This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
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ཤེར་ཕྱིན་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ།

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed

Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā

འཕགས་པ་ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines”

Āryāṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitānāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 10

Degé Kangyur, vol. 29 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ka), folios 1.a–300.a; vol. 30 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, kha), folios 1.a–304.a; vol. 31 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ga), folios 1.a–206.a

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Jinamitra
Surendrabodhi
Yeshé Dé

Translated by Gareth Sparham
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2022

Current version v 1.1.0 (2024)

Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.25.1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.

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Summary

s.1

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines is one version of the Long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras that developed in South and South-Central Asia in tandem with the Eight Thousand version, probably during the first five hundred years of the Common Era. It contains many of the passages in the oldest extant Long Perfection of Wisdom text (the Gilgit manuscript in Sanskrit), and is similar in structure to the other versions of the Long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras (the One Hundred Thousand and Twenty-Five Thousand) in Tibetan in the Kangyur. While setting forth the sacred fundamental doctrines of Buddhist practice with veneration, it simultaneously exhorts the reader to reject them as an object of attachment, its recurring message being that all dharmas without exception lack any intrinsic nature.

s.2

The sūtra can be divided loosely into three parts: an introductory section that sets the scene, a long central section, and three concluding chapters that consist of two important summaries of the long central section. The first of these (chapter 84) is in verse and also circulates as a separate work called The Verse Summary of the Jewel Qualities (Toh 13). The second summary is in the form of the story of Sadāprarudita and his guru Dharmodgata (chapters 85 and 86), after which the text concludes with the Buddha entrusting the work to his close companion Ānanda.

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Acknowledgements

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This sūtra was translated by Gareth Sparham under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

The Translator’s Acknowledgments

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This is a good occasion to remember and thank my friend Nicholas Ribush, who first gave me a copy of Edward Conze’s translation of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines in 1973. I also thank the Tibetan teachers and students at the Riklam Lobdra in Dharamshala, India, where I began to study the Perfection of Wisdom, for their kindness and patience; Jeffrey Hopkins and Elizabeth Napper, who steered me in the direction of the Perfection of Wisdom and have been very kind to me over the years; and Ashok Aklujkar and others at the University of British Columbia in Canada, who taught me Sanskrit and Indian culture while I was writing my dissertation on Haribhadra’s Perfection of Wisdom commentary. I thank the hermits in the hills above Riklam Lobdra and the many Tibetan scholars and practitioners who encouraged me while I continued working on the Perfection of Wisdom after I graduated from the University of British Columbia. I thank all those who continued to support me as a monk and scholar after the violent death of my friend and mentor toward the end of the millennium. I thank those at the University of Michigan and then at the University of California (Berkeley), particularly Donald Lopez and Jacob Dalton, who enabled me to complete the set of four volumes of translations from Sanskrit of the Perfection of Wisdom commentaries by Haribhadra and Āryavimuktisena and four volumes of the fourteenth-century Tibetan commentary on the Perfection of Wisdom by Tsongkhapa. I thank Gene Smith, who introduced me to 84000. I thank everyone at 84000: Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and the sponsors; the scholars, translators, editors, and technicians; and all the other indispensable people whose work has made this translation of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines and its accompanying commentary possible.

Around me everything I see would be part of a perfect road if I had better driving skills.

Where I was born, where everything is made of concrete, it too is a perfect place.

Everyone I have been with, everyone who is near me now, and even those I have forgotten‍—there is no one who has not helped me.

So, I bow to everyone and to the world and ask for patience, and, as a boon, a smile.

Acknowledgment of Sponsors

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We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of Matthew Yizhen Kong, Steven Ye Kong and family; An Zhang, Hannah Zhang, Lucas Zhang, Aiden Zhang, Jinglan Chi, Jingcan Chi, Jinghui Chi and family, Hong Zhang and family; Mao Guirong, Zhang Yikun, Chi Linlin; and Joseph Tse, Patricia Tse and family. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.

