摩訶般若波羅蜜經

CHAPTER ON ENTRUSTMENT

SIXTY-SIX

At that time, the Lord of the Gods, Shakra, said: “Blessed One! In speaking and answering in this way, have I spoken in accordance with the Dharma, even though it may not be a direct answer?”

The Buddha said: “Kaushika! Your answer is indeed entirely in accordance with the Dharma.”

“Blessed One! It is truly rare! Everything spoken by Venerable Subhuti is emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the four foundations of mindfulness, and so forth, up to unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.”

“Kaushika! When Bhikshu Subhuti practices emptiness, even dana paramita cannot be apprehended, much less one who practices dana paramita. Likewise, even prajnaparamita cannot be apprehended, much less one who practices prajnaparamita.

Even the four foundations of mindfulness cannot be apprehended, much less one who cultivates the four foundations of mindfulness. The same applies up to the Noble Eightfold Path. Dhyana, liberation, samadhi, and meditative concentration cannot be apprehended, much less one who gives rise to the four unobstructed knowledges.

Great loving-kindness and great compassion cannot be apprehended, much less one who practices great loving-kindness and great compassion. Even the eighteen unique qualities cannot be apprehended, much less one who can produce the eighteen unique qualities. Even unsurpassed perfect enlightenment is attainable, much less one who attains unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Even omniscience cannot be apprehended, much less one who attains omniscience. Even the Tathagata cannot be apprehended, much less one who will become a Tathagata. Even the Dharma of non-arising cannot be apprehended, much less one who realizes the Dharma of non-arising.

Even the thirty-two marks cannot be apprehended, much less one who possesses the thirty-two marks. Even the eighty secondary characteristics cannot be apprehended, much less one who possesses the eighty secondary characteristics.

“Why is this? Kaushika! It is because Bhikshu Subhuti, with regard to all dharmas, practices detachment, practices non-apprehension, practices emptiness, practices signlessness, and practices wishlessness.

“Kaushika! If one wished to compare this practice of Bhikshu Subhuti with a great bodhisattva’s practice of prajnaparamita, it would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, or one part in a thousand myriad kotis; indeed, no calculation or analogy could express the comparison.

“Why is this? Apart from the practice of a Buddha, among the practices of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, the great bodhisattva’s practice of prajnaparamita is the most honored, the highest, and the most sublime. Therefore, a great bodhisattva who wishes to become supreme among all sentient beings must practice prajnaparamita.

“When practicing prajnaparamita, a great bodhisattva transcends the stages of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas and enters the stage of a bodhisattva, is able to perfect the Buddha-Dharma, attains knowledge of all modes, eliminates all habitual tendencies of the afflictions, and becomes a Buddha.”

At that time, within the great assembly, the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three scattered celestial mandarava flowers over the Buddha and the Sangha.

Then eight hundred bhikshus arose, scattered flowers as an offering to the Buddha, bared their right shoulders, knelt, joined their palms, and said: “Blessed One! We shall carry out this unsurpassed practice, which shravakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable to perform.”

The Buddha knew the thoughts in the minds of those bhikshus and smiled. As is the way of all Buddhas, rays of many colors—blue, yellow, red, white, pink, and violet—issued from the Buddha’s mouth, illuminated the entire great trichiliocosm, circled the Buddha three times, and then entered the crown of the Buddha’s head.

Venerable Ananda immediately arose, bared his right shoulder, knelt, joined his palms, and said: “Blessed One! For what reason does the Buddha smile? Buddhas never smile without a cause.”

The Buddha said: “Ananda! In the Constellation Kalpa, these eight hundred bhikshus will become Buddhas, all bearing the same name, Scattered Flowers. Their assemblies, lands, and lifespans will also all be the same. Each of them, upon reaching eighty thousand years of age, will leave the household life and become a Buddha. At that time, celestial flowers of five colors will constantly rain down upon the lands of those Buddhas.

“Therefore, Ananda! A great bodhisattva who wishes to carry out the highest practice must practice prajnaparamita.

“Ananda! If any good man or good woman is able to carry out this profound prajnaparamita, you should know that this is a bodhisattva who relinquished a body among humans and was born here, or who died in the Tushita Heaven and was born here, having extensively heard this profound prajnaparamita either among humans or in the Tushita Heaven.

“Ananda! I see that great bodhisattvas are able to carry out this profound prajnaparamita.

“Ananda! If any good man or good woman, after hearing this profound prajnaparamita, accepts and retains it, reads and recites it, draws near to it, correctly recollects it, and moreover teaches it to those who practice the bodhisattva path, you should know that this good man or good woman has personally attended upon Buddhas, heard this profound prajnaparamita, accepted and retained it, read and recited it, and drawn near to it; such a person has also planted roots of goodness in the presence of Buddhas.

“That good man or good woman should think: ‘I planted roots of goodness not in the presence of shravakas, nor did I hear profound prajnaparamita from shravakas.’

“Ananda! If any good man or good woman accepts and retains, reads and recites, and draws near to this profound prajnaparamita, practicing in accordance with its meaning and in accordance with the Dharma, you should know that such a person has personally beheld the Buddha.

