大般若波羅蜜多經

03

The Venerable Shariputra said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One! When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, what skillful means do they employ such that, through the power of these skillful means, although they contemplate all dharmas as devoid of intrinsic nature and entirely lacking true existence, they nevertheless rely upon worldly convention, arouse the aspiration toward unsurpassed enlightenment, and expound the Dharma to sentient beings, enabling them to gain right understanding and free themselves from delusion and error?”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, their skillful means are such that they do not perceive even the slightest real dharma in which they might abide; for by abiding therein, obstruction would arise; because of obstruction, they would regress; because of regression, their minds would become feeble; and because their minds were feeble, indolence would arise.

“Shariputra! All dharmas are entirely without true existence, devoid of self and what belongs to a self. They take absence of nature as their intrinsic nature; their fundamental nature is quiescent, and their individual characteristics are quiescent.

Yet ignorant, deluded, and confused ordinary beings cling to the form skandha and cling to the skandhas of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness; they cling to the eye ayatana and cling to the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind ayatanas; they cling to the form ayatana and cling to the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and dharma ayatanas; they cling to the eye dhatu and cling to the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind dhatus; they cling to the form dhatu and cling to the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and dharma dhatus; they cling to the eye-consciousness dhatu and cling to the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness dhatus; they cling to eye-contact and cling to ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact;

they cling to the feelings that arise conditioned by eye-contact and cling to the feelings that arise conditioned by ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact; they cling to the earth dhatu and cling to the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness dhatus; they cling to causal conditions and cling to the immediately antecedent condition, the objective condition, and the predominant condition; they cling to dharmas arising from conditions; they cling to ignorance and cling to formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six ayatanas, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and distress;

they cling to the perfection of generosity and cling to the perfections of pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita; they cling to the emptiness of internal dharmas and cling to the emptiness of external dharmas, the emptiness of internal and external dharmas, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of conditioned dharmas, the emptiness of unconditioned dharmas, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of fundamental nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the ungraspable, the emptiness of nonexistence,

the emptiness of intrinsic nature, and the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of nonexistence; they cling to the four establishments of mindfulness and cling to 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 cling to the Noble Truth of suffering and cling to the Noble Truths of the origin of suffering, its cessation, and the path; they cling to the four meditative absorptions and cling to the four immeasurables and the four formless attainments; they cling to the eight liberations and cling to the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten totalities; they cling to the Dharma gateway of dharani and cling to the Dharma gateway of samadhi;

they cling to the gateway of liberation through emptiness and cling to the gateways of liberation through signlessness and wishlessness; they cling to the Ground of Utmost Joy and cling to the Ground of Stainlessness, the Ground of Luminosity, the Ground of Blazing Wisdom, the Ground Most Difficult to Conquer, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Far-Going Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom, and the Dharma Cloud Ground; they cling to the five kinds of eyes and cling to the six superknowledges; they cling to the Buddha’s ten powers and cling to the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha;

they cling to the thirty-two marks of a Great Being and cling to the eighty subsidiary characteristics; they cling to the Dharma of never forgetting and cling to the nature of constant equanimity; they cling to the knowledge of all things and cling to the knowledge of the aspects of the path and the knowledge of all aspects; they cling to the fruit of stream-entry and cling to the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and pratyekabuddhahood; they cling to all the practices of great bodhisattvas and cling to the unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddhas; they cling to ordinary beings; and they cling to stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas, great bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened Ones.

“Shariputra! For this reason, great bodhisattvas contemplate all dharmas as entirely without true existence, devoid of self and what belongs to a self. They take absence of nature as their intrinsic nature; their fundamental nature is quiescent, and their individual characteristics are quiescent.

Practicing prajnaparamita, they are in their intrinsic nature like illusionists and expound the Dharma to sentient beings. Thus, to the miserly they teach generosity, causing them to cultivate the perfection of generosity; to those who violate morality they teach pure morality, causing them to cultivate the perfection of pure morality; to the angry they teach patience, causing them to cultivate the perfection of patience; to the indolent they teach diligence, causing them to cultivate the perfection of diligence; to the distracted they teach meditative concentration, causing them to cultivate the perfection of meditative concentration; and to the deluded they teach wisdom, causing them to cultivate prajnaparamita.

