大般若波羅蜜多經

LXXXIII. THE CHAPTER ON NON-ACTIVITY

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, if all dharmas take non-nature as their intrinsic nature, and such non-nature is not made by the Buddhas, not made by pratyekabuddhas, not made by bodhisattvas, not made by shravakas, and also not made by those abiding in the fruits or practicing toward them, why are dharmas distinguished by declaring: this is hell, this is the animal realm, this is the realm of ghosts, this is the human realm, this is the heaven of the Four Great Kings, up to the Heaven of Masters of the Creations of Others; this is the Heaven of Brahma’s Assembly, up to the Heaven of Akanishtha; this is the Sphere of Infinite Space, up to the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception;

this is a stream-enterer, this is a once-returner, this is a non-returner, this is an arhat, this is a pratyekabuddha, this is a bodhisattva, and this is a Tathagata?

Through this karma, hell is produced; through this karma, the animal realm is produced; through this karma, the realm of ghosts is produced; through this karma, the human realm is produced; through this karma, the heaven of the Four Great Kings, up to the Heaven of Masters of the Creations of Others, is produced; through this karma, the Heaven of Brahma’s Assembly, up to the Heaven of Akanishtha, is produced; and through this karma, the Sphere of Infinite Space, up to the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, is produced.

Through this Dharma, stream-enterers, once-returners, and non-returners are produced; through this Dharma, arhats are produced; through this Dharma, pratyekabuddhas are produced; through this Dharma, bodhisattvas are produced; and through this Dharma, Tathagatas are produced.

“Blessed One, dharmas without intrinsic nature certainly have no function. How, then, can it be said that through such karma one is born in the animal realm; through such karma one is born in the realm of ghosts; through such karma one is born among human beings; through such karma one is born in the heaven of the Four Great Kings, up to the Heaven of Masters of the Creations of Others; through such karma one is born in the Heaven of Brahma’s Assembly, up to the Heaven of Akanishtha; and through such karma one is born in the Sphere of Infinite Space, up to the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception?

How can it be said that through such a Dharma one attains the fruit of stream-entry; through such a Dharma one attains the fruit of once-returning; through such a Dharma one attains the fruit of non-returning; through such a Dharma one attains arhatship; through such a Dharma one attains the enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha; through such a Dharma one enters the rank of a bodhisattva and the bodhisattva path; and through such a Dharma one attains all-aspect wisdom, is called a Buddha, a Blessed One, and enables sentient beings to be liberated from birth and death?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, so it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. Within dharmas without intrinsic nature, no distinctions among dharmas can be established. There is no karma, no result, and no function. Yet foolish people do not understand the noble Dharma and Vinaya, and therefore do not know in accordance with reality that all dharmas take non-nature as their nature. Deluded and confused, they initiate many kinds of bodily, verbal, and mental karma, and in accordance with the differences in their karma, they undergo various kinds of bodies. Based upon the differing categories of such bodies, there are hell beings, animals, ghosts, humans, or devas, up to those in the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception.

“In order to rescue such foolish people, who, deluded and confused, undergo the sufferings of birth and death, the differing stages of the noble Dharma and Vinaya are established. In reliance upon these stages, there are stream-enterers, up to pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas. Yet all dharmas take non-nature as their intrinsic nature. Within dharmas without intrinsic nature, there are truly no distinct dharmas, no karma, no result, and no function. Dharmas without intrinsic nature are eternally without intrinsic nature.

“Furthermore, Subhuti, as you have said, dharmas without intrinsic nature certainly have no function. How, then, can it be said that through such a Dharma one attains the fruit of stream-entry, and, in full, that through such a Dharma one attains all-aspect wisdom, is called a Buddha, a Blessed One, and enables sentient beings to escape birth and death? What do you think? Are the practices of cultivating the path without intrinsic nature? Are the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, the enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha, the bodhisattva path, and all-aspect wisdom without intrinsic nature?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One, so it is! So it is! The practices of cultivating the path, up to and including all-aspect wisdom, are all without intrinsic nature.”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, what do you think? Can a dharma without intrinsic nature attain a dharma without intrinsic nature?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One, it cannot.”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, non-nature and the path are neither conjoined with nor disjoined from all dharmas. They are without form, invisible, without resistance, and have the single characteristic called signlessness. Foolish and confused ordinary beings conceive the existence of dharmas within signless Dharma and cling to the five skandhas.

Amid impermanence, they conceive permanence; amid suffering, they conceive happiness; amid non-self, they conceive a self; amid impurity, they conceive purity; and within dharmas without intrinsic nature, they cling to the existence of intrinsic nature. Therefore, great bodhisattvas who practice profound prajnaparamita skillfully employ expedient means to rescue such sentient beings, causing them to abandon confused and false discrimination.

