大般若波羅蜜多經

X. CHAPTER ON THE HELLS

01

At that time, Shariputra addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! The profound prajnaparamita is capable of illumination and is utterly pure. It should be reverently honored and bowed to by all; it is revered, worshiped, and honored by devas, humans, and others.

It is free from attachment and cannot be defiled by worldly dharmas. It is far removed from every obstruction of the three realms and far removed from the darkness of afflictions and views. Therefore, it is supreme and foremost among all dharmas belonging to awakening, and is most excellent.

It can bring peace and security and forever end every terror, fright, oppression, and calamity. It brings light to sentient beings, enabling them to attain the five kinds of eyes and to see the Middle Way completely, so that those who have lost their way do not fall into the two extremes. It skillfully gives rise to the wisdom of all-wisdom and forever ends every continuity and habitual tendency of the afflictions.

It is the mother of all great bodhisattvas, for the bodhisattvas’ cultivation of all Buddha-dharmas arises from it. It neither arises nor ceases, because its own characteristic is empty. It is forever liberated from all birth and death, being neither permanent nor perishable.

It can serve as a refuge and bring the treasure of Dharma to sentient beings. It brings the Tathagata’s ten powers to complete fulfillment and subdues every opposing doctrine. It turns the unsurpassed Dharma wheel in three turnings and twelve aspects, attaining all dharmas without inversion; therefore, one should clearly understand all dharmas without error, realizing that their intrinsic nature is without nature and that their intrinsic nature is empty.

“Blessed One! How should the various kinds of sentient beings abide in relation to this prajnaparamita?”

The Buddha then told Shariputra:

“The various kinds of sentient beings should abide in relation to this prajnaparamita as they would abide in relation to the Buddha. They should make offerings to, revere, and contemplate prajnaparamita just as they make offerings to, revere, and contemplate the Buddha, the Blessed One. Why?

Shariputra, the Buddha is not different from prajnaparamita, and prajnaparamita is not different from the Buddha. The Buddha is precisely prajnaparamita, and prajnaparamita is precisely the Buddha. Why?

Because all Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and shravakas appear by virtue of prajnaparamita. The ten paths of wholesome karma, the four dhyanas, four immeasurables, four formless concentrations, and five superknowledges also appear in the world by virtue of prajnaparamita. All the paramitas, from generosity up to the wisdom of all aspects, likewise appear by virtue of prajnaparamita.”

At that time, Shakra, Lord of Devas, thought: “For what reason has Shariputra asked the Buddha this question?”

Knowing his thought, Shariputra said:

“Kaushika! Because the great bodhisattvas uphold this prajnaparamita, they use skillful means in relation to all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three times, gathering all the merit created from their first arousal of the aspiration until the True Dharma long abides, together with the many roots of virtue of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and other sentient beings. They gather all these and bring them directly before the mind for rejoicing, using signlessness and non-attainment as skillful means. Having rejoiced, they give them equally to all sentient beings and then dedicate them all together toward unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening. For this reason, I asked that question.

“Furthermore, Kaushika! The great bodhisattvas’ training in prajnaparamita infinitely and incalculably surpasses the paramitas of generosity through dhyana. Suppose, for example, that there were hundreds of thousands and more who had been blind from birth. Unless a sighted person skillfully guided them, they could not reach the proper road, much less a distant, great, and prosperous city. Likewise, the first five paramitas are like blind people. Without the guidance of the sighted one, prajnaparamita, they cannot reach the bodhisattva’s right path, much less the distant city of the wisdom of all-wisdom.

“Furthermore, Kaushika! It is precisely through prajnaparamita that the five paramitas, generosity and the others, are called those possessing eyes. It is also through being upheld by prajnaparamita that they are said to have reached the other shore.”

Shakra, Lord of Devas, asked:

“Do not the first five paramitas also guide and uphold one another, enabling the remaining paramitas to reach the other shore? If so, why praise only prajnaparamita as surpassing those other five paramitas?”

Shariputra replied:

“The Lord of Devas’ statement is not reasonable. Why? It is not through the first five paramitas guiding and upholding the remaining paramita that they reach the other shore. Rather, it is precisely through the skillful means of prajnaparamita, complete with great power, that the five paramitas are upheld, kept free from attachment, and swiftly brought to the other shore. Therefore, in relation to the first five, prajnaparamita is the most honored, the most excellent, the most noble, the loftiest, the wondrous, the most wondrous, the highest, the unsurpassed, the unequaled, and equal to the unequaled.”