“Shariputra! After establishing sentient beings and causing them to abide in the perfections of generosity, pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, that great bodhisattva further expounds to them the supreme Noble Dharma capable of bringing liberation from birth and death. By relying upon it and cultivating it, sentient beings may attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, the fruit of arhatship, or the state of a pratyekabuddha; they may enter the stage of a great bodhisattva or attain unsurpassed enlightenment.”

Then Shariputra said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One! When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, why are they not called persons who apprehend something as attained? Sentient beings truly possess nothing, yet these bodhisattvas cause them to abide in the perfections of generosity, pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita; they further expound to them the supreme Noble Dharma capable of bringing liberation from birth and death; and they cause them to attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, the fruit of arhatship, or the state of a pratyekabuddha; to enter the stage of a great bodhisattva; or to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, they apprehend nothing with regard to sentient beings. Why is this? Shariputra! When these great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, they do not perceive even the slightest truly existent sentient being that can be apprehended. Sentient beings exist only as provisional designations according to worldly convention.

“Shariputra! When that great bodhisattva practices prajnaparamita, the bodhisattva abides in the two truths and expounds the true Dharma to sentient beings. What are the two truths? They are the conventional truth and the ultimate truth.

“Shariputra! Within these two truths, sentient beings cannot be apprehended, nor can the establishment of sentient beings be apprehended. Nevertheless, great bodhisattvas practicing prajnaparamita employ skillful means to expound the essential Dharma to sentient beings. Having heard that Dharma, these sentient beings do not attain a self even in this present life, much less attain the fruit of realization that they seek.

“Shariputra! Thus, although great bodhisattvas practicing prajnaparamita employ skillful means to expound the true Dharma to sentient beings, causing them to cultivate right conduct and attain the fruits of realization, their minds remain entirely free of any apprehension of attainment with regard to those beings.”

The Venerable Shariputra said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One! These great bodhisattvas are true great bodhisattvas. Although, with respect to all dharmas, they apprehend neither a single nature nor different natures, neither a general nature nor particular natures, they nevertheless don such armor of great merit.

Because they don such armor of great merit, they do not manifest the desire realm, do not manifest the form realm, do not manifest the formless realm, do not manifest the conditioned realm, and do not manifest the unconditioned realm. Although they teach and transform sentient beings, enabling them to escape the three realms, they apprehend no sentient being whatsoever, nor do they apprehend the establishment of sentient beings.

Because the establishment of sentient beings cannot be apprehended, there is neither bondage nor liberation; because there is neither bondage nor liberation, there is neither defilement nor purification; because there is neither defilement nor purification, the distinctions among the various destinies cannot be discerned; because the distinctions among the various destinies cannot be discerned, there is neither karma nor affliction; because there is neither karma nor affliction, there is no resultant maturation.

Since there is no resultant maturation, how could one know of a self or sentient beings transmigrating through the various destinies, appearing in the three realms with their manifold distinctions?”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! So it is! So it is!

It is exactly as you have said. Shariputra! If sentient beings formerly existed and subsequently ceased to exist, bodhisattvas and Tathagatas would be in error.

If birth and death within the various destinies formerly existed and subsequently ceased to exist, bodhisattvas and Tathagatas would likewise be in error. The same reasoning applies if they formerly did not exist and subsequently came to exist. Therefore, Shariputra, whether Tathagatas appear in the world or do not appear in the world, the characteristics of dharmas eternally abide and never change.

This is because the Dharma-nature, Dharma realm, fixed order of dharmas, abiding of dharmas, suchness, reality-limit, nonfalse nature, and unchanging nature of all dharmas are like empty space. Within these there is not even a self, a sentient being, a living being, one capable of arising, one who is nurtured, one who matures, one who transmigrates, a mind-born being, a youth, one capable of acting, one capable of causing another to act, one capable of creating karma, one capable of causing another to create karma, one capable of experiencing karmic results, one capable of causing another to experience karmic results, a knower, one who causes another to know, a seer, or one who causes another to see.

How much less could there be form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness; the eye ayatana, or the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind ayatanas; the form ayatana, or the sound, odor, taste, touch, and dharma ayatanas; the eye dhatu, or the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind dhatus; the form dhatu, or the sound, odor, taste, touch, and dharma dhatus; the eye-consciousness dhatu, or the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness dhatus; eye-contact, or ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact; feelings arising with eye-contact as condition, or feelings arising with ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-contact as condition; the earth dhatu, or the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness dhatus;

dependent origination, dependently arisen dharmas, or the factors of dependent origination?