Through expedient means, they establish them in signless Dharma and cause them diligently to cultivate and train in liberation from birth and death, so that they may realize the ultimate, eternal bliss of nirvana.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, is there any portion of what foolish ordinary beings cling to as existent that is true and not false, such that, after clinging to it, those foolish beings create karma and, because of these causes and conditions, sink into cyclic existence throughout the various realms and are unable to escape the sufferings of birth and death?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, among the things to which foolish ordinary beings cling, there is not even so much as the tip of a hair that can be said to be true and not false. After clinging to them, those foolish beings create karma. Because of these causes and conditions, they sink into the various realms and cannot escape the sufferings of birth and death. There is only false and confused clinging. I shall now explain an analogy to you at length, further clarifying this meaning so that you may easily understand it. Through these analogies, those with wisdom can correctly comprehend the meaning of what I have taught.

“Subhuti, what do you think? A person in a dream sees someone enjoying the pleasures of the five desires. Is there the slightest reality within that dream that causes that person to enjoy the pleasures of desire?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One, even the person seen in the dream does not truly exist, much less any real thing that causes that person to enjoy the pleasures of the five desires.”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, what do you think? Among dharmas that are wholesome or unwholesome, determinate or indeterminate, with outflows or without outflows, mundane or supramundane, conditioned or unconditioned, is there any dharma that is not like something seen in a dream?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One, there is certainly no dharma—whether wholesome or unwholesome, determinate or indeterminate, with outflows or without outflows, mundane or supramundane, conditioned or unconditioned—that is not like something seen in a dream.”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, what do you think? Within a dream, are there truly the events of birth and death and passage through the various realms?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One, there truly are not.”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, what do you think? Within a dream, is there truly the cultivation of the path, in reliance upon which one abandons defilement and attains purity?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One, there truly is not. Why? Because all dharmas seen in dreams have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less the abandonment of defilement and attainment of purity in reliance upon that cultivation of the path.”

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the images appearing in a bright mirror and the like truly create karma, and because of the karma they have created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! The images appearing in a bright mirror and the like have no true existence; they merely deceive foolish children. How could those images create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among humans or in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do those images truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! The images in a bright mirror and the like have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon the cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the echoes arising from mountain valleys and the like truly create karma, and because of the karma they have created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! The echoes arising from mountain valleys and the like have no true existence; they merely deceive foolish children. How could those sounds create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among humans or in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do those echoes truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! No. Why? Because the echoes arising from mountain valleys and the like have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon the cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Does the water appearing in mirages truly create karma, and because of the karma it has created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! All the water appearing in mirages has no true existence; it merely deceives foolish children. How could those appearances create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among humans or in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Does the water in mirages truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! No. Why? Because the water in mirages has no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon that cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the visible forms appearing within rays of light truly create karma, and because of the karma they have created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! The visible forms appearing within rays of light have no true existence; they merely deceive foolish children. How could those visible forms create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among humans or in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the visible forms within rays of light truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! They do not. Why? Because the visible forms within rays of light have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon that cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? An illusionist conjures four mighty divisions of an army: an elephant division, a cavalry division, a chariot division, and an infantry division; or he conjures cattle, sheep, men, women, and other exceedingly rare and wondrous things. Do those illusory elephants and the like truly create karma, and because of the karma they have created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! Illusory elephants, illusory horses, and the like have no true existence; they merely deceive foolish children. How could such things create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among gods or humans and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do those illusory things truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! They do not. Why? Because illusory elephants, illusory horses, and the like have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon that cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the bodies conjured by a magician truly create karma, and because of the karma they have created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! Conjured bodies have no true existence. How could they create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among humans or in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do conjured bodies truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! They do not. Why? Because conjured bodies have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon that cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the things appearing in a city of gandharvas, an illusory city, truly create karma, and because of the karma they have created, fall into hell, or fall into the animal realm, or fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, or be born among human beings, or be born in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! The things appearing in a city of gandharvas have no true existence. How could they create karma and, because of the karma created, fall into the lower realms, or be born among humans or in the heavens and experience suffering and happiness!

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Do the things appearing in a city of gandharvas truly cultivate the path and, by relying upon that cultivation, become free from defilement and attain purity?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! They do not. Why? Because the things appearing in a city of gandharvas have no true existence. There is no agent and no action. Even the cultivation of the path does not exist, much less becoming free from defilement and attaining purity by relying upon that cultivation of the path.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Is there truly anyone here who is defiled or anyone who is purified?

Subhuti said:

– Blessed One! Here, neither a defiled person nor a purified person truly exists.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! A defiled person and a purified person truly do not exist. For this reason, defilement and purification also do not truly exist. Why is this? Because sentient beings abide in the self and what belongs to the self, and through false discrimination speak of a defiled person and a purified person. For this reason, defilement and purification are said to exist. Those who do not see reality speak of a defiled person and a purified person. Those who see things as they truly are know that neither a defiled person nor a purified person exists, and that no actual defilement or purification can be apprehended, because all dharmas are ultimately empty.