Introduction

i.1

In the introduction to his translation of The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines,1 Gyurme Dorje has given a clear account of the Tibetan tradition’s explanation (1) of the origin of the Perfection of Wisdom in the words of the Buddha on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill in Rājagṛha some 2,500 years ago, (2) of the way the Perfection of Wisdom became extant in our world through the efforts of Nāgārjuna, and (3) of the Perfection of Wisdom’s place in the vast corpus of the Buddha’s words as “the middle turning of the wheel of the Dharma.” He has also given a brief account of the conclusions arrived at by the Western research tradition, which suggest that the Perfection of Wisdom may have originated in the south of the Indian subcontinent, perhaps the Andhra region, but more likely first began circulating in the far northwest of the Indian subcontinent. A prophecy in the text translated into English here provides some support for this conclusion. In chapter 39 the Buddha says to Śāriputra, “with the passing away of the Tathāgata this perfection of wisdom will circulate in the southern region,” and “from the country Vartani [the east] this deep perfection of wisdom will circulate into the northern region.” A comparison of early fragments of a Perfection of Wisdom in the Gāndhārī language, written in Kharoṣṭhī script and dated ca. 75 ᴄᴇ, with an early translation of a Perfection of Wisdom text into Chinese by Lokakṣema in the middle of the second century ᴄᴇ has led the Western research tradition to the tentative conclusion that the Perfection of Wisdom first circulated in written form in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent some 2,000 years ago.

About the Perfection of Wisdom Manuscripts

The Title: Eighteen Thousand

The Structure of the Eighteen Thousand

I. Introduction

II. Brief Exegesis

III. Intermediate Exegesis

IV. Detailed Exegesis

V. Summaries

What Does the Eighteen Thousand Say?

SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapters 3–5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10 Chapters 11–13

Chapter 14 Chapters 15–16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21 Chapters 22–24

Chapter 25 Chapters 26–30

Chapters 31–32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37 Chapters 38–39

Chapters 40–41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48 Chapters 49–50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60 Chapters 61–62

Chapter 63 Chapters 64–72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84 Chapters 85–86

Chapter 87

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines

Chapter 1: Introduction

[V29] [F.1.b] [B1]

1.1

We prostrate to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

1.2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Lord dwelt at Rājagṛha on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill together with a great community of monks, numbering17 five thousand monks, all worthy ones with the exception of one single person‍—that is, venerable Ānanda‍—with outflows dried up, without afflictions, fully controlled, with their minds well freed and their wisdom well freed, thoroughbreds, great bull elephants, with their work done, their task accomplished, with their burden laid down, with their own goal accomplished, with the fetters that bound them to existence broken, with their hearts well freed by perfect understanding, in perfect18 control of their whole mind; [F.2.a] with nuns numbering five hundred‍—Yaśodharā, Mahāprajāpatī, and so on‍—and with a great many laymen and laywomen, all of them with a vision of the Dharma; and with an unbounded, infinite number of bodhisattva great beings, all of whom had acquired the dhāraṇīs, were dwellers in emptiness, their range the signless, and who had not fashioned any wishes, had acquired forbearance for the sameness of all dharmas, had acquired the dhāraṇī of nonattachment, with imperishable clairvoyant knowledges, and with speech worth listening to; who were not hypocrites, not fawners, without thoughts of reputation and gain; who were Dharma teachers without thought of compensation, with perfect forbearance for the deep dharmas, who had obtained the fearlessnesses, and who had transcended all the works of Māra, who had cut the continuum of karmic obscuration, were skillful in expounding the analysis of investigations into phenomena, with the prayer that is a vow made during an asaṃkhyeya of eons really fully carried out, with smiling countenances, forward in addressing others, without a frown on their faces, skillful in communicating with others in chanted verse, without feelings of depression, without losing the confidence giving a readiness to speak, and endowed with fearlessness when surpassing endless assemblies; who were skilled in going forth during an ananta of one hundred million eons, understanding phenomena to be like an illusion, a mirage, a reflection of the moon in water, a dream, an echo, an apparition, a reflection in the mirror, and a magical creation; who were skillful in comprehending the thoughts, conduct, and beliefs of all beings and subtle knowledge, [F.2.b] with unobstructed thoughts, and endowed with extreme patience; who were skilled in causing entry into reality just as it is, having appropriated all the endless arrays of the buddhafields through prayer and setting out, with the meditative stabilization recollecting buddhas in an infinite number of world systems constantly and always activated; who were skillful in soliciting innumerable buddhas; who were skillful in eliminating the various views, propensities, obsessions, and defilements; and who were skillful in accomplishing a hundred thousand feats through meditative concentration. That is, he was together with the bodhisattva great beings Bhadrapāla, Ratnākara, Ratnagarbha,19 Ratnadatta, Susārthavaha, Varuṇadeva, Guhyagupta, Indradatta, Uttaramatin, Viśeṣamatin, Vardhamānamatin, Anantamati, Amoghadarśin, Anāvaraṇamatin, Susaṃprasthita, Suvikrāntavikrāmin, Anantavīrya, Nityodyukta, Nityaprayukta, Anikṣiptadhura, Sūryagarbha, Anupamamatin, and Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Mārabalapramardin, Vajramatin, Ratnamudrāhasta, Nityotkṣiptahasta, Mahākaruṇācinta, Mahāvyūha, Vyūharāja, and Merukūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, and many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion other bodhisattvas as well.