Since there are none of these dharmas that have been spoken of, how could there be birth and death within the various destinies? Since birth and death within the various destinies cannot be apprehended, how could there be the maturation and liberation of sentient beings? Their existence is spoken of provisionally, merely in reliance upon worldly convention.

“Shariputra! Because the intrinsic nature of dharmas such as these is entirely empty, great bodhisattvas, having heard this as it truly is from past Buddhas, generate the aspiration directed toward unsurpassed perfect awakening in order to rescue sentient beings who cling through delusion and inversion. When generating that aspiration, they do not think: ‘I have attained or shall attain this Dharma, and I have delivered or shall deliver those sentient beings from their attachment to the sufferings of birth and death.’

“Shariputra! In order to liberate sentient beings who cling through delusion and inversion, such great bodhisattvas don the armor of merit, adorn themselves with vast vows, and courageously exert right diligence without cherishing anything. They do not relinquish unsurpassed perfect awakening and never give rise to doubt concerning bodhi, wondering, ‘Shall I realize it, or shall I not realize it?’ They always think: ‘I shall certainly realize the unsurpassed perfect awakening that I seek and bring true benefit to sentient beings by liberating them from delusion and inversion, through which they wander among the various destinies and undergo the sufferings of birth and death.’

“Shariputra! Although such great bodhisattvas liberate sentient beings from the delusion and inversion of birth and death within the various destinies, they apprehend nothing whatsoever. It is merely in reliance upon worldly convention that such a deed is said to exist.

“Shariputra! It is like an illusionist or his disciple who, using the art of Indra’s net, conjures countless hundreds of thousands of kotis of sentient beings and also conjures all kinds of supremely exquisite food and drink for those conjured sentient beings, causing them all to eat their fill. Having done this, he joyfully proclaims, ‘I have acquired immense merit!’

“Shariputra! What do you think? Has that illusionist or his disciple actually caused any sentient beings to eat their fill?”

Shariputra replied:

“No, Blessed One! No, Sugata!”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! Great bodhisattvas are likewise. From the time they first generate the aspiration, because they wish to liberate sentient beings, they cultivate the perfection of generosity; cultivate the perfections of pure ethical discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita;

abide in the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the unchanging, the emptiness of essential nature, the emptiness of intrinsic characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonbeing, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, and the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of nonbeing; cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness;

cultivate the four right abandonments, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of awakening, and eightfold noble path; abide in the Noble Truth of suffering and abide in the Noble Truths of its origin, cessation, and the path; cultivate the four meditative absorptions; cultivate the four immeasurable states and four formless concentrations; cultivate the eight liberations, eight spheres of mastery, nine successive meditative attainments, and ten totalities; cultivate the Dharma gateways of dharani and the Dharma gateways of samadhi; cultivate the Dharma gateway of the liberation of emptiness and the Dharma gateways of the liberations of signlessness and wishlessness;

cultivate the Ground of Great Joy, the Ground of Stainlessness, the Ground of Radiance, the Ground of Blazing Wisdom, the Ground Difficult to Conquer, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Far-Progressed Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom, and the Dharma Cloud Ground; cultivate the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; cultivate 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; cultivate the thirty-two marks of a Great Being and the eighty subsidiary characteristics; cultivate the Dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity;

cultivate the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and the knowledge of all aspects; perfect the great bodhi path of great bodhisattvas, mature sentient beings, and purify Buddha lands.

“Shariputra! Although great bodhisattvas perform such deeds, they apprehend neither sentient beings nor any dharma whatsoever, and they do not think: ‘By means of this Dharma, I shall discipline these kinds of sentient beings.’”

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! What is called the great bodhi path of great bodhisattvas, by cultivating which great bodhisattvas, through skillful means, mature sentient beings and purify Buddha lands?”

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! From the time they first arouse the aspiration, great bodhisattvas cultivate the perfection of generosity and practice the perfections of pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita. They practice internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal-and-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of immutability, the emptiness of essential nature, the emptiness of own-characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of nonapprehensibility, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the nonexistence of self-nature. They practice the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. They practice the Noble Truth of suffering and the Noble Truths of the origin, cessation, and path. They practice the four meditative absorptions, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations. They practice the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten totalities. They practice the Dharma gateway of dharani and the Dharma gateway of samadhi. They practice the gateways to liberation of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. They practice the Ground of Great Joy, the Ground of Stainlessness, the Ground of Luminous Radiance, the Ground of Blazing Wisdom, the Ground Difficult to Conquer, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Far-Going Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom, and the Ground of the Dharma Cloud. They practice the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges. They practice the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha. They practice the Dharma of non-forgetfulness and the nature of constant equanimity. They practice the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, the knowledge of all aspects, and immeasurable, boundless other Buddha-dharmas, all of which constitute the bodhisattva’s path to great enlightenment. Great bodhisattvas who cultivate this path employ skillful means to bring sentient beings to maturity and purify Buddha-fields, yet entertain no conception of sentient beings, Buddha-fields, and so forth.

The Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One! When great bodhisattvas cultivate prajnaparamita, how do they employ skillful means to bring sentient beings to maturity?

The Buddha said:

– Subhuti! When some great bodhisattvas cultivate the perfection of generosity, they employ skillful means by practicing generosity themselves and also encouraging others to practice generosity. They earnestly instruct, guide, exhort, and admonish them: Good sons! Do not become attached to generosity. If you become attached to generosity, you will again assume a body; and if you again assume a body, you will consequently undergo, in succession, immeasurable great and intense sufferings. Good sons! In the truth of ultimate meaning, there is absolutely no generosity, no giver, no recipient, no gift, and no fruit of generosity. All such dharmas are empty in their essential nature. Within the emptiness of essential nature, no dharma can be apprehended, and even the emptiness of all dharmas cannot be apprehended.

Subhuti! Thus, when great bodhisattvas cultivate the perfection of generosity, although they practice generosity toward sentient beings themselves and also encourage others to practice generosity, they apprehend neither generosity, giver, recipient, gift, nor the fruit of generosity. Such a perfection of generosity is called the perfection of nonapprehension. When these great bodhisattvas apprehend nothing whatsoever in regard to these dharmas, they can, through skillful means, teach and transform sentient beings so that they attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, the fruit of arhatship, the state of a pratyekabuddha, or advance toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Subhuti! Thus, when great bodhisattvas cultivate prajnaparamita, they rely upon the Dharma of generosity to bring sentient beings to maturity and enable them to attain peace and happiness.

Subhuti! These great bodhisattvas practice the perfection of generosity themselves and also encourage others to practice the perfection of generosity; they wisely extol the practice of the perfection of generosity and joyfully praise those who practice the perfection of generosity.

Subhuti! After cultivating the great perfection of generosity, these great bodhisattvas may be born into a great kshatriya family, a great brahmin family, a great householder family, or a great lay family; they may become minor kings in small countries, enjoying wealth, honor, and sovereignty; they may become great kings in large countries, enjoying wealth, honor, and sovereignty; or they may become wheel-turning monarchs ruling the four continents, enjoying wealth, honor, and sovereignty.

Subhuti! Born into such honored stations, these great bodhisattvas attract and guide sentient beings by means of the four methods of gathering. What are the four?

The first is generosity, the second is loving speech, the third is beneficial action, and the fourth is cooperation. When these great bodhisattvas employ the four methods of gathering to attract and guide sentient beings, they first teach sentient beings to abide in generosity. They then successively enable them to abide in the perfections of pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita.

They further enable them to abide in the four meditative absorptions, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations. They further enable them to abide in the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. They further enable them to abide in the samadhi of emptiness, the samadhi of signlessness, and the samadhi of wishlessness.

After enabling sentient beings to abide in such wholesome dharmas, these great bodhisattvas may cause them to enter right determination and attain the fruit of stream-entry, the fruit of once-returning, the fruit of non-returning, or the fruit of arhatship; or they may cause them to enter right determination and successively realize the state of a pratyekabuddha; or they may cause them to enter right determination, successively cultivate and train in the bodhisattva grounds, and swiftly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

They further tell them: Good sons! You should make a great vow and swiftly advance toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment so as to bring benefit and happiness to sentient beings. Sentient beings cling to dharmas that are utterly devoid of self-nature, imagining them to exist solely because of delusion and false discrimination.

Therefore, you should always strive diligently to eliminate your own delusions and should also teach others to eliminate theirs; liberate yourselves from birth and death and also teach others to become liberated from birth and death; attain benefit yourselves and also teach others to attain benefit.

Subhuti, great bodhisattvas should always train in the perfection of generosity in this way. By virtue of this perfection of generosity, from the time they first arouse the aspiration for enlightenment until the ultimate end, they do not fall into the lower realms. Because they wish to benefit all sentient beings, they are often born in the human realm as wheel-turning kings.