LXXXIV. CHAPTER ON SPEAKING THE TRUTH

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! Those who see reality are neither defiled nor purified, and those who do not see reality are also neither defiled nor purified. Why is this? Because all dharmas are nonexistent.

Blessed One! Those who speak truthfully are neither defiled nor purified, and those who do not speak truthfully are also neither defiled nor purified. Why is this? Because all dharmas have no intrinsic nature.

Blessed One! Dharmas without intrinsic nature are neither defiled nor purified. Dharmas with intrinsic nature are also neither defiled nor purified. Dharmas both with and without intrinsic nature are also neither defiled nor purified. Why is this? Because all dharmas take absence of intrinsic nature as their intrinsic nature.

Blessed One! If those who see reality and speak truthfully are neither defiled nor purified, and those who do not see reality and do not speak truthfully are also neither defiled nor purified, why does the Blessed One sometimes say that there are pure dharmas?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! I say that the equality of the nature of all dharmas is the pure Dharma.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! What is called the equality of the nature of all dharmas?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! The suchness of all dharmas, 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 Dharma, the abiding of Dharma, the limit of reality, the realm like empty space, and the inconceivable realm—whether a Buddha appears in the world or no Buddha appears in the world, the nature and characteristics of all dharmas always abide. This is called the equality of the nature of all dharmas. This nature of equality is called the pure Dharma. It is described as pure in reliance upon conventional truth, not in reliance upon ultimate truth. Why is this? Because within ultimate truth there is neither discrimination nor conceptual proliferation; all paths of names and words have been cut off.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! If all dharmas are like dreams, images, echoes, mirages, apparitions, magical illusions, and cities of the gandharvas—appearing as though existent but not truly existing—how can great bodhisattvas rely upon these dharmas that do not truly exist and arouse the aspiration toward unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, making this vow: I shall perfect the paramita of generosity through the prajnaparamita. I shall perfect the supreme paramita of supernormal powers. I shall perfect the paramitas of skillful means, wondrous vows, powers, and wisdom. I shall perfect the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions. I shall perfect the four foundations of mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path. I shall perfect the liberation gateways of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. I shall perfect the eight liberations through the ten universal spheres. I shall perfect inner emptiness through the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of non-nature. I shall perfect suchness through the inconceivable realm. I shall perfect the Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. I shall perfect the Ground of Great Joy through the Ground of the Dharma Cloud. I shall perfect all dharani gateways and samadhi gateways. I shall perfect the five kinds of eyes and the six supernormal powers. I shall perfect the ten powers of the Tathagata through the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha. I shall perfect the Dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity. I shall perfect the wisdom of all things, the wisdom of the aspects of the paths, and the wisdom of all aspects. I shall perfect the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty fine characteristics of a Great Being. I shall emit immeasurable light illuminating the boundless worlds throughout the ten directions. I shall produce a wondrous voice pervading the boundless worlds throughout the ten directions, and, in accordance with the different understanding of the minds and mental factors of sentient beings, teach many kinds of wondrous Dharma gateways, enabling them to attain benefit and happiness?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Are not all the dharmas you have spoken of here also like dreams, images, echoes, mirages, apparitions, magical illusions, and cities of the gandharvas?

Subhuti said:

– So it is! So it is! Blessed One! If all dharmas, being like dreams through being like cities of the gandharvas, do not truly exist, then why do great bodhisattvas, when practicing the profound prajnaparamita, make this great vow: I shall perfect all qualities and bring benefit and happiness to immeasurable sentient beings?

Blessed One! Among the various things seen in dreams, and, in full, through those appearing in cities of the gandharvas, even the practice of the paramita of generosity through the prajnaparamita does not exist, much less can it be perfected. All other dharmas are likewise and do not truly exist.

Blessed One! Among the various things seen in dreams, and, in full, through those appearing in cities of the gandharvas, even the practice of the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty fine characteristics of a Great Being does not exist, much less can it be perfected. All other dharmas are likewise and do not truly exist.

Blessed One! Among the various things seen in dreams, and, in full, through those appearing in cities of the gandharvas, even the accomplishment of all intended endeavors does not truly exist, much less can it be perfected. All other dharmas are likewise and do not truly exist.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. Dharmas that do not truly exist cannot even practice the paramita of generosity through the prajnaparamita, much less perfect them. Likewise, dharmas that do not truly exist cannot even practice the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty fine characteristics of a Great Being, much less perfect them. Dharmas that do not truly exist cannot accomplish intended endeavors. Dharmas that do not truly exist cannot realize the unsurpassed, complete enlightenment that is sought.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Because generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, dhyana, prajnaparamita, and immeasurable, boundless other wholesome dharmas do not truly exist, they cannot realize the unsurpassed, complete enlightenment that is sought.