“Ananda! If any good man or good woman hears this profound prajnaparamita and has pure faith that cannot be obstructed or destroyed, you should know that such a person has previously made offerings to Buddhas, planted roots of goodness, and been in harmony with good spiritual friends.

“Ananda! Although the roots of goodness planted in the Buddhas, the fields of merit, are neither false nor vain, one must nevertheless attain liberation through the shravaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the Buddha vehicle. One must clearly and thoroughly practice the six paramitas, up to knowledge of all modes. It is impossible for this person, having attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, to abide at the stage of a shravaka or pratyekabuddha.

“Ananda! Therefore, I entrust prajnaparamita to you.

“Ananda! If a person accepts and retains all dharmas other than prajnaparamita but then forgets them, that person’s fault is still slight and does not constitute a grave offense. If a person accepts and retains profound prajnaparamita but then forgets it, that person’s offense is extremely grave. Therefore, I entrust this profound prajnaparamita to you. You must skillfully accept and retain it, read and recite it until you are thoroughly familiar with it.

“Ananda! If any good man or good woman accepts and retains prajnaparamita, that person accepts and retains the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas of the three times: past, future, and present.

“Ananda! If any good man or good woman presently makes offerings to me of flowers, incense, jeweled necklaces, garments, banners, and canopies, and reveres, honors, and praises me, that person should accept and retain prajnaparamita, read and recite it, expound it, draw near to it, revere, honor, and praise it, and make offerings to it of flowers, incense, jeweled necklaces, banners, and canopies.

“Ananda! To make offerings to prajnaparamita is to make offerings to me; it is also to have already made offerings to the Buddhas of the three times.

“If any good man or good woman hears prajnaparamita taught and, with pure faith, reveres and delights in it, that person has already possessed pure faith in, revered, and delighted in the Buddhas of the three times.

“Ananda! One who delights in never being separated from the Buddha must delight in never being separated from prajnaparamita and must not forget even a single sentence of it.

“Ananda! The reasons for which I entrust it to you are very many. I shall now speak only in summary:

“Just as I am the Blessed One, so too is prajnaparamita the Blessed One. Therefore, for many reasons, I entrust prajnaparamita to you.”

Ānanda! Now, in the presence of all the worlds with their devas, humans, and asuras, I entrust this to you: those who may abandon the Buddha, abandon the Dharma, and abandon the Sangha, but who would not abandon the unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas of the past, future, and present, must take care not to abandon prajnaparamita.

Ānanda! This is precisely the Dharma that I teach and instruct my disciples to uphold.

Ānanda! If a good man or good woman accepts and upholds the profound prajnaparamita, reads and recites it, expounds it, and rightly recollects it, and furthermore extensively explains its meaning to others, teaching and proclaiming it clearly so that it is readily understood, that person will attain unsurpassed bodhi and swiftly draw near to knowledge of all modes. For the unsurpassed bodhi of all Buddhas arises from prajnaparamita.

Ānanda! The unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas of the past and future all arises from prajnaparamita. The unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas presently dwelling throughout the ten directions also arises from prajnaparamita.

Therefore, great bodhisattvas who wish to attain unsurpassed bodhi should train in the six paramitas. For the six paramitas are the mother of bodhisattvas and are able to give birth to all bodhisattvas.

Ānanda! If great bodhisattvas train in these six paramitas, they will all attain unsurpassed bodhi. Therefore, I entrust the six paramitas to you once again.

Ānanda! These six paramitas are the inexhaustible treasury of the Dharma of all Buddhas:

The Buddhas of the present who teach the Dharma throughout the ten directions all emerge from the Dharma treasury of the six paramitas.

The Buddhas of the past also trained in the six paramitas and thereby attained unsurpassed bodhi.

The Buddhas of the future will train in the six paramitas and thereby attain unsurpassed bodhi.

The disciples of the Buddhas of the three times all train in the six paramitas and thereby attain cessation: some have already attained cessation, some are now attaining cessation, and some will attain cessation.

Ānanda! If a person or a śrāvaka were to teach the Dharma and thereby cause all sentient beings in the great trichiliocosm to realize the fruit of arhatship, this still would not constitute the true work of a disciple of the Buddha. But if a person were to teach a great bodhisattva even a single sentence in accord with prajnaparamita, that would indeed constitute the true work of a disciple of the Buddha. I would rejoice in this far more than in someone teaching all sentient beings in the great trichiliocosm and causing them all to realize the fruit of arhatship.

Moreover, Ānanda! Suppose that all the sentient beings in this great trichiliocosm, neither earlier nor later but all at the same time, realized the fruit of arhatship. Suppose that all these arhats practiced meritorious deeds of giving, moral discipline, and meditative concentration. Would that merit be great?”

– “Blessed One! That merit would be exceedingly great.”

– “Yet it would not equal the merit of a disciple of mine who taught a great bodhisattva the Dharma in accord with prajnaparamita for even a single day. The merit of that person would be exceedingly great.

