Sariputra! Because these great bodhisattvas possess skillful means, with a mind free from characteristics they cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness; with a mind free from characteristics they cultivate 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.

“Sariputra! Because these great bodhisattvas possess skillful means, with a mind free from characteristics they abide in the Noble Truth of suffering; with a mind free from characteristics they abide in the Noble Truths of the origin of suffering, its cessation, and the path.”

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the four dhyānas with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the four immeasurables and the four formless absorptions.

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the eight liberations with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totalities.

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the gateway to liberation through emptiness with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the gateways to liberation through signlessness and wishlessness.

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the five kinds of eyes with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the six superknowledges.

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the samādhi gateways with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the dhāraṇī gateways.

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the ten powers of a Buddha with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha.

Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva possesses skillful means, he cultivates the knowledge of all things with a mind free from characteristics; with a mind free from characteristics, he cultivates the knowledge of the aspects of the paths and the knowledge of all aspects.

At that time, Śāriputra addressed the Buddha: Blessed One! As I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has taught, if a great bodhisattva, from the first arising of the aspiration until the ultimate culmination, embraces prajñāpāramitā and never departs from the power of skillful means, that bodhisattva will certainly be close to attaining unsurpassed perfect awakening. Why is this?

Blessed One! Because that great bodhisattva, from the first arising of the aspiration until the ultimate culmination, does not perceive even the slightest dharma that can be attained. Whether it is the one who realizes, that which is realized, the place of realization, the time of realization, or the dharma through which realization occurs, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether form, feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the eye ayatana, or the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind ayatana, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the form ayatana, or the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, or dharma ayatana, none can ultimately be apprehended;

whether the eye dhatu, or the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind dhatu, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the form dhatu, or the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, or dharma dhatu, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the eye-consciousness dhatu, or the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-consciousness dhatu, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the feelings arising with eye-contact as condition, or the feelings arising with ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact as condition, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the earth dhatu, or the water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness dhatu, none can ultimately be apprehended;

whether ignorance, formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six ayatanas, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, or old age and death, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the pāramitā of generosity, or the pāramitās of moral discipline, patient acceptance, vigor, dhyāna, or prajñā, none can ultimately be apprehended;

whether internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal-and-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of the ultimate meaning, emptiness of the conditioned, emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of non-change, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of non-apprehensibility, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of self-nature, or emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence, none can ultimately be apprehended;

whether suchness, the dharma dhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the fixed order of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the true limit, the realm of space, or the inconceivable realm, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the four establishments of mindfulness, or the four right efforts, the four bases of supernormal power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, or the Noble Eightfold Path, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the Noble Truth of suffering, or the Noble Truths of its origin, cessation, or the path, none can ultimately be apprehended;

whether the four dhyānas, or the four immeasurables or the four formless absorptions, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the eight liberations, or the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, or the ten totalities, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the gateway to liberation through emptiness, or the gateways to liberation through signlessness or wishlessness, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the five kinds of eyes or the six superknowledges, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the samādhi gateways or the dhāraṇī gateways, none can ultimately be apprehended;

whether the ten powers of a Buddha, or the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, or the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, none can ultimately be apprehended; whether the fruit of stream-entry, or the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship, none can ultimately be apprehended; the fruit of a pratyekabuddha cannot ultimately be apprehended; whether the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, or the knowledge of all aspects, none can ultimately be apprehended.

“Blessed One! If good men and good women who abide in the bodhisattva vehicle seek supreme enlightenment while remaining apart from prajnaparamita and skillful means, it should be known that they may or may not attain the supreme enlightenment they seek. Why is this?

Blessed One! Because those good men and good women who abide in the bodhisattva vehicle remain apart from prajnaparamita and skillful means, they apprehend signs while practicing the paramitas of generosity, pure ethical discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita;

they apprehend signs while abiding in 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, 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 unobtainable, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence;

they apprehend signs while abiding in suchness, the dhatu of Dharma, 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 fixed order of Dharma, the abiding order of Dharma, the ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; they apprehend signs while practicing 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; they apprehend signs while abiding in the noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path; they apprehend signs while practicing the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions;

they apprehend signs while practicing the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totalities; they apprehend signs while practicing the gateways to liberation of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; they apprehend signs while cultivating the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; they apprehend signs while cultivating the gateways of samadhi and the gateways of dharani; they apprehend signs while cultivating 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;

they apprehend signs while cultivating the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects.

“Blessed One! For this reason, those good men and good women who abide in the bodhisattva vehicle may or may not attain supreme enlightenment.

“Blessed One! For this reason, if great bodhisattvas wish to attain supreme enlightenment, they must certainly never remain apart from prajnaparamita and skillful means.

“Blessed One! Abiding in prajnaparamita and skillful means, taking nonapprehension as the means and acting in conjunction with a mind free from signs, those great bodhisattvas should cultivate the paramita of generosity and should cultivate the paramitas of pure ethical discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita.

“Blessed One! Abiding in prajnaparamita and skillful means, taking nonapprehension as the means and acting in conjunction with a mind free from signs, those great bodhisattvas should abide in inner emptiness and should abide in outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, 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 unobtainable, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature,

and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence.