Subhuti! You should know that all such dharmas are mentally conceived and fabricated dharmas. Dharmas that are mentally conceived and fabricated cannot realize the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Although such dharmas can lead to the path of bodhi, they have no function in assisting the attainment of that fruit. Because these dharmas are unborn, unarisen, and devoid of any real characteristic, when great bodhisattvas practice profound prajnaparamita, from the first arising of the aspiration onward, although they cultivate various wholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind—such as practicing the paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, and so forth, up to cultivating omniscience, knowledge of the aspects of the path, and knowledge of all aspects—they nevertheless know that all these are like a dream, a shadow, an echo, a mirage, an illusion, a magical creation, and a city of the Gandharvas,

and that none truly exists.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Although such dharmas do not truly exist, if they are not brought to perfection, it is certainly impossible to mature sentient beings, purify a Buddha-land, and attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. That is to say, if a great bodhisattva does not perfect the paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, up to omniscience, knowledge of the aspects of the path, and knowledge of all aspects, that bodhisattva certainly cannot mature sentient beings, purify a Buddha-land, and attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Furthermore, Subhuti! When these great bodhisattvas practice profound prajnaparamita, although they cultivate all wholesome dharmas, they know them in accordance with reality to be like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas. That is to say, if they practice the paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, they know them in accordance with reality to be like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas.

Likewise, up to when they cultivate omniscience, knowledge of the aspects of the path, and knowledge of all aspects, they know them in accordance with reality to be like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas. If they mature sentient beings, purify a Buddha-land, and seek to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, they know these in accordance with reality to be like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas.

They also know in accordance with reality that the diverse mental activities of the various kinds of sentient beings are like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas.

Furthermore, Subhuti! When these great bodhisattvas practice profound prajnaparamita, they do not apprehend any dharma as existent or as nonexistent. Even if, through such apprehension, they attain the wisdom of omniscience, they also know that dharma to be like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas, and do not apprehend it as existent or as nonexistent.

Why is this? Because the paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, up to omniscience, knowledge of the aspects of the path, and knowledge of all aspects, cannot be apprehended. Wholesome and unwholesome dharmas also cannot be apprehended.

Determinate and indeterminate dharmas also cannot be apprehended. Contaminated and uncontaminated dharmas also cannot be apprehended. Mundane and supramundane dharmas also cannot be apprehended.

Having known that no dharma can be apprehended, this great bodhisattva seeks to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Why is this? Because no dharma can be apprehended; none truly exists, being like a dream, and so forth, up to like a city of the Gandharvas.

There is no dharma that can be apprehended or attained, yet sentient beings neither know nor see dharmas in this way. For the sake of benefiting those sentient beings, this great bodhisattva seeks to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Furthermore, Subhuti! From the first arising of the aspiration, this great bodhisattva, wishing to bring benefit and happiness to sentient beings, practices the paramita of generosity up to prajnaparamita, not for the bodhisattva's own sake nor for the sake of anything else. Wishing to bring benefit and happiness to sentient beings, the bodhisattva seeks to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, not for the bodhisattva's own sake nor for the sake of anything else.

Furthermore, Subhuti! When this great bodhisattva practices profound prajnaparamita, the bodhisattva sees foolish people abiding in the perception of a self where there is no self, abiding in the perception of a sentient being where there is no sentient being, and so forth, up to abiding in the perception of a knower where there is no knower and abiding in the perception of a seer where there is no seer. Having seen this, the great bodhisattva feels profound compassion and, through skillful means, teaches and transforms them, causing them to abandon inverted, delusive perceptions, attachments, and clinging, and establishes them in the signless realm of ambrosia.

Abiding in this realm, they no longer give rise to the perception of a self, and so forth, up to the perceptions of a seer and a knower. At that time, all agitation, distraction, conceptual proliferation, and discrimination cease to operate. Their minds constantly abide in the tranquil, serene realm free from conceptual proliferation.

Subhuti! By means of these skillful means, the great bodhisattva practicing profound prajnaparamita is personally unattached to all dharmas and also teaches others to be unattached to all dharmas. This is taught in reliance upon conventional truth, not ultimate truth, because in ultimate truth no distinct attachment of self and other can be apprehended.