Not only for a single day, but even for half a day, for the duration of a meal, or merely for a moment—if that person taught this Dharma, their merit would still be exceedingly great. This is because the wholesome roots of a great bodhisattva surpass those of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

Great bodhisattvas themselves aspire to attain unsurpassed bodhi and also instruct others to train so that they may attain unsurpassed bodhi.

Ānanda! It is impossible that bodhisattvas who thus practice the six paramitas, practice the four foundations of mindfulness, and continue through to the practice of knowledge of all modes, increasing their wholesome roots, should fail to attain unsurpassed bodhi.”

When this prajnaparamita was taught, the Buddha, amid the fourfold assembly, devas, humans, spirits, and the eight classes of beings, manifested miraculous transformations. The entire assembly saw the Buddha Akṣobhya teaching the Dharma to the Sangha of bhikṣus. That Sangha was as vast as the waters of the great ocean.

They were all arhats whose afflictions had been completely purified and who had attained mastery in liberation—liberation of mind and liberation through wisdom. Their minds were gentle and well-tamed like great elephants. They had accomplished what was to be done, attained their own benefit, exhausted the fetters, and gained liberation through right knowledge.

They had mastery over every state of mind and every mental factor. The assembly also saw great bodhisattvas who had perfected immeasurable merit.

The Buddha then withdrew his miraculous powers, and the assembly no longer saw before their eyes the Buddha Akṣobhya, the great assembly of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas, or the Land of Wondrous Joy.

The Buddha said to Venerable Ānanda: “Ānanda! No dharma appears before the eyes; dharmas do not see one another, and dharmas do not know one another.

Just as the buddha-land of Akṣobhya and its śrāvakas and bodhisattvas no longer appear before the eyes, so too no dharma appears before the eyes. Dharmas do not see one another, and dharmas do not know one another. For dharmas neither see nor know; they neither act nor move; they cannot be apprehended and are inconceivable.

Just as an illusory person neither receives nor perceives and has no true reality, so too a great bodhisattva who practices in this way practices prajnaparamita and does not apprehend any dharma.

Ānanda! A great bodhisattva who trains in this way is said to train in prajnaparamita.

Those who wish to attain the paramitas must train in prajnaparamita.

Training in this way is called the foremost training, the supreme training, and the wondrous training.

Training in this way brings peace, happiness, and benefit to all the world; for those who have no protector, one becomes their protector.

Training in this way is the training of all Buddhas. Abiding in this training, the Buddhas can lift the great trichiliocosm with their right hand and return it to its original place without the sentient beings within it being aware.

Why is this? Ānanda! Because the Buddhas, having trained in this prajnaparamita, attain unobstructed knowledge and vision regarding all dharmas of the past, future, and present.

Ānanda! Among all forms of training, prajnaparamita is the most honored, foremost, wondrous, and unsurpassed.

Ānanda! Anyone who wishes to find the limit of prajnaparamita wishes to find the boundary of empty space.

Why is this? Because prajnaparamita is immeasurable. I have never spoken of a measure of prajnaparamita. Names, sentences, and letters are measurable, but prajnaparamita is immeasurable.”

– “Blessed One! Why is prajnaparamita immeasurable?”

– “Ānanda! Because prajnaparamita is inexhaustible, it is immeasurable. Because prajnaparamita is free from all characteristics, it is immeasurable.

Ānanda! The Buddhas of the past trained in this prajnaparamita and attained deliverance; therefore, it is inexhaustible. The Buddhas of the future will train in this prajnaparamita and attain deliverance; therefore, it is inexhaustible. The Buddhas presently dwelling throughout the ten directions train in this prajnaparamita and attain deliverance; therefore, it is inexhaustible. In the past, present, and future, it is inexhaustible.

Anyone who wishes to exhaust this prajnaparamita is one who wishes to exhaust empty space.

Prajnaparamita cannot be exhausted: it has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not now being exhausted.

The other five paramitas, from meditative concentration through giving, likewise cannot be exhausted: they have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not now being exhausted.

So it is also with knowledge of all modes.

Why is this? Because all these dharmas are unborn. Since these dharmas are unborn, how could they ever be exhausted?”

At that time, the Buddha manifested the sign of his tongue covering his entire face and said to Venerable Ānanda: “From this day forward, expound and teach prajnaparamita extensively and clearly among the fourfold assembly, making it plain and readily understood.

Why is this? Because the characteristics of all dharmas are extensively explained within this profound prajnaparamita. In this great assembly, those who seek the śrāvaka path, those who seek the pratyekabuddha path, and those who seek the Buddha path must all train herein. Having trained in it, they will all attain fulfillment.

Ānanda! This prajnaparamita is the gateway of all syllables. By practicing herein, one can enter the dharani gateway. Bodhisattvas who train in this dharani gateway attain every kind of unobstructed eloquence.

Ānanda! Prajnaparamita is the wondrous Dharma of all Buddhas of the three times.

Therefore, I have explained and taught it clearly to you.”

If anyone receives, upholds, reads, recites, and draws near to profound prajnaparamita, that person can uphold the unsurpassed bodhi of all Buddhas of the three times.

Ananda! I declare that prajnaparamita is the true foundation of the practitioner's path. If you uphold this prajnaparamita, you can uphold all dharmas, because you have attained dharani.”