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Chapter 2: Production of the Thought

2.1

When the Lord understood that the world with its celestial beings, Māras and Brahmās, śramaṇas and brahmins, gods and humans, as well as bodhisattvas, most of them in youthful form, had assembled, he said to venerable Śāriputra, “Here, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom.”

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2.2

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra inquired of him, “How then, Lord, [F.11.b] should bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms make an effort at the perfection of wisdom?”

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Chapter 3: Designation

3.1

Then [F.23.a] venerable Śāriputra inquired of the Lord, “Lord, how then should bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?”

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3.2

Venerable Śāriputra having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not, even while they are bodhisattvas, see a bodhisattva. They do not see even the word bodhisattva. They do not see awakening either, and they do not see the perfection of wisdom. They do not see that ‘they practice,’ and they do not see that ‘they do not practice.’ They also do not see that ‘while practicing they practice and while not practicing do not practice,’ and they also do not see that ‘they do not practice, and do not not practice as well.’47 They do not see form. Similarly, they do not see feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness either. And why? Because, Śāriputra, the name bodhisattva is empty of the intrinsic nature of a name. The name bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness. A bodhisattva is also empty of the intrinsic nature of a bodhisattva, but a bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness. Awakening, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of awakening, but awakening is not empty because of emptiness. The perfection of wisdom, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of the perfection of wisdom, but the perfection of wisdom is not empty because of emptiness. Form, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of form, but form is not empty because of emptiness. [F.23.b] And feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is48 also empty of the intrinsic nature of consciousness, but consciousness is not empty because of emptiness. And why? Because the emptiness of the name bodhisattva is not the name bodhisattva, and there is no name bodhisattva apart from emptiness, because the name bodhisattva itself is emptiness and emptiness is the name bodhisattva as well. The emptiness of the bodhisattva is not the bodhisattva and there is no bodhisattva apart from emptiness, because the bodhisattva is emptiness and emptiness is the bodhisattva as well. The emptiness of the perfection of wisdom is not the perfection of wisdom and there is no perfection of wisdom apart from emptiness, because the perfection of wisdom itself is emptiness and emptiness is the perfection of wisdom as well. The emptiness of form is not form and there is no form apart from emptiness, because form itself is emptiness and emptiness is form as well. And the emptiness of feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not consciousness, and there is no consciousness apart from emptiness because consciousness itself is emptiness and emptiness is consciousness as well. And why? Because this‍—namely, bodhisattva‍—is just a name; because these‍—namely, the name bodhisattva, awakening, [F.24.a] the perfection of wisdom, form, feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness‍—are just names; and because this‍—namely, emptiness‍—is just a name. Why? Because where there is no intrinsic nature there is no production, stopping,49 decrease, increase, defilement, or purification. And why? Because form is like an illusion, feeling is like an illusion, perception is like an illusion, volitional factors are like an illusion, and consciousness is like an illusion. And an illusion is just a name that does not reside somewhere, does not reside in a particular place, so the sight of an illusion is mistaken and does not exist and is devoid of an intrinsic nature. Bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that do not see production, do not see stopping, do not see standing, do not see decrease, do not see increase, do not see defilement, and do not see purification in any dharma at all. They do not see ‘awakening,’ and they do not see a ‘bodhisattva’ anywhere. And why? Because names are made up. In the case of each of these different dharmas they are imagined,50 unreal, names plucked out of thin air working subsequently as conventional labels, and just as they are subsequently conventionally labeled, so too are they settled down on as real. Bodhisattva [F.24.b] great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not see any of those names as inherently existing, and because they do not see them, they do not settle down on them as real.