Why? Because, in accordance with the power of the seeds they have planted, they attain such a result. When such a great bodhisattva becomes a wheel-turning king and sees a petitioner approach, he thinks: “For what purpose do I wander through birth and death and become a wheel-turning king?

It is to bring benefit and happiness to sentient beings that I have received this excellent result within samsara, and for no other reason.” Having thought thus, he tells the petitioner: “Whatever you need, I shall give it all to you. When you take these things, regard them as your own possessions; do not think that they belong to someone else. Why?

Because it is through you that I obtain benefit and happiness, and therefore I have assumed this body and accumulated these possessions. Thus, these things belong to you. Take them as you please, whether to use them yourself or give them to others; harbor no doubts or misgivings.” When that great bodhisattva shows such compassion for sentient beings, his great compassion without an object is swiftly brought to perfection.

Because this great compassion is swiftly perfected, although he constantly benefits and brings happiness to immeasurable sentient beings, he apprehends no sentient being whatsoever, nor does he apprehend the excellent results attained. He always knows in accordance with reality that it is only through conventional designations based upon conceptual constructs that the establishment of benefit and happiness for sentient beings is spoken of.

He also knows in accordance with reality that such establishments are all like echoes: although they appear as if existent, they do not truly exist. Therefore, he grasps no dharma whatsoever.

Subhuti, great bodhisattvas should always cultivate the perfection of generosity in this way: they should have no reluctance whatsoever toward sentient beings, even to the point of being able to give away the bones and flesh of their own bodies, much less being unable to relinquish external possessions. These are the possessions by which they embrace sentient beings and enable them swiftly to be liberated from birth, old age, sickness, and death.

Then the Venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, what are the possessions by which sentient beings are embraced and enabled swiftly to be liberated from birth, old age, sickness, and death?”

The Buddha said:

“Subhuti, they are the treasure of the perfection of generosity; the treasures of pure discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and the perfection of prajna; the treasure of the emptiness of the internal;

the treasures of the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the boundless, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the ungraspable, the emptiness of emptiness-nature, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of emptiness-nature; the treasure of the four foundations of mindfulness;

the treasures of the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; the treasure of the Noble Truth of suffering; the treasures of the Noble Truths of the origin, cessation, and path; the treasure of the four meditative absorptions; the treasures of the four immeasurables and the four formless attainments; the treasure of the eight liberations; the treasures of the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten totalities; the treasures of the Dharma gateways of dharani and samadhi; the treasure of the Dharma gateway of the liberation of emptiness; the treasures of the Dharma gateways of the liberations of signlessness and wishlessness;

the treasure of the Ground of Great Joy; the treasures of the Ground of Stainlessness, the Ground of Radiance, the Ground of Blazing Wisdom, the Ground Most Difficult to Overcome, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Far-Going Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom, and the Dharma-Cloud Ground; the treasure of the five kinds of eyes; the treasure of the six superknowledges; the treasure of the Buddha’s ten powers; the treasures of 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; the treasure of the Dharma of never losing mindfulness; the treasure of the nature of perpetual equanimity;

the treasure of the knowledge of all things; the treasures of the knowledge of the aspects of the paths and the knowledge of all aspects; the treasure of the fruit of stream-entry; the treasures of the fruits of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, and the state of a pratyekabuddha; the treasure of all the practices of great bodhisattvas; and the treasure of the unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas.

“Subhuti, possessions such as these embrace sentient beings and enable them swiftly to be liberated from birth, old age, sickness, and death. Great bodhisattvas should always use such kinds of possessions to embrace sentient beings, enabling them to be liberated from birth, old age, sickness, and death and to attain great benefit.

“Furthermore, Subhuti, great bodhisattvas who abide in the perfection of generosity practice the perfection of generosity themselves and exhort sentient beings to practice the perfection of generosity. Then, when they see sentient beings violating pure discipline, they feel immense compassion and tell them: ‘You should all undertake and uphold pure discipline. I shall provide for you.

Whatever food and drink, clothing, bedding, dwellings, vehicles, genuine mani pearls, vaidurya jewels, sphatika jewels, indranila sapphires, mahanila sapphires, gold, silver, jade, conch shells, coral, other extremely valuable precious objects, incense, flowers, banners, canopies, medicines for illness, and other necessities you require, I shall supply them all, leaving you lacking nothing. Because you lack necessary provisions, you violate pure discipline and commit evil deeds.