CHAPTER ON THE INEXHAUSTIBLE

SIXTY-SEVENTH

At that time, Subhuti thought: The unsurpassed bodhi of all Buddhas is exceedingly profound; I should ask the Buddha about it.

Having thought thus, Subhuti addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! This prajnaparamita is inexhaustible. As the Buddha has taught, because space is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita is inexhaustible.

World-Honored One! Why should prajnaparamita be brought forth?”

The Buddha said: “Subhuti! Because form is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because dana paramita is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because sila paramita, kshanti paramita, virya paramita, dhyana paramita, and prajnaparamita are inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Up to and including because knowledge of all modes is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth.

Furthermore, Subhuti! Because the emptiness of ignorance is inexhaustible, a bodhisattva's prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of formations is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth.

Because the emptiness of consciousness is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of name-and-form is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of the six sense entrances is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth.

Because the emptiness of the six contacts is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of feeling is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of craving is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth.

Because the emptiness of grasping is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of becoming is inexhaustible, prajnaparamita should be brought forth. Because the emptiness of birth is inexhaustible, a bodhisattva's prajnaparamita should be brought forth.

Thus, a bodhisattva's prajnaparamita should be brought forth.

The twelve links of dependent origination are thus a distinctive Dharma of bodhisattvas, capable of eliminating inverted views that cling to extremes.

While seated at the place of enlightenment, one should contemplate them in this way and will attain knowledge of all modes.

Subhuti! If a great bodhisattva practices prajnaparamita by means of the inexhaustibility of space and contemplates the twelve links of dependent origination, that bodhisattva will not fall to the stage of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha, but will securely abide in unsurpassed bodhi.

Subhuti! If one who seeks the bodhisattva path retreats, it is because one has become separated from mindfulness of prajnaparamita.

Such a person does not know how to practice prajnaparamita by using the inexhaustibility of space to contemplate the twelve links of dependent origination.

Subhuti! Because one who seeks the bodhisattva path does not acquire such skillful means, one retreats from unsurpassed bodhi.

Subhuti! If great bodhisattvas attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed bodhi, it is entirely because they have acquired such skillful means.

Subhuti! Great bodhisattvas should contemplate prajnaparamita by means of the inexhaustibility of space. They should bring forth prajnaparamita by means of the inexhaustibility of space.

Thus, Subhuti, when great bodhisattvas contemplate the twelve links of dependent origination, they do not perceive any dharma that does not arise through causes and conditions; they do not perceive any dharma that eternally abides and never ceases; they do not perceive any dharma possessing a self, a person, a living being, a life, a sentient being, or even a knower or a seer; they do not perceive any dharma as impermanent; they do not perceive any dharma as suffering or non-self; and they do not perceive any dharma as quiescent or non-quiescent.

Great bodhisattvas practicing prajnaparamita should contemplate the twelve links of dependent origination in this way.

Subhuti! If great bodhisattvas can practice prajnaparamita in this way, then at that time they do not perceive form as permanent or impermanent, as suffering or bliss, as self or non-self, or as quiescent or non-quiescent.

As with form, so too is it with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

At that time, great bodhisattvas also do not perceive prajnaparamita, nor do they perceive any dharma by means of which prajnaparamita may be seen. Up to and including, they do not perceive unsurpassed bodhi, nor do they perceive any dharma by means of which unsurpassed bodhi may be seen. This is because all dharmas are unobtainable. This accords with the practice of prajnaparamita.

When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita without attainment, Mara is stricken with grief, as though an arrow had pierced his heart, or as though his parents had just died.”

Subhuti said: “World-Honored One! Is only one Mara stricken with grief, or are all the Maras throughout the great trichiliocosm likewise stricken with grief?”

“Subhuti! All the Maras throughout the great trichiliocosm are stricken with grief as though arrows had pierced their hearts, and they cannot find peace.

Subhuti! When great bodhisattvas can practice prajnaparamita in this way, no devas, humans, or asuras in all the worlds can harm them.

Therefore, great bodhisattvas who wish to attain unsurpassed bodhi must practice this prajnaparamita.

When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, they completely cultivate the paramitas of giving, morality, patience, vigor, meditation, and prajna.

When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, they perfect all the paramitas.”

“World-Honored One! When great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, how do they perfect all the paramitas?”

“Subhuti! Whatever giving great bodhisattvas perform, they dedicate it all to the knowledge of all things. Therefore, when practicing prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas perfect dana paramita.

Subhuti! Whatever precepts great bodhisattvas uphold, they dedicate them all to the knowledge of all things. Therefore, when practicing prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas perfect sila paramita.

Subhuti! Whatever patience great bodhisattvas cultivate, they dedicate it all to the knowledge of all things. Therefore, when practicing prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas perfect kshanti paramita.

Subhuti! Whatever vigor great bodhisattvas cultivate, they dedicate it all to the knowledge of all things. Therefore, when practicing prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas perfect virya paramita.