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Chapter 4: Equal to the Unequaled

4.1

Then venerable Śāriputra, venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, venerable Subhūti, venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, and venerable Mahākāśyapa, as well as other monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen celebrated for the state of their clairvoyance, and very many bodhisattva great beings said to the Lord, “This, Lord‍—that is, the perfection of wisdom‍—is the great perfection of bodhisattva great beings. This perfection of wisdom, Lord, is the vast perfection of bodhisattva great beings. This perfection of wisdom, Lord, is the highest perfection of bodhisattva great beings. It is the special perfection, it is the best perfection, it is the superb perfection, it is the sublime [F.54.b] perfection, it is the unsurpassed perfection, it is the unrivaled perfection, it is the unequaled perfection, it is the perfection equal to the unequaled, it is the calm and gentle perfection, it is the matchless perfection, it is the perfection for which no example does justice, it is the space-like perfection, it is the perfection of the emptiness of particular defining marks, it is the perfection endowed with all good qualities. This, Lord‍—that is, the perfection of wisdom‍—is the uncrushable perfection of bodhisattva great beings.

Chapter 5: Tongue

5.1

Then at that time the Lord extended his tongue and with it covered the great billionfold world system. Then from his tongue light beams of many colors, various colors, issued forth. Having issued forth, a great illumination spread through as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the east. Similarly, a great illumination spread through as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the south, west, and north, in the intermediate directions to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, below and above.

Chapter 6: Subhūti

6.1

The Lord then said to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, starting with the perfection of wisdom, be confident in your readiness to give a Dharma discourse to the bodhisattva great beings about how bodhisattva great beings go forth in the perfection of wisdom.”

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6.2

Then it occurred to those bodhisattva great beings, those great śrāvakas, and those gods to think, “Will venerable Subhūti instruct the bodhisattva great beings in the perfection of wisdom on account of armor in which reposes the power of his own intellect and confident readiness, or will he instruct them through the power of the Buddha?”

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Chapter 7: Entry into Flawlessness

7.1

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Chapter 8: The Religious Mendicant Śreṇika

8.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see a bodhisattva or the perfection of wisdom, to which bodhisattva will I give advice and instruction in what perfection of wisdom? Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see any real basis, this really is something I might be uneasy about‍—Lord, while not finding, not apprehending, and not seeing any real basis, which dharma will advise and instruct which dharma? Because, Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see all dharmas, this really is something I might be uneasy about, how I might make just the name bodhisattva and just the name perfection of wisdom wax and wane.

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Chapter 9: Causal Signs

9.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, if bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom without skillful means [F.87.b] practice form169 they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘form is permanent’ or ‘impermanent’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is permanent’ or ‘impermanent’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘form is happiness’ or ‘suffering’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is ‘happiness’ or ‘suffering’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is self’ or ‘no self’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is self’ or ‘no self’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is calm’ or ‘not calm’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is calm’ or ‘not calm’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is isolated’ or ‘not isolated’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is isolated’ or ‘not isolated’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom.

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10.