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha, saying:

“Blessed One! When the Buddha attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, is the Dharma realized by the Buddha said to have been attained in reliance upon conventional truth, or is it said to have been attained in reliance upon ultimate truth?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! When the Buddha attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, the Dharma realized by the Buddha is said to have been attained in reliance upon conventional truth, not ultimate truth. If one relies upon ultimate truth, neither the attainer nor that which is attained can be apprehended. Why is this? Because if it is said that this person attains such a dharma, there is consequently something attained. One who holds that there is something attained thereby clings to duality. One who clings to duality cannot attain the fruit and has no direct realization.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha, saying:

“Blessed One! If one who clings to duality cannot attain the fruit and has no direct realization, can one who clings to nonduality attain the fruit and direct realization?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! One who clings to duality does not attain the fruit and has no direct realization. One who clings to nonduality is likewise so, because there is still something to which that person clings. If one neither clings to duality nor clings to nonduality, this is called attaining the fruit and is also called direct realization. Why is this? Because the notions that, through this attachment, one attains the fruit and has direct realization, and that, because of that attachment, one does not attain the fruit and has no direct realization, are all conceptual proliferation. Within the equality of the nature of all dharmas, there is no such conceptual proliferation. Only freedom from conceptual proliferation can be called the equality of the Dharma-nature.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha, saying:

“Blessed One! If all dharmas take the absence of intrinsic nature as their intrinsic nature, what is called the equality of the Dharma-nature herein?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! Where there is neither an existent nature nor a nonexistent nature, and where even equality of nature cannot be spoken of, that is called the equality of the Dharma-nature.

“Subhuti! You should know that equality of nature can neither be expressed nor known. Apart from equality of nature, no dharma can be apprehended; apart from all dharmas, there is no equality of nature.

“Subhuti! You should know that neither noble ones nor ordinary beings can enter into the equality of the Dharma-nature, because it is not an object within their range.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha, saying:

“Blessed One! Is the equality of the Dharma-nature also not an object within the Buddha's sphere of activity?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! The equality of the Dharma-nature cannot be entered into or realized by any noble one. That is to say, stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas alike cannot take the equality of the Dharma-nature as an object within their sphere of activity, because no conceptual proliferation or discrimination can operate therein.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha, saying:

– Blessed One! The Buddha has mastery over all dharmas. Can it therefore be said that the equality of dharma-nature is also not an object of the Buddhas’ practice?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! Although the Buddha has mastery over all dharmas, if the equality of dharma-nature were different from the Buddha, it could be said to be an object of the Buddha’s practice. But the equality of dharma-nature is not different from the Buddha; how, then, could it be said that the Buddha practices within that sphere?

Subhuti! You should know that whether it is the equality of the dharma-nature of ordinary beings, or the equality of the dharma-nature of stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, or Tathagatas, all such equalities of dharma-nature have the same single characteristic, namely, signlessness. Because this single characteristic of equality is neither two nor different, one cannot say that this is the equality of the dharma-nature of ordinary beings, and, in the same way through the full exposition, that this is the equality of the dharma-nature of Tathagatas.

Within this one equality of dharma-nature, the various equal natures are ungraspable. The distinctions among the characteristics of ordinary beings, stream-enterers, and so forth are likewise ungraspable.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! If, within the equality of all dharmas, all distinguishing characteristics are ungraspable, then the dharmas of ordinary beings, stream-enterers, and so forth, as well as sentient beings themselves, are without distinction.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. Within the equality of all dharmas, ordinary beings and noble ones, even the dharmas of the Tathagata and sentient beings, are all without distinction.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! If, within the equality of all dharmas, ordinary beings, noble ones, the dharmas of the Tathagata, and sentient beings are all without distinction, why then do the Three Jewels—the Buddha Jewel, the Dharma Jewel, and the Sangha Jewel—appear in the world?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Is there any difference among the equal dharma-natures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Jewels?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! As I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has taught, there is no distinction among the equal dharma-natures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Jewels. Why is this? Because the equal dharma-natures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Jewels, and all such dharmas, are neither conjoined nor unconjoined; they are without form, invisible, without resistance, and have a single characteristic, namely, signlessness. Yet, with skillful means, the Buddha, the Blessed One, establishes within signless dharmas the many different names and characteristics of dharmas and sentient beings, designating this as an ordinary being and the dharmas pertaining to one, and so forth, up to designating this as a Tathagata and the dharmas pertaining to one.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. Within signless dharmas, the Buddhas, through skillful means, establish the many different names and characteristics of dharmas and sentient beings.