Subhuti! Whatever meditative concentration great bodhisattvas cultivate, they dedicate it all to the knowledge of all things. Therefore, when practicing prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas perfect dhyana paramita.

Subhuti! Whatever wisdom great bodhisattvas cultivate, they dedicate it all to the knowledge of all things. Therefore, when practicing prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas perfect prajnaparamita.

Thus, Subhuti, when great bodhisattvas practice prajnaparamita, they perfect the six paramitas.”

CHAPTER ON THE MUTUAL INCLUSION OF THE SIX PARAMITAS

SIXTY-EIGHTH

Subhuti said: “World-Honored One! How do great bodhisattvas, while abiding in dana paramita, encompass sila paramita?”

The Buddha said: “Subhuti! When giving, great bodhisattvas dedicate that act of giving to the knowledge of all things, and toward all sentient beings they abide in loving-kindness through body, speech, and mind. This is how great bodhisattvas, while abiding in dana paramita, encompass sila paramita.”

“World-Honored One! How do great bodhisattvas, while abiding in dana paramita, encompass kshanti paramita?”

“Subhuti! When great bodhisattvas give and the recipient angrily reviles them, the bodhisattvas patiently endure it and do not give rise to vexation or anger. This is how great bodhisattvas, while abiding in dana paramita, encompass kshanti paramita.”

“World-Honored One! How do great bodhisattvas, while abiding in dana paramita, encompass virya paramita?”

– Subhuti! When a great bodhisattva practices giving and the recipient becomes angry and reviles him, the bodhisattva gives still more and thinks: “I must practice giving and should not harbor regret.” At that very moment, he brings forth two kinds of vigor: bodily vigor and mental vigor. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the prajnaparamita of giving and embracing the paramita of vigor.

– Blessed One! How does a great bodhisattva abide in the paramita of giving and embrace the paramita of dhyana?

– Subhuti! When giving, the bodhisattva dedicates the merit to omniscience, not aspiring to the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha, but single-mindedly contemplating omniscience alone. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of giving and embracing the paramita of dhyana.

– Blessed One! How does a great bodhisattva abide in the paramita of giving and embrace prajnaparamita?

– Subhuti! When giving, the great bodhisattva knows that giving is empty, unreal, illusory, and does not perceive whether giving to sentient beings is beneficial or unbeneficial. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of giving and embracing prajnaparamita.

– Blessed One! How does a great bodhisattva abide in the paramita of moral discipline, using the merit generated by the three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind to support the attainment of unsurpassed bodhi; preserving this merit without seeking the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha; abiding in the paramita of moral discipline; not taking the lives of others, not stealing the wealth and possessions of others, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not speaking falsely, not speaking divisively, not speaking harshly, not speaking frivolously, not being covetous or miserly, not harboring anger or jealousy, and not holding wrong views; and practicing giving: providing food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, vehicles to those needing vehicles, clothing to those needing clothing, jeweled necklaces to those needing jeweled necklaces, incense and flowers to those needing incense and flowers, and supplying beds, bedding, rooms, houses, lamps, torches, and all necessities of life to everyone? He shares the merit of that giving with sentient beings and dedicates it to unsurpassed bodhi. By dedicating it in this way, he does not fall into the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of moral discipline and embracing the paramita of giving.

Subhuti! While a great bodhisattva abides in the paramita of moral discipline, if someone comes and dismembers his body, the bodhisattva does not give rise to even a single thought of anger or hatred. Instead, he thinks: “I have gained a very great benefit. They have come and dismembered my body, yet I have not had a single thought of resentment or hatred.” This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of moral discipline and embracing the paramita of patience.

Subhuti! A great bodhisattva never relinquishes bodily or mental vigor, thinking: “All sentient beings are in the ocean of birth and death. I must rescue them and place them upon the shore of the deathless nectar.” This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of moral discipline and embracing the paramita of vigor.

Subhuti! A great bodhisattva enters the first dhyana, the second dhyana, the third dhyana, and the fourth dhyana, without desiring the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha, and thinks: “I must abide in the paramita of dhyana in order to deliver all sentient beings from birth and death.” This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of moral discipline and embracing the paramita of dhyana.

Subhuti! A great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of moral discipline perceives no dharma whatsoever—whether a conditioned dharma or an unconditioned dharma, a numerical dharma or a characteristic of dharmas, whether existent or nonexistent. He sees only that everything is inseparable from the characteristic of suchness. Through the power of the skillful means of prajnaparamita, he does not fall into the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of moral discipline and embracing prajnaparamita.

– Blessed One! How does a great bodhisattva abide in the paramita of patience and embrace the other five paramitas?

– Subhuti! From the time the bodhisattva first brings forth the aspiration until he sits at the seat of awakening, if during that interval any sentient being comes to revile him in anger or sever his body, the bodhisattva abides in patience and thinks: “I must give everything to all sentient beings and should not refuse them. If sentient beings need food or drink, I shall give them food and drink; even if they need any of the necessities of life, I shall give them all of these.” He shares that merit with all sentient beings and dedicates it to unsurpassed bodhi. When the bodhisattva makes this dedication, he does not give rise to the two thoughts of who is dedicating and to what the merit is dedicated. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience and embracing the paramita of giving.