Chapter 10: Illusion-Like

10.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of wisdom, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ What, Lord, should be said to that questioner? And similarly, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ What, Lord, should be said to that questioner? And as to ‘Do they, having trained in, up to the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, [F.97.a] up to the knowledge of all aspects, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’‍—what, Lord, should be said to that questioner?”

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11.

Chapter 11: Embarrassment

11.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, you say ‘bodhisattva’ again and again. What is its basis in reality?”204

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11.2

The Lord [F.110.b] replied to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, the basis in reality for bodhisattva is an absence of a basis in reality. And why? Subhūti, it is because bodhi and sattva are not produced. Awakening and a being do not have an arising or an existence. They cannot be apprehended. Subhūti, awakening has no basis in reality and a being has no basis in reality, therefore a bodhisattva’s basis in reality is an absence of a basis in reality.

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12.

Chapter 12: Elimination of Views

12.1

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, I too am confident in my readiness to speak the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be ‘great beings.’ ”

12.2

“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, “be confident in your readiness to explain the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

12.3

Śāriputra then explained, “Lord, they reveal the Dharma to beings to eliminate the view of a self and, similarly, the view of a being, a living being, a person, one who lives, an individual, one born of Manu, a child of Manu, one who does, one who makes someone else do, a motivator, one who motivates, one who feels, one who makes someone else feel, one who knows, and one who sees. And by way of not apprehending anything they reveal the Dharma to beings to eliminate the view of annihilation, the view of permanence, the view of existence, and the view [F.119.b] of nonexistence; the view of aggregates, the view of constituents, the view of sense fields, the view of isolation, and the view of dependent origination; and the view of the perfections, the view of the dharmas on the side of awakening, the view of the powers and fearlessnesses, the view of the distinct attributes of a buddha, the view of bringing beings to maturity, the view of the purification of a buddhafield, the view of awakening, the view of the Buddha, the view of the Dharma, the view of the Saṅgha, the view of turning the wheel of the Dharma, and the view of complete nirvāṇa. It is in this sense bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

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13.

Chapter 13: The Six Perfections

13.1

Then venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to the Lord, “Lord, I too am confident in my readiness to speak the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

“Pūrṇa, be confident in your readiness to speak,” replied the Lord.

13.2

Pūrṇa then said, “Lord, those beings are armed with great armor, [F.122.a] those beings have set out in a Great Vehicle, and those beings have mounted on a Great Vehicle. It is in this sense, Lord, that bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

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14.

Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed

14.1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord, “Lord, you say ‘armed with great armor’ again and again. Lord, to what extent are bodhisattva great beings armed with great armor?”

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14.2

The Lord said, “Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings, having become armed with great armor‍—that is, armed with perfection of giving armor, and armed with perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom armor; armed with applications of mindfulness armor, and armed with right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path armor; armed with inner emptiness armor, up to armed with emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature armor; and armed with powers armor, armed with fearlessnesses armor, armed with detailed and thorough knowledges armor, and armed with distinct attributes of a buddha armor‍—and having become armed with the armor of the knowledge of all aspects and the body of a buddha, they pervade world systems in the great billionfold world system with light and shake the earth. Having blown out all the fires in the hell dwellings, extinguished the sufferings of the beings in the hells, and caused them to know their suffering is extinguished, those bodhisattvas [F.132.b] say, ‘I bow to you, tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha!’ proclaiming the name out loud, and then those beings in the hells, having heard the sound buddha, find pleasure and mental happiness. They emerge from those hells just because of that pleasure and mental happiness, and wherever lord buddhas are standing and can be seen and can be pleased they take birth in those world systems, reborn as gods and humans.

14.3

“Similarly, beings emerge from animal dwellings and the world of Yama and are reborn wherever lord buddhas are standing.

14.4

“Similarly, they pervade with light as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the south, west, and north, in the intermediate directions to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, below and above, and they shake them in the six ways. Having blown out all the fires in the hell dwellings, extinguished the sufferings of the beings in the hells, and caused them to know their suffering is extinguished, those bodhisattvas say ‘I bow to you, tathāgata, worthy one, perfect complete Buddha!’ proclaiming the name out loud. Then those beings in the hells, having heard the sound buddha, find pleasure and mental happiness. They emerge from those hells just because of that pleasure and mental happiness, and wherever lord buddhas are standing and can be seen and attended to, they take birth in those world systems, reborn as gods and humans.