Furthermore, Subhuti, what do you think? If the Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, did not realize unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening—or, having realized unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening, did not establish for sentient beings the different names and characteristics of dharmas—could the various kinds of sentient beings know by themselves: this is hell; this is the animal realm; this is the realm of ghosts; this is the human realm; this is the heaven of the Four Great Kings, up to the Heaven of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception; this is form, up to consciousness; this is the eye ayatana, up to the mind ayatana; this is the form ayatana, up to the dharma ayatana; this is the eye dhatu, up to the mind dhatu; this is the form dhatu, up to the dharma dhatu;

this is the eye-consciousness dhatu, up to the mind-consciousness dhatu; this is eye-contact, up to mind-contact; these are the feelings arising with eye-contact as condition, up to the feelings arising with mind-contact as condition; this is the earth dhatu, up to the consciousness dhatu; this is the causal condition, up to the dominant condition; these are dharmas arising in dependence upon conditions; this is ignorance, up to aging and death; these are wholesome dharmas and unwholesome dharmas; these are determinate dharmas and indeterminate dharmas; these are contaminated dharmas and uncontaminated dharmas; these are mundane dharmas and supramundane dharmas; these are conditioned dharmas and unconditioned dharmas; this is the perfection of generosity, up to the perfection of prajna;

these are the four foundations of mindfulness, up to the Noble Eightfold Path; this is inner emptiness, up to the emptiness of the nonexistence of intrinsic nature; this is suchness, up to the inconceivable realm; these are the Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path; these are the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless attainments; these are the gateways to liberation of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; these are the eight liberations, up to the ten totalities; this is the Ground of Pure Contemplation, up to the Ground of the Tathagata; this is the Ground of Utmost Joy, up to the Ground of the Dharma Cloud; these are all dharani gateways and samadhi gateways; these are the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges;

these are the ten powers of the Tathagata, up to the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; these are the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty minor characteristics of a Great Being; this is the quality of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity; this is the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the characteristics of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects; this is the wondrous aspiration for the knowledge of all aspects; this is the knowledge of all-knowing knowledge; these are the Three Jewels; these are the Three Vehicles?

Could the various kinds of sentient beings know by themselves such different names and characteristics?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! No. If the Buddha did not establish for sentient beings such different names and characteristics, the various kinds of sentient beings could not know such different names and characteristics by themselves.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! Therefore, although the Tathagata, through skillful means, establishes for sentient beings the various different names and characteristics within signless dharmas, he cannot thereby disturb the equality of all dharmas. Although the Tathagata bestows great kindness upon sentient beings, he does not apprehend any characteristic therein.

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! Just as the Tathagata cannot disturb the equality of all dharmas, is it likewise true that all ordinary beings, stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas also cannot disturb the equality of all dharmas?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! So it is! So it is! For all dharmas and all sentient beings do not transcend equality. As it is with equality, so you should know that it is likewise with suchness, and, through the full exposition, up to the inconceivable realm. The dharmas of ordinary beings and those of noble ones are without distinction within equal suchness.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! Ordinary beings and noble ones are without distinction from the equal nature of all dharmas. Yet the characteristics of all these dharmas and the characteristics of sentient beings differ from one another, so their natures should also differ. Thus, their dharma-natures should likewise differ. That is to say, because form through consciousness each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ. Because the eye ayatana through the mind ayatana each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ. Because the form ayatana through the dharma ayatana each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ. Because the eye dhatu through the mind dhatu each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ. Because the eye-consciousness dhatu through the mind-consciousness dhatu each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ. Because eye-contact through mind-contact each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ. Because the feelings arising with eye-contact as condition through the feelings arising with mind-contact as condition each have different characteristics, their natures should also differ.

The earth element through the consciousness element each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Causes and conditions through the dominant condition each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. All dharmas arising in dependence upon conditions each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Ignorance through aging and death each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The characteristics of greed, hatred, and delusion are all different; therefore, their natures must also be different. Ordinary beings and those who pursue views have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

The four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The four foundations of mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The liberation gateways of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

Inner emptiness through the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Suchness through the inconceivable realm each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The perfection of generosity through the perfection of prajna each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The eight liberations through the ten totalities each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

The stage of pure contemplation through the stage of the Tathagata each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The Stage of Utmost Joy through the Stage of the Dharma Cloud each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. All dharani gateways and samadhi gateways each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

The five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The Tathagata’s ten powers through the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The thirty-two excellent marks and eighty beautiful characteristics of a Great Being each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

The Dharma of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. The knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the characteristics of the paths, and the knowledge of all characteristics each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

Deluded, foolish ordinary beings through the Tathagata each have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Wholesome and unwholesome dharmas have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Morally determinate and indeterminate dharmas have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Tainted and untainted dharmas have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Mundane and supramundane dharmas have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different. Conditioned and unconditioned dharmas have different characteristics; therefore, their natures must also be different.

Blessed One! If the characteristics of such dharmas are all different, then their Dharma-natures must also be different. Given the differing characteristics of dharmas, how can Dharma-nature be established as having a single characteristic?

When great bodhisattvas practice the profound prajnaparamita, how can they refrain from distinguishing the various natures of dharmas and sentient beings? If great bodhisattvas do not distinguish the various natures of dharmas and sentient beings, they cannot practice the profound prajnaparamita. If they cannot practice the profound prajnaparamita, they cannot progress from one bodhisattva stage to another.