Subhuti! From the time the bodhisattva first brings forth the aspiration until he sits at the seat of awakening, throughout that interval he never kills, steals, engages in sexual misconduct, and so forth, up to holding wrong views; nor does he desire the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha. He shares this merit with all sentient beings and dedicates it to unsurpassed bodhi. When making the dedication, the bodhisattva does not give rise to the three thoughts of who makes the dedication, by what dharma the dedication is made, and to what it is dedicated. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience and embracing the paramita of moral discipline.

Subhuti! A great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience brings forth vigor and thinks: “I shall travel one yojana, or ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a hundred million yojanas. I shall pass through one world, or even a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a hundred million worlds, if only to exhort and teach a single person to uphold the five precepts—how much more so to enable that person to attain the fruit of stream-entry, up to the fruit of arhatship, pratyekabuddhahood, or Buddhahood.” He shares this merit with all sentient beings and dedicates it to unsurpassed bodhi. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience and embracing the paramita of vigor.

Subhuti! A great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience, secluded from sensual desires and separated from evil and unwholesome dharmas, with applied thought and sustained thought, enters the first dhyana, with the joy and bliss born of seclusion; and so forth, until, with equanimity, mindfulness, and purity, he enters the fourth dhyana. In these dhyanas, all purified states of mind and mental factors are dedicated to omniscience. When making this dedication, the bodhisattva finds neither dhyana nor the factors of dhyana apprehensible. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience and embracing the paramita of dhyana.

Subhuti! A great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience contemplates all dharmas as bearing the characteristic of separation, the characteristic of quiescent cessation, and the characteristic of inexhaustibility. He does not realize and appropriate the characteristic of quiescent cessation, until he sits at the seat of awakening, attains knowledge of all modes, leaves the seat of awakening, and turns the Dharma wheel. This is the great bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of patience and embracing prajnaparamita, because he neither grasps nor rejects.

– Blessed One! How does a great bodhisattva abide in the paramita of vigor and embrace the other paramitas?

– Subhuti! A bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of vigor is vigorous in body and mind, neither indolent nor resting, and thinks: “I shall certainly attain unsurpassed bodhi; it is not that I shall fail to attain it.” For the benefit of sentient beings, this bodhisattva travels one yojana or a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a hundred million yojanas; or he passes through one world or a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a hundred million worlds. Even if he cannot teach a single person to enter the path of the Buddha or the path of the shravaka, and can teach only one person to practice the ten wholesome courses of karma, he remains vigorous and does not grow indolent, fully providing that person with the gift of Dharma and the gift of material goods. He shares this merit with all sentient beings and dedicates it to unsurpassed bodhi, not to the stages of shravaka or pratyekabuddha. This is the bodhisattva abiding in the paramita of vigor and embracing the paramita of giving.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of diligence, from the first arising of the aspiration until seated at the seat of enlightenment, neither kills living beings himself, nor tells others to kill, and joyfully praises those who do not kill; and so on, until he himself abandons wrong views, teaches others to abandon wrong views, and joyfully praises those who are free from wrong views. Abiding in the perfection of morality, this bodhisattva does not seek the blessings of the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, or the Formless Realm, nor does he seek the stages of the sravaka or pratyekabuddha.

He dedicates this merit, together with all sentient beings, to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. The bodhisattva does not give rise to three thoughts: he does not perceive one who dedicates, a dharma that is dedicated, or a destination to which it is dedicated. This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of diligence, embraces the perfection of morality.

Subhuti, a great bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of diligence, from the first arising of the aspiration until seated at the seat of enlightenment, may during that interval encounter humans or nonhumans who come to cut his body apart and dismember it. The bodhisattva reflects: Who is striking me? Who is cutting me?

Who is injuring and taking from me? The bodhisattva further thinks: I have gained a very great and wholesome benefit. For the sake of sentient beings I assumed this body, and today sentient beings have come to take it back.

At that time, the bodhisattva properly recollects the true character of all dharmas. He dedicates this merit, together with sentient beings, to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, without seeking the stages of the sravaka or pratyekabuddha. This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of diligence, embraces the perfection of patience.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of diligence, secluded from sensual desires and unwholesome states, with initial application and sustained application, enters the first dhyana, with the joy and bliss born of seclusion; he enters the second dhyana, the third dhyana, and the fourth dhyana; he enters loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; and so on, until he enters the concentration of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception.

Maintaining these four dhyanas, four immeasurable minds, and four formless concentrations, he does not accept their resultant recompense, but instead takes birth wherever he can benefit sentient beings. Through the six perfections—from the perfection of giving through the perfection of prajnaparamita—he brings sentient beings to fulfillment. He travels from one Buddha-land to another, making offerings to and drawing near the Buddhas in order to plant roots of goodness.