Whatever provisions you lack, from food and drink to medicines for illness and all other necessities, I shall supply them. Once you abide in the disciplinary restraints, you will gradually be able to escape the cycle of suffering, whether by relying upon the Sravaka Vehicle and attaining emancipation, by relying upon the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle and attaining emancipation, or by relying upon the Supreme Vehicle and attaining emancipation.’

“Subhuti, that great bodhisattva, abiding in the perfection of generosity, undertakes and upholds pure discipline himself, exhorts others to undertake and uphold pure discipline, openly extols the Dharma of undertaking and upholding pure discipline, and joyfully praises those who undertake and uphold pure discipline.

“Subhuti, in this way, a great bodhisattva who cultivates the perfection of generosity exhorts sentient beings to abide in pure discipline, become liberated from birth and death, and attain supreme benefit and happiness.

“Furthermore, Subhuti, great bodhisattvas who abide in the perfection of generosity, upon seeing sentient beings become angry with one another, feel immense compassion and tell them: ‘For what reason are you angry with one another? If it is because of deprivation that you commit this evil deed against one another, then you should ask me, and I shall assist you. Whatever food and drink, clothing, bedding, dwellings, vehicles, servants, precious objects, incense, flowers, medicines for illness, music, banners, canopies, necklaces, lamps, and other necessities you require, I shall supply them all, leaving you lacking nothing. You should not be angry with one another, but should cultivate patience and together arouse minds of loving-kindness.’

Subhuti! That great bodhisattva, abiding in the perfection of giving, having exhorted sentient beings to cultivate the perfection of patience, wishes to make them steadfast and therefore further tells them: “The causes and conditions of anger are entirely insubstantial; they all arise from false discrimination. Since the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is empty, why do you become deludedly angry over what does not truly exist, revile one another, and take up knives and clubs to injure one another?

Do not rely upon false discrimination and thereby give rise to anger and commit evil karma, for you will fall into the hells, the animal realm, the realm of ghosts, and other evil destinies, where you will undergo intense suffering. That suffering is cruel, fierce, and piercing, rending body and mind and being exceedingly difficult to endure. Do not cling to things that do not truly exist, deludedly give rise to anger, and create such sinful karma.

Because of this sinful karma, even an inferior human body will be difficult to obtain, much less birth in a Buddha-world. You should know that a human body is difficult to obtain, the appearance of a Buddha in the world is difficult to encounter, and giving rise to faith is still more difficult. Now that all these conditions have come together for you, do not lose this excellent opportunity because of anger.

If you lose this opportunity, it will be difficult to remedy. Therefore, do not become angry with sentient beings; you should cultivate patience.”

Subhuti! That great bodhisattva, abiding in the perfection of giving, personally practices patience, exhorts others to practice patience, openly praises the Dharma of practicing patience, and joyfully commends those who practice patience.

Subhuti! In this way, great bodhisattvas abiding in the perfection of giving exhort sentient beings to cultivate patience. Consequently, those sentient beings, successively and gradually, attain liberation by relying upon the three vehicles: some attain liberation by relying upon the Sravaka Vehicle, some attain liberation by relying upon the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and some attain liberation by relying upon the Great Vehicle.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Great bodhisattvas abiding in the perfection of giving, seeing sentient beings indolent in body and mind, give rise to immense compassion and tell them: “Why do you not diligently and vigorously cultivate wholesome dharmas, but instead become indolent?” They reply: “We lack the necessary provisions and therefore cannot devote ourselves to cultivating wholesome practices.” The bodhisattva tells them: “I can give you the provisions you lack.

You should devote yourselves to cultivating giving, pure morality, patience, and so forth.” At that time, after receiving the provisions given by that bodhisattva, those sentient beings no longer lack anything. They can therefore arouse vigor in body and mind, cultivate wholesome dharmas, and quickly bring them to perfection. Because their wholesome dharmas are perfected, undefiled dharmas gradually arise.

Through these undefiled dharmas, some attain the fruit of stream-entry; some attain the fruit of once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship; some attain the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood; and some enter the bodhisattva stages and gradually realize the fruit of unsurpassed enlightenment.

Subhuti! That great bodhisattva, abiding in the perfection of giving, personally practices vigor, exhorts others to practice vigor, openly praises the Dharma of practicing vigor, and joyfully commends those who practice vigor.