“Blessed One! Abiding in prajnaparamita and skillful means, taking nonapprehension as the means and acting in conjunction with a mind free from signs, those great bodhisattvas should abide in suchness and should abide in the dhatu of Dharma, 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 fixed order of Dharma, the abiding order of Dharma, the ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm.

“Blessed One! Abiding in prajnaparamita and skillful means, taking nonapprehension as the means and acting in conjunction with a mind free from signs, those great bodhisattvas should cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness and should cultivate 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.

“Blessed One! Abiding in prajnaparamita and skillful means, taking nonapprehension as the means and acting in conjunction with a mind free from signs, those great bodhisattvas should cultivate the eight liberations and should cultivate the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totalities.

“Blessed One! Abiding in prajnaparamita and skillful means, taking nonapprehension as the means and acting in conjunction with a mind free from signs, those great bodhisattvas should cultivate the ten powers of a Buddha and should cultivate 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.

“Blessed One! When those great bodhisattvas abide in prajnaparamita and skillful means, take nonapprehension as the means, act in conjunction with a mind free from signs, and abide in all such qualities of a Buddha, they will certainly attain supreme enlightenment.”

At that time, the devas of the Desire Realm and the Form Realm addressed the Buddha: “Blessed One! The supreme enlightenment of all Buddhas is extremely difficult to believe, difficult to understand, and extremely difficult to attain. Why is this? Great bodhisattvas must directly know both the individual and common characteristics of all dharmas before they are capable of attaining the supreme enlightenment they seek. Yet the characteristics of dharmas known by the bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and entirely unapprehendable.”

At that time, the Buddha told the devas: “So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. The supreme enlightenment of all Buddhas is extremely difficult to believe, difficult to understand, and extremely difficult to attain.”

O sons of the devas! You should know that I too directly know the characteristics of all dharmas and have attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, yet ultimately I apprehend no characteristic of ultimate truth that can be expressed as: this is that which realizes, this is that which is realized, this is the place of realization, this is the time of realization, or it is through this dharma that realization occurs. Why is this? O sons of the devas! Because all dharmas are ultimately pure, both the conditioned and the unconditioned are ultimately empty.

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha: Blessed One! As the Buddha has taught, the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas is exceedingly difficult to believe, difficult to understand, and exceedingly difficult to attain. Yet, as I contemplate the meaning of what the Buddha has taught concerning the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas, it is very easy to believe and understand, and very easy to attain.

Why is this? If one is able to believe and understand that there is no dharma that realizes, no dharma that is realized, no place of realization, no time of realization, and no realization attained through any such dharma, then one is able to believe and understand the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas. If one directly knows that there is no dharma that realizes, no dharma that is realized, no place of realization, no time of realization, and no dharma realized through any such dharma, then one is able to attain the object sought—the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Why is this? Blessed One! Because all dharmas are ultimately empty; within ultimate emptiness, there is absolutely no dharma that can be called that which realizes, that which is realized, the place of realization, the time of realization, or that through which realization occurs.

Why is this? Because all dharmas are empty, whether increasing or decreasing; they are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! 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 cultivated by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! 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 truth, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, 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 unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence in which the great bodhisattvas abide are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! Suchness, the Dharma realm, Dharma-nature, 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 true limit, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm in which the great bodhisattvas abide are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! 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 cultivated by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path in which the great bodhisattvas abide are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions cultivated by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totalities cultivated by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The Dharma gates of liberation through emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness cultivated by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges cultivated by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The Dharma gates of samadhi and the Dharma gates of dharani studied by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unhindered understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha studied by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! The knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects studied by the great bodhisattvas are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! All dharmas contemplated by the great bodhisattvas—whether material or immaterial, visible or invisible, resistant or nonresistant, contaminated or uncontaminated, conditioned or unconditioned—are utterly nonexistent and cannot be apprehended.

Blessed One! For this reason, as I contemplate the purport of what the Buddha has taught concerning the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas, it is very easy to believe and understand, and very easy to attain. The great bodhisattvas should not regard this as difficult to believe, difficult to understand, or difficult to attain. Why is this? Blessed One! Because form and the self-nature of form are empty; feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, together with the self-nature of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, are empty.

Blessed One! The eye ayatana and the self-nature of the eye ayatana are empty; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind ayatanas, together with the self-nature of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind ayatanas, are empty.

Blessed One! The form ayatana and the self-nature of the form ayatana are empty; the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and mental-object ayatanas, together with the self-nature of the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and mental-object ayatanas, are empty.

Blessed One! The eye dhatu and the self-nature of the eye dhatu are empty; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind dhatus, together with the self-nature of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind dhatus, are empty.

Blessed One! The form dhatu and the self-nature of the form dhatu are empty; the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and mental-object dhatus, together with the self-nature of the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and mental-object dhatus, are empty.

Blessed One! The eye-consciousness dhatu and the self-nature of the eye-consciousness dhatu are empty; the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness dhatus, together with the self-nature of the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness dhatus, are empty.