This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of diligence, embraces the perfection of dhyana.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of diligence does not perceive the dharma of the perfection of giving, and so on, until he does not perceive the dharma of the perfection of dhyana; he does not perceive the characteristics of the perfection of dhyana; he does not perceive the dharma of the four foundations of mindfulness, nor does he perceive the characteristics of the four foundations of mindfulness; and so on, until he does not perceive the dharma of the knowledge of all modes, nor does he perceive the characteristics of the knowledge of all modes. He sees all dharmas as neither dharmas nor non-dharmas. The bodhisattva is attached to none of the dharmas. This bodhisattva acts precisely as he speaks. This is a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of diligence.

– Blessed One, how does a great bodhisattva, while abiding in the perfection of dhyana, embrace the other five perfections?

– Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of dhyana, secluded from sensual desires and unwholesome states, with initial application and sustained application, enters the first dhyana, with the joy born of seclusion; he enters the second dhyana, the third dhyana, and the fourth dhyana; he enters loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; and so on, until he enters the concentration of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. Abiding in the perfection of dhyana, with a mind that is undistracted and unmoved, he practices the two kinds of giving—material gifts and the Dharma—to benefit sentient beings. This bodhisattva himself practices these two kinds of giving, teaches others to practice giving, praises the Dharma of giving, and joyfully praises those who practice giving. He dedicates this merit, together with all sentient beings, to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, without seeking the stages of the sravaka or pratyekabuddha. This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of dhyana, embraces the perfection of giving.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of dhyana does not give rise to thoughts of lust, anger, or delusion, nor does he afflict or harm others, but cultivates only a mind corresponding to the knowledge of all modes. He dedicates this merit, together with all sentient beings, to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, without seeking the stages of the sravaka or pratyekabuddha. This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of dhyana, embraces the perfection of morality.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of dhyana contemplates form as a mass of foam, feeling as a bubble on water, perception as a shimmering mirage, formations as a plantain tree, and consciousness as an illusion. Contemplating in this way, he sees the five skandhas as lacking any firm or enduring character and thinks: Who is striking me? Who is cutting me? Who is feeling? Who is perceiving? Who is forming volitions? Who is conscious? Who is reviling? Who is reviled? Who gives rise to anger? This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of dhyana, embraces the perfection of patience.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of dhyana enters the various dhyanas and concentrations. From these dhyanas, concentrations, and the characteristics of their factors of dhyana arise various supernormal powers: he walks upon water as though upon land and enters the earth as though it were water; he possesses the divine ear; he knows whether the minds of others are distracted or concentrated; he knows former lives; and he possesses the divine eye.

Relying upon these five supernormal powers, the bodhisattva travels from one Buddha-land to another, drawing near to and making offerings to the Buddhas in order to plant roots of goodness, purify Buddha-lands, and bring sentient beings to fulfillment. He dedicates this merit, together with all sentient beings, to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of dhyana, embraces the perfection of diligence.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of dhyana does not perceive form; he does not perceive feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; he does not perceive the six perfections; he does not perceive the four foundations of mindfulness, up to and including the knowledge of all modes; and he does not perceive conditioned nature or unconditioned nature. Because he perceives no existence, he does not fabricate; because he does not fabricate, nothing arises; and because nothing arises, nothing ceases.

Why is this? Whether or not a Buddha appears, suchness remains: the characteristics of dharmas and the nature of dharmas eternally abide, neither arising nor ceasing. This bodhisattva constantly focuses his mind upon the knowledge of all modes.

This is a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of dhyana.

– Blessed One, how does a bodhisattva, while abiding in the perfection of prajnaparamita, embrace the other five perfections?

– Subhuti, a bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of prajnaparamita contemplates: internal emptiness, with internal emptiness being unattainable; external emptiness, with external emptiness being unattainable; internal-and-external emptiness, with internal-and-external emptiness being unattainable; the emptiness of emptiness, with the emptiness of emptiness being unattainable; and so on, through the emptiness of all dharmas, with the emptiness of all dharmas being unattainable. Abiding in these fourteen emptinesses, the bodhisattva does not perceive any characteristic of form as either empty or not empty; he does not perceive any characteristic of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness as either empty or not empty; and so on, until he does not perceive unsurpassed, complete enlightenment as either empty or not empty, nor does he perceive conditioned nature or unconditioned nature as either empty or not empty. A bodhisattva who abides in the perfection of prajnaparamita in this way contemplates every act of giving as empty. What is empty? The giver, the recipient, and the gift are all empty, and he does not allow thoughts of stinginess, craving, or attachment to arise. Why is this? From the first arising of the aspiration until seated at the seat of enlightenment, a great bodhisattva who practices the perfection of prajnaparamita is free from deluded conceptual discrimination. Just as the Buddhas, when they attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, have no mind of attachment, so too a great bodhisattva practicing the perfection of prajnaparamita has no mind of attachment. That which this bodhisattva reveres above all is precisely the perfection of prajnaparamita. This is a bodhisattva who, while abiding in the perfection of prajnaparamita, embraces the perfection of giving.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva abiding in prajnaparamita does not give rise to the mind of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha. For this bodhisattva, the stages of the sravaka and pratyekabuddha are unobtainable, and a mind inclined toward the sravaka or pratyekabuddha paths is likewise unobtainable. From the time this bodhisattva first gives rise to the aspiration until the time he sits at the place of enlightenment, throughout that interval he neither kills living beings himself nor tells others to kill; he joyfully praises those who do not kill.