Subhuti! In this way, great bodhisattvas abiding in the perfection of giving enable sentient beings to abandon indolence, diligently cultivate wholesome deeds, and quickly attain liberation.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Great bodhisattvas abiding in the perfection of giving, seeing sentient beings distracted and unmindful, feel immense compassion and tell them: “Why do you not cultivate meditative concentration, but instead remain distracted and unmindful, sinking into birth and death?” They reply: “We lack the necessary provisions and therefore cannot cultivate meditative concentration.” The bodhisattva tells them: “I can give you the provisions you lack.

From now on, you should no longer give rise to false examination and investigation, grasping at internal and external objects and thereby disturbing your own minds.” At that time, after receiving the provisions given by that bodhisattva, those sentient beings no longer lack anything and are able to subdue and eliminate false examination and investigation. They enter the first meditative concentration and then gradually enter the second, third, and fourth meditative concentrations.

Relying upon these meditative concentrations, they can further give rise to the four Brahma abodes of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, with the meditative concentrations and immeasurable states as their basis. They then gradually enter the four formless concentrations. After their minds have been disciplined and made pliant through the meditative concentrations, immeasurable states, and formless concentrations, they cultivate 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, the Noble Eightfold Path, the liberation gateways of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, and various other wholesome dharmas.

According to their capacities, they attain the fruits of the three vehicles: some realize the nirvana of a sravaka, some realize the nirvana of a pratyekabuddha, and some realize the fruit of unsurpassed enlightenment.

Subhuti! That great bodhisattva, abiding in the perfection of giving, personally cultivates meditative concentration, exhorts others to cultivate meditative concentration, openly praises the Dharma of cultivating meditative concentration, and joyfully commends those who cultivate meditative concentration.

Subhuti! In this way, great bodhisattvas abiding in the perfection of giving exhort sentient beings to abandon distraction and cultivate the meditative concentrations, thereby bringing them great benefit.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Great bodhisattvas who abide in the perfection of generosity see sentient beings who are deluded and confused. Moved by boundless compassion, they say to them: “Why do you not cultivate prajna, but remain deluded and confused, revolving through birth and death?” They reply: “We lack material necessities and therefore cannot cultivate supreme wisdom.” The bodhisattvas say: “I can give you whatever necessities you lack; you should accept them.

First perfect the cultivation of generosity, pure ethical discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, and meditative concentration. Then you should carefully contemplate the true aspect of all dharmas and cultivate the perfection of prajna. That is to say, at that time you should carefully contemplate whether there is even the slightest dharma that can be apprehended.

Can a self, a sentient being, a life continuum, one who arises, one who is nurtured, one who matures, one who transmigrates, a mind-born being, a youth, one capable of acting, one capable of causing others to act, an agent, one who causes others to act, one who experiences karmic results, one who causes others to experience karmic results, a knower, one who causes others to know, a seer, or one who causes others to see be apprehended?

Can form, feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness be apprehended? Can the eye ayatana, or the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind ayatana be apprehended? Can the form ayatana, or the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, or dharma ayatana be apprehended?

Can the eye dhatu, or the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind dhatu be apprehended? Can the form dhatu, or the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, or dharma dhatu be apprehended? Can the eye-consciousness dhatu, or the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-consciousness dhatu be apprehended?

Can eye-contact, or ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact be apprehended? Can the feelings arising in dependence upon eye-contact, or the feelings arising in dependence upon ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, or mind-contact be apprehended? Can the earth dhatu, or the water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness dhatu be apprehended?

Can the causal condition, the immediately antecedent condition, the objective condition, or the dominant condition be apprehended? Can dharmas arising from conditions be apprehended? Can ignorance, formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six ayatanas, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief, or distress be apprehended?

Can the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, or the Formless Realm be apprehended? Can the perfection of generosity, or the perfection of pure ethical discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, meditative concentration, or prajna be apprehended? Can the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of 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 nonbeing, the emptiness of self-nature, or the emptiness of the self-nature of nonbeing be apprehended?

Can the four foundations of mindfulness, or the four right abandonments, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of awakening, or eightfold noble path be apprehended? Can the Noble Truth of suffering, or the Noble Truth of its origin, cessation, or the path be apprehended? Can the four meditative concentrations, or the four immeasurables or four formless absorptions be apprehended?

Can the eight liberations, or the eight spheres of mastery, nine successive absorptions, or ten totalities be apprehended? Can the dharani gateways or the samadhi gateways be apprehended? Can the gateway of liberation through emptiness, or the gateways of liberation through signlessness or wishlessness be apprehended?