Blessed One! Eye-contact and the self-nature of eye-contact are empty; ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact, together with the self-nature of ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact, are empty.

Blessed One! The feelings arising with eye-contact as condition and the self-nature of the feelings arising with eye-contact as condition are empty; the feelings arising with ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact as condition, together with the self-nature of the feelings arising with ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact as condition, are empty.

Blessed One! The earth dhatu and the self-nature of the earth dhatu are empty; the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness dhatus, together with the self-nature of the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness dhatus, are empty.

Blessed One! Ignorance and the self-nature of ignorance are empty; volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six ayatanas, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging, and death, together with the self-nature of volitional formations through the self-nature of aging and death, are empty.

Blessed One! The perfection of generosity and the self-nature of the perfection of generosity are empty; the perfections of pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, together with the self-nature of the perfection of pure morality through the self-nature of the perfection of prajnaparamita, are empty.

Blessed One! Inner emptiness and the intrinsic nature of inner emptiness are empty; 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 nonchange, the emptiness of original nature, the emptiness of intrinsic characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of nonexistence,

and the intrinsic nature of outer emptiness through the intrinsic nature of the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of nonexistence are empty.

Blessed One! Suchness and the intrinsic nature of suchness are empty; the dharma realm, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the fixed order of dharmas, the abiding order of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, the inconceivable realm, and the intrinsic nature of the dharma realm through the intrinsic nature of the inconceivable realm are empty.

Blessed One! The four foundations of mindfulness and the intrinsic nature of the four foundations of mindfulness are empty; the four right efforts, the four bases of supernormal power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, the eight factors of the noble path, and the intrinsic nature of the four right efforts through the intrinsic nature of the eight factors of the noble path are empty.

Blessed One! The Noble Truth of suffering and the intrinsic nature of the Noble Truth of suffering are empty; the Noble Truths of the origin, cessation, and path, and the intrinsic nature of the Noble Truths of the origin, cessation, and path are empty.

Blessed One! The four meditative absorptions and the intrinsic nature of the four meditative absorptions are empty; the four immeasurables, the four formless concentrations, and the intrinsic nature of the four immeasurables and the four formless concentrations are empty.

Blessed One! The eight liberations and the intrinsic nature of the eight liberations are empty; the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, the ten totalities, and the intrinsic nature of the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten totalities are empty.

Blessed One! The gateway to liberation through emptiness and the intrinsic nature of the gateway to liberation through emptiness are empty; the gateways to liberation through signlessness and wishlessness, and the intrinsic nature of the gateways to liberation through signlessness and wishlessness are empty.

Blessed One! The five kinds of eyes and the intrinsic nature of the five kinds of eyes are empty; the six superknowledges and the intrinsic nature of the six superknowledges are empty.

Blessed One! The gateways of samadhi and the intrinsic nature of the gateways of samadhi are empty; the gateways of dharani and the intrinsic nature of the gateways of dharani are empty.

Blessed One! The ten powers of a Buddha and the intrinsic nature of the ten powers of a Buddha are empty; the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, and the intrinsic nature of the four fearlessnesses through the intrinsic nature of the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha are empty.

Blessed One! The fruit of stream-entry and the intrinsic nature of the fruit of stream-entry are empty; the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship, and the intrinsic nature of the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship are empty.

Blessed One! The attainment of a pratyekabuddha and the intrinsic nature of the attainment of a pratyekabuddha are empty.

Blessed One! The knowledge of all things and the intrinsic nature of the knowledge of all things are empty; the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, the knowledge of all aspects, and the intrinsic nature of the knowledge of the aspects of the paths and the knowledge of all aspects are empty.

Blessed One! If a great bodhisattva gives rise to faith and profound understanding concerning intrinsic nature being empty in this way and realizes it without error, that bodhisattva will then attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. For this reason, I say that unsurpassed perfect enlightenment is not difficult to believe, difficult to understand, or difficult to attain.

At that time, Shariputra said to Subhuti: Venerable Subhuti! For that very reason, the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas is extremely difficult to believe, difficult to understand, and extremely difficult to attain. Why is this?

Because great bodhisattvas contemplate all dharmas as utterly devoid of intrinsic nature and all like space. Just as space does not think, “I shall believe and understand, and swiftly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment,” so too should great bodhisattvas not think, “I shall believe and understand, and swiftly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.” Why is this? Subhuti!

All dharmas are empty and equal to space. Great bodhisattvas must believe, understand, and be capable of realizing that all dharmas are equal to space before they can attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Subhuti! If great bodhisattvas who believe and understand that all dharmas are equal to space could easily give rise to faith and understanding regarding unsurpassed perfect enlightenment and easily attain it, then there ought not to be countless great bodhisattvas who, having donned the great armor of merit and resolved to proceed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, retreat along the way. Therefore, you should know that unsurpassed perfect enlightenment is extremely difficult to believe, difficult to understand, and extremely difficult to attain.

Then Venerable Subhuti said to Venerable Shariputra:

Venerable Shariputra! What do you think? Does form retreat from unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?