At that time, Shariputra addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! How should great bodhisattvas guide and develop prajnaparamita?”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! Great bodhisattvas do not guide and develop form; they guide and develop only prajnaparamita. They do not guide and develop feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; they guide and develop only prajnaparamita. Up to and including the wisdom of all-wisdom, they do not guide and develop it; they guide and develop only prajnaparamita. They do not guide and develop the wisdom of the aspects of the path or the wisdom of all aspects; they guide and develop only prajnaparamita. They do not guide and develop any dharma; they guide and develop only prajnaparamita.”

Shariputra addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Why do great bodhisattvas not guide and develop form, up to and including all dharmas, but guide and develop only prajnaparamita?”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! Because form, up to and including all dharmas, is uncreated, unborn, unattainable, indestructible, and without intrinsic nature, the great bodhisattvas do not guide and develop form, up to and including all dharmas, but guide and develop prajnaparamita.”

Shariputra again addressed the Buddha:

“With what dharma does prajnaparamita, guided and developed in this way by great bodhisattvas, unite?”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! The prajnaparamita produced in this way by great bodhisattvas does not unite with any dharma. Because it does not unite, it is called prajnaparamita.”

Shariputra addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! With which dharmas does such prajnaparamita not unite?”

The Blessed One said:

“Such prajnaparamita does not unite with wholesome dharmas or unwholesome dharmas; it does not unite with culpable dharmas or blameless dharmas; it does not unite with contaminated dharmas or uncontaminated dharmas; it does not unite with conditioned dharmas or unconditioned dharmas; it does not unite with defiled dharmas or undefiled dharmas; it does not unite with worldly dharmas or supramundane dharmas; it does not unite with defiling dharmas or purifying dharmas; it does not unite with samsaric dharmas or the Dharma of nirvana. Why? Shariputra! Because profound prajnaparamita attains nothing whatsoever in relation to any dharma, it cannot be said to unite with such dharmas.”

Then Shakra, Lord of Devas, addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Does profound prajnaparamita also not unite with the wisdom of all-wisdom?”

The Buddha said:

“So it is! It is just as you say. Profound prajnaparamita also does not unite with the wisdom of all-wisdom, because it attains nothing whatsoever in relation to it.”

Shakra, Lord of Devas, addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Why does prajnaparamita neither unite with nor attain the wisdom of all-wisdom?”

The Blessed One said:

“Profound prajnaparamita does not unite with or attain the wisdom of all-wisdom according to its name, characteristic, or what it creates.”

Shakra, Lord of Devas, addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! How does prajnaparamita unite with and attain the wisdom of all-wisdom?”

The Blessed One said:

“Because profound prajnaparamita, in relation to the wisdom of all-wisdom, neither accepts nor grasps, neither abides nor cuts off, neither clings nor relinquishes names, characteristics, and so forth, it unites in this way, yet no union is attained. The same is true in relation to all dharmas: regarding their names, characteristics, and so forth, it neither accepts nor grasps, neither abides nor cuts off, neither clings nor relinquishes. It unites in this way, yet no union is attained.”

Shakra, Lord of Devas, again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! How extraordinary! Sugata! How rare! Such prajnaparamita appears in the world because all dharmas are unborn, unceasing, uncreated, unaccomplished, unattainable, indestructible, and without intrinsic nature. Although there is union and realization, there is neither union nor realization. Such meaning is truly inconceivable. Only the Buddha, the Blessed One, can teach it.”

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! When great bodhisattvas practice profound prajnaparamita, if they conceive the thought that profound prajnaparamita either unites or does not unite with all dharmas, do these great bodhisattvas abandon and become distant from profound prajnaparamita?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! There is yet another condition that causes great bodhisattvas to abandon and become distant from prajnaparamita. It occurs when, while cultivating prajnaparamita, they falsely conceive this thought: ‘Profound prajnaparamita has no existence, is not genuine, is not steadfast, and is not sovereign.’ Such great bodhisattvas abandon and become distant from prajnaparamita.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“When great bodhisattvas have faith in profound prajnaparamita, in which dharmas do they not have faith?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! If great bodhisattvas have faith in profound prajnaparamita, they do not place faith in form, nor do they place faith in feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. Up to and including the wisdom of all-wisdom, the wisdom of the aspects of the path, and the wisdom of all aspects, they do not place faith in them.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Why, when great bodhisattvas have faith in profound prajnaparamita, do they not place faith in form, up to and including the wisdom of all aspects?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti! When great bodhisattvas practice profound prajnaparamita, they contemplate all form, up to and including the wisdom of all aspects, as unattainable. Although they have faith in prajnaparamita, they do not place faith in form, up to and including the wisdom of all aspects. Thus, Subhuti, when great bodhisattvas have faith in profound prajnaparamita, they do not place faith in form, up to and including the wisdom of all aspects.”

Fascicle 505

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