Can the Very Joyful Ground, the Stainless Ground, the Luminous Ground, the Blazing Wisdom Ground, the Difficult-to-Conquer Ground, the Manifest Ground, the Far-Reaching Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Excellent Wisdom Ground, or the Dharma Cloud Ground be apprehended? Can the five kinds of eyes or the six superknowledges be apprehended? Can the Buddha’s ten powers, or the four fearlessnesses, four unobstructed knowledges, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, or eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha be apprehended?

Can the quality of never forgetting or the nature of constant equanimity be apprehended? Can the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, or the knowledge of all aspects be apprehended? Can the fruit of stream-entry, or the fruit of once-returning, non-returning, arhatship, or the attainment of a pratyekabuddha be apprehended?

Can all the practices of great bodhisattvas or the unsurpassed awakening of the Buddhas be apprehended?”

Once those sentient beings have received the necessities and no longer suffer deprivation, they rely upon the bodhisattvas’ teaching. First they perfect the cultivation of generosity, pure ethical discipline, patient acceptance, diligence, and meditative concentration. They then carefully contemplate the true aspect of all dharmas and cultivate the perfection of prajna.

When they carefully contemplate the true nature of all dharmas as previously explained, they find that none can be apprehended. Because they cannot be apprehended, there is no attachment; because there is no attachment, they do not perceive even the slightest dharma as arising or ceasing, defiled or purified. When they attain nothing whatsoever in regard to all dharmas, they do not give rise to discrimination anywhere.

That is, they do not discriminate: ‘This is hell; this is the animal realm; this is the realm of ghosts; this is the realm of asuras; this is a human; this is a deva; this is one who observes ethical discipline; this is one who violates ethical discipline; this is an ordinary person; this is a noble one; 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; this is a Tathagata; this is a conditioned dharma; this is an unconditioned dharma.’ Because they are free from discrimination in this way, they gradually attain the nirvana of one of the three vehicles according to their capacities: the vehicle of the shravakas, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, or the Supreme Vehicle.

Subhuti! Those great bodhisattvas, abiding in the perfection of generosity, cultivate prajna themselves and also encourage others to cultivate prajna; they openly praise the Dharma of cultivating prajna and joyfully commend those who cultivate prajna.

Subhuti! In this way, great bodhisattvas who abide in the perfection of generosity encourage sentient beings to cultivate prajna, enabling them to attain supreme benefit and peace.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Having abided in the perfection of generosity, personally practiced the perfections of generosity, pure conduct, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, and encouraged others to practice the perfections of generosity, pure conduct, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita, the great bodhisattvas then see sentient beings wandering through the various realms of rebirth, enduring immeasurable suffering and not yet attaining liberation.

Wishing to free them from the suffering of birth and death, they first benefit them with various material necessities and afterward employ supramundane uncontaminated dharmas and skillful means to embrace and guide them. Once those sentient beings have received the necessities of life and are no longer deprived, they become resolute in body and mind and are able to abide in the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the unchanging, the emptiness of 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 are also able to cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; they are also able to abide in the Noble Truth of suffering and the Noble Truths of its origin, cessation, and the path; they are also able to cultivate the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; they are also able to cultivate the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totality spheres; they are also able to cultivate the dharani gateways and the samadhi gateways;

they are also able to cultivate the liberation gateway of emptiness and the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; they are also able to cultivate the Ground of Great Joy, the Ground of Stainlessness, the Ground of Radiance, the Ground of Blazing Wisdom, the Ground Difficult to Conquer, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Far-Going Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom, and the Ground of the Dharma Cloud; they are also able to cultivate the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; they are also able to cultivate the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha;

they are also able to cultivate the Dharma of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity; they are also able to cultivate the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and the knowledge of all aspects.

Because those sentient beings are embraced and guided by uncontaminated dharmas, they are liberated from birth and death.

Subhuti! Abiding in the perfection of generosity, that great bodhisattva personally practices the supreme uncontaminated dharmas, encourages others to practice the supreme uncontaminated dharmas, openly praises the practice of the supreme uncontaminated dharmas, and joyfully commends those who practice the supreme uncontaminated dharmas.

Subhuti! In this way, the great bodhisattvas who abide in the perfection of generosity embrace and guide sentient beings by means of uncontaminated dharmas, enabling them to escape birth and death and attain supreme benefit and well-being.

Fascicle 392

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