Toh 17The Principles of the Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred and Fifty Lines
Pāli / Sanskrit:Prajñāpāramitānayaśatapañcaśatikā
Exposition of the Sutra on the Principles of Prajnaparamita Thirty-Four Times
Background
The Prajnaparamitanayasatapancasatika (Principles of Prajnaparamita Thirty-Four Times) belongs to the Prajnaparamita collection in the Mahayana Northern Tibetan tradition. The Prajnaparamita collection is a body of sutras that discusses Prajnaparamita, that is, "the perfection of supreme wisdom." This sutra is among the most concise works in this collection, composed in the form of one hundred and fifty verses to help practitioners systematically grasp the essentials of Prajnaparamita.
In the Mahayana tradition, Prajnaparamita is regarded as one of the highest practices leading to the enlightenment of buddhahood. This sutra was composed for the purpose of providing a framework (naya, principle) to guide practitioners in clearly understanding the nature and method of practice related to this transcendent wisdom.
Main Content
This sutra presents the fundamental principles of Prajnaparamita through such aspects as the selfless nature (anatman) of all dharmas, the unattainable mind (the mind that cannot be grasped), the realization of emptiness (sunyata), and empty awakening (prasupta, empty wisdom).
The verses in the sutra are not lengthy discourses, but concise, profound propositions, often using forms of negation, stating what something "is not" in order to lead practitioners beyond mistaken concepts. For example, the sutra teaches that dharmas have no intrinsic essence (svabhava), that what is called "prajna" is not an object that can be grasped, and that the practitioner cultivating Prajnaparamita also has no truly existent "practitioner"; all is selfless.
This subtle principle is applied to all six paramitas (the Six Perfections): generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom. The sutra emphasizes that the practice of the paramitas is fully effective only when the practitioner abandons the concepts of "the doer," "the deed," and "the result."
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