In the same way, he himself does not hold wrong views, does not tell others to hold wrong views, praises the Dharma of freedom from wrong views, and joyfully praises those who do not hold wrong views. Because, through the causes and conditions of this observance of the precepts, no dharma can be apprehended—not even the stage of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha, much less any other dharma—this is the bodhisattva who, abiding in prajnaparamita, embraces the perfection of morality.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva abiding in prajnaparamita gives rise to patience in accord with the Dharma and thinks: “Within this Dharma, there is no dharma that either arises or ceases, that is either born or dies. There is no dharma that either reviles or abuses, cuts or hacks, binds or beats, kicks or kills.” From the time this bodhisattva first gives rise to the aspiration until the time he sits at the place of enlightenment, even if all beings should come and revile and abuse him, or use knives, clubs, tiles, and stones to cut, hack, injure, and harm him, his mind remains unmoved.

The bodhisattva thinks: “How extraordinary! Within this Dharma, there is no one who is reviled, killed, injured, or harmed, yet beings undergo such suffering and affliction.” This is the bodhisattva who, abiding in prajnaparamita, embraces the perfection of patience.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva abiding in prajnaparamita teaches the Dharma for the sake of beings, causing them to practice the six paramitas. He teaches them to cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path, enabling them to attain the fruits of stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, arhat, and pratyekabuddha, and enabling them to attain the fruit of unsurpassed enlightenment, while abiding neither in the nature of the conditioned nor in the nature of the unconditioned. This is the bodhisattva who, abiding in prajnaparamita, embraces the perfection of diligence.

Subhuti, a bodhisattva abiding in prajnaparamita enters all samadhis except the samadhis of the Buddhas. Whether they are samadhis of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, or bodhisattvas, he practices and enters them all. Within those states of samadhi, the bodhisattva enters and emerges from the eight liberations in both forward and reverse order: the first liberation is having material forms internally and contemplating material forms externally; the second liberation is having no perception of material forms internally and contemplating material forms externally; the third liberation is personally realizing the pure liberation;

the fourth liberation is transcending all perceptions of material form, bringing perceptions of resistance to cessation, and, by not attending to perceptions of diversity, entering the sphere of infinite space; the fifth liberation is transcending the entire sphere of infinite space and entering the sphere of infinite consciousness; the sixth liberation is transcending the entire sphere of infinite consciousness and entering the sphere of nothingness; the seventh liberation is transcending the entire sphere of nothingness and entering the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; the eighth liberation is transcending the entire sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and entering the concentration of the cessation of feeling and perception.

Within the right concentration of the eight liberations, this bodhisattva enters and emerges, in both forward and reverse order, from the nine successive concentrations: the four dhyanas, the four immaterial concentrations, and the concentration of the cessation of feeling and perception. Having expounded the eight liberations and the nine successive concentrations, this bodhisattva enters the Lion’s Vigorous Advance Samadhi: he enters the first dhyana, emerges from the first dhyana, enters the second dhyana, and so forth until, emerging from the concentration of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, he enters the concentration of cessation;

emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the concentration of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, and so forth until, emerging from the second dhyana, he enters the first dhyana.

Relying upon the Lion’s Vigorous Advance Samadhi, this bodhisattva enters the Transcendent Samadhi: he enters the first dhyana, emerges from the first dhyana and enters the second dhyana, and so forth until, emerging from the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, he enters the concentration of the cessation of feeling and perception; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the first dhyana; emerging from the first dhyana, he enters the concentration of cessation; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the second dhyana; emerging from the second dhyana, he enters the concentration of cessation; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the third dhyana; emerging from the third dhyana, he enters the concentration of cessation;

emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the sphere of infinite space; emerging from the sphere of infinite space, he enters the concentration of cessation; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the sphere of infinite consciousness; emerging from the sphere of infinite consciousness, he enters the concentration of cessation, enters the sphere of infinite consciousness, emerges from the sphere of infinite consciousness, and enters the concentration of cessation; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the sphere of nothingness; emerging from the sphere of nothingness, he enters the concentration of cessation; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he enters the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception;

emerging from the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, he enters the concentration of cessation, enters the distracted mind, emerges from the distracted mind, and enters the concentration of cessation; emerging from the concentration of cessation, he again enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; emerging from the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, he again enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the sphere of nothingness; emerging from the sphere of nothingness, he enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the sphere of infinite consciousness;

emerging from the sphere of infinite consciousness, he enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the sphere of infinite space; emerging from the sphere of infinite space, he enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the fourth dhyana; emerging from the fourth dhyana, he enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the third dhyana; emerging from the third dhyana, he enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the second dhyana; emerging from the second dhyana, he enters the distracted mind; emerging from the distracted mind, he enters the first dhyana; emerging from the first dhyana, he enters the distracted mind.

In the Transcendent Samadhi, this bodhisattva realizes the characteristic of the equality of all dharmas. This is the bodhisattva who, abiding in prajnaparamita, embraces the perfection of dhyana.”