If they cannot progress from one bodhisattva stage to another, they cannot enter the bodhisattva’s certainty of freedom from arising. If they cannot enter the bodhisattva’s certainty of freedom from arising, they cannot surpass the stages of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. If they cannot surpass the stages of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, they cannot perfect the perfection of superknowledge.

If they cannot perfect the perfection of superknowledge, they cannot sport freely in the superknowledges. If they cannot sport freely in the superknowledges, they cannot perfect the perfection of generosity through the perfection of prajna. If they cannot perfect the perfection of generosity through the perfection of prajna, they cannot travel from one Buddha-field to another to draw near to and make offerings to the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones.

If they cannot travel from one Buddha-field to another to draw near to and make offerings to the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, they cannot plant roots of virtue in the presence of the Buddhas. If they cannot plant roots of virtue in the presence of the Buddhas, they cannot purify Buddha-fields and bring sentient beings to maturity. If they cannot purify Buddha-fields and bring sentient beings to maturity, they cannot realize unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, turn the wheel of the true Dharma, and liberate sentient beings, causing them forever to leave behind samsara and the evil destinies.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! As you have said, ordinary beings and noble ones, together with the natures of all dharmas, are equal and without difference. Yet since the characteristics of all these dharmas and of sentient beings are each different, their natures must also be different. Thus, Dharma-nature must also be different. Given the differing characteristics of dharmas, how can Dharma-nature be established as having a single characteristic? When great bodhisattvas practice the profound prajnaparamita, how can they refrain from distinguishing the various natures of dharmas and sentient beings, and so forth, as extensively explained above?

Subhuti! What do you think? Is the Dharma-nature of forms the nature of emptiness? Is the Dharma-nature of feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness the nature of emptiness? In the same way, is the Dharma-nature of all conditioned and unconditioned dharmas the nature of emptiness?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! It is so! It is so! The Dharma-nature of all dharmas is the nature of emptiness.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! What do you think? Within the nature of emptiness, can the different characteristics of dharmas be apprehended? That is, can the different characteristics of form, and, as extensively explained, all the different characteristics of conditioned and unconditioned dharmas, be apprehended?

Subhuti replied:

– Blessed One! They cannot. Within the nature of emptiness, none of the different characteristics can be apprehended.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! From this you should know that equal Dharma-nature is not all deluded, foolish ordinary beings, nor is it apart from all deluded, foolish ordinary beings. In the same way, through to the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One, it is not the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One, nor is it apart from the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One. Equal Dharma-nature is not form, nor is it apart from form. It is not feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness, nor is it apart from feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness. In the same way, through to conditioned and unconditioned dharmas, it is not conditioned or unconditioned dharmas, nor is it apart from conditioned or unconditioned dharmas.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! Then equal Dharma-nature is itself conditioned and itself unconditioned.

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! Equal Dharma-nature is neither conditioned nor unconditioned. Yet apart from conditioned dharmas, unconditioned dharmas cannot be apprehended; and apart from unconditioned dharmas, conditioned dharmas likewise cannot be apprehended.

Subhuti, you should know! The conditioned realm and the unconditioned realm neither unite nor separate. They are without form, invisible, and without resistance. Their single characteristic is signlessness. All Tathagatas, Arhats, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened Ones teach in reliance upon conventional truth, not in reliance upon ultimate truth. Why is this? Because within ultimate truth, bodily action, verbal action, and mental action cannot be apprehended; yet apart from bodily action, verbal action, and mental action, ultimate truth cannot be apprehended.

Subhuti, you should know! The equal Dharma-nature of conditioned and unconditioned dharmas is called the ultimate truth; there is no ultimate truth existing separately apart from all conditioned and unconditioned dharmas. Therefore, when a great bodhisattva practices the profound prajnaparamita, without disturbing the ultimate truth, the bodhisattva carries out the practices of a great bodhisattva, brings sentient beings to maturity, purifies Buddha-lands, attains unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, turns the wheel of the wondrous Dharma to liberate sentient beings, causes them forever to end birth, aging, sickness, and death, and enables them to realize absolute nirvana, which is eternally blissful.

LXXXV. CHAPTER ON THE EMPTINESS OF INTRINSIC NATURE

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! If the equal nature of all dharmas is intrinsically empty, and this intrinsic emptiness cannot be produced by any dharma, then how can a great bodhisattva, while practicing the profound prajnaparamita without disturbing the ultimate truth, benefit sentient beings by means of the four embracing practices?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! So it is! So it is!

The equal nature of all dharmas is intrinsically empty. This intrinsic emptiness cannot be produced by any dharma, yet for the sake of sentient beings, bodhisattvas benefit them through generosity and the other practices. If sentient beings themselves knew that all dharmas are intrinsically empty, the Tathagatas and bodhisattvas would not manifest supernormal powers and perform rare deeds.

That is to say, although they do not disturb the intrinsic emptiness of all dharmas, they cause sentient beings to abandon every kind of deluded and inverted conception. They cause sentient beings to abandon the conception of a self, the conception of a sentient being, up to the conception of a knower and the conception of a seer. They also cause them to abandon conceptions of form through consciousness; conceptions of the eye ayatana through the mind ayatana; conceptions of the form ayatana through the dharma ayatana; conceptions of the eye dhatu through the mind dhatu; conceptions of the form dhatu through the dharma dhatu; conceptions of the eye-consciousness dhatu through the mind-consciousness dhatu; conceptions of eye-contact through mind-contact;

conceptions of the feelings arising with eye-contact as condition through the feelings arising with mind-contact as condition; conceptions of the earth dhatu through the consciousness dhatu; and conceptions of ignorance through aging and death.

They also cause them to abandon the conception of the conditioned realm and to abide in the unconditioned realm, liberated from all birth, aging, sickness, and death. The unconditioned realm is precisely the emptiness of all dharmas; it is conventionally designated as the unconditioned realm.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Because of the emptiness of what is it said that all dharmas are empty?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! Because conceptions are empty, it is said that all dharmas are empty.

“Furthermore, Subhuti, what do you think? If a magically created body were in turn to perform magical creations, would these truly be nonempty?”

Subhuti replied:

“Blessed One! All magical creations have no true existence; they are all empty.”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! Magical creation and emptiness—these two dharmas neither unite nor separate. Because both are ‘empty of emptiness,’ emptiness should not be discriminated as, ‘This is emptiness; this is a magical creation.’ Why? Because within emptiness, no two things—emptiness and magical creation—can be apprehended, since all dharmas are ultimately empty.

“Furthermore, Subhuti! There is no form that is not a magical creation; there is no feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness that is not a magical creation. All these magically created dharmas are empty. You should understand other dharmas and sentient beings in the same way.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Worldly dharmas such as the skandhas, dhatus, and ayatanas, as well as sentient beings, are all magical creations. Are supramundane dharmas, such as the four foundations of mindfulness, and sentient beings likewise magical creations?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! All worldly and supramundane dharmas are magical creations. Yet among them are the magical creations of shravakas, the magical creations of pratyekabuddhas, the magical creations of bodhisattvas, the magical creations of Tathagatas, the magical creations of afflictions, and the magical creations of karma. For this reason, I say that all are like magical creations, without any difference.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! All fruits of abandonment—such as the fruits of stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, arhat, pratyekabuddha, and Tathagata—and the complete and perpetual severance of the continuity of afflictions and their habitual tendencies: are these also magical creations?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! If such dharmas are associated with the two characteristics of arising and cessation, then they too are all magical creations.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! What dharma is not a magical creation?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! Any dharma that is not associated with the two characteristics of arising and cessation is not a magical creation.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! What dharma is not associated with the characteristics of arising and cessation?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! The dharma that is not false is nirvana. Because this dharma is not associated with the characteristics of arising and cessation, it is not a magical creation.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! As the Blessed One has taught, the equal Dharma-nature is entirely empty; there is no agent that can disturb it, no duality that can be apprehended, and not the slightest dharma whose intrinsic nature is not empty. If so, how can it be said that nirvana is not a magical creation?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said: there is not the slightest dharma whose intrinsic nature is not empty. This emptiness of intrinsic nature is not made by shravakas, not made by pratyekabuddhas, not made by bodhisattvas, not made by Tathagatas, nor is it made by anyone else. Whether Buddhas appear or do not appear, this nature is always empty. This is nirvana. Therefore, the Tathagata says that nirvana is not a magical creation. It is not that there truly exists a dharma called nirvana that can be said to be unborn, unceasing, and not a magical creation.

“Furthermore, Subhuti! For the sake of bodhisattvas newly embarked upon the path, I teach that nirvana is not a magical creation; it is not that there separately and truly exists a nirvana that is not empty. Therefore, you should not regard this as difficult.”

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti then addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! By what skillful means should newly embarked bodhisattvas be instructed and taught so that they may know that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is always empty?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! Could it be that all dharmas first existed and afterward ceased to exist, and thus were not always empty? Yet all dharmas did not exist before, nor do they become nonexistent afterward. Their intrinsic nature is always empty, and one should not be frightened by this. By such skillful means, newly embarked bodhisattvas should be instructed and taught so that they may know that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is always empty.”

When the Blessed One had taught this sutra, the immeasurable assembly of great bodhisattvas, headed by the Bodhisattva Maitreya; the great shravakas, including the Venerable Subhuti, Shariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana, Mahakashyapa, and Ananda; and the devas, nagas, asuras, and the entire great assembly, having heard what the Buddha taught, rejoiced greatly, faithfully accepted it, and reverently practiced it.

Fascicle 478

END