14.5

“Similarly, those beings die in animal dwellings and the world of Yama [F.133.a] and take birth in whichever world systems lord buddhas are standing.

14.6

“Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.7

“To illustrate, Subhūti, were a clever magician or magician’s apprentice to have conjured up the hells, animal dwellings, and the worlds of Yama in front of a gathering of beings at the junction of two main roads, and having conjured them up were they to proclaim to those beings the word ‘Buddha,’ the word ‘Dharma,’ and the word ‘Saṅgha,’ then, when those they have conjured up have emerged from those hells, animal dwellings, and the worlds of Yama because of the word Buddha, the word Dharma, and the word Saṅgha, Subhūti, what do you think, would that magician or magician’s apprentice have caused any beings to emerge from the hells, animal dwellings, or the worlds of Yama?”

“No, Lord,” answered Subhūti.

14.8

“Similarly, Subhūti,” said the Lord, “even though bodhisattva great beings have released beings from the three terrible forms of life in an unbounded, infinite number of world systems, still no beings at all have been released. And why? Because, Subhūti, this is just the way things are, given the illusory nature of dharmas.242 Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.9

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings stand in the perfection of giving and armed with great armor conjure up a great billionfold world system made of beryl. [F.133.b] Having conjured up a great billionfold world system made of beryl, they conjure up a splendid array of a wheel-turning emperor. Having conjured up a splendid array of a wheel-turning emperor, they give food to those seeking food, and similarly they give drink, clothes, transport, perfume, flower garlands, flowers, incense, creams, powders, requirements, houses, bedding, shawls, and requirements for sustaining themselves, as well as medicines, gold, silver, jewels, gems, corals, conch shells, crystals, pearls, and ornaments‍—whatever requirements are appropriate. Having given food to those seeking food, up to and having given whatever requirements are appropriate, they then teach those beings the Dharma‍—that is, just this Dharma conjoined with the six perfections‍—and, having heard that exposition of the Dharma those beings, never become separated from the six perfections right up until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

14.10

“To illustrate further, Subhūti, suppose a clever magician or magician’s apprentice were to have conjured up a huge crowd of beings in front of a gathering of other beings at the junction of two main roads and given food to those seeking food, up to and given whatever requirements are appropriate. What do you think, Subhūti, would that magician or magician’s apprentice have given anything to anybody?”

“No, Lord,” answered Subhūti.

14.11

“Similarly, Subhūti,” said the Lord, “even though bodhisattva great beings conjure up a splendid array of a wheel-turning emperor and give food to those seeking food, up to give whatever requirements are appropriate, still they do not give anything to any being. [F.134.a] And why? Because, Subhūti, this is just the way things are, given the illusory nature of dharmas. Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.12

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings stand in the perfection of morality and intentionally take birth. Born in the family of a wheel-turning emperor, they stand in that wheel-turning majesty, establish beings in the ten wholesome actions, establish beings in the four concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions, up to establish beings in the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, and those beings never become separated from that teaching right up until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

14.13

“To illustrate, Subhūti, suppose a clever magician or magician’s apprentice were to have conjured up a huge crowd of beings in front of a gathering of other beings at the junction of two main roads and established them in the ten wholesome actions, up to established them in the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. What do you think, Subhūti, would that magician or magician’s apprentice have established any beings in the ten wholesome actions, up to would they have established them in the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha?”

“No, Lord,” answered Subhūti.

14.14

“Similarly, Subhūti,” said the Lord, “even though bodhisattva great beings establish an unbounded, infinite number of beings in the ten wholesome actions, up to establish them in the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, still they do not establish any beings [F.134.b] in the ten wholesome actions, up to they do not establish any beings in the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. And why? Because, Subhūti, this is just the way things are, given the illusory nature of dharmas. Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.15

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of patience cause beings to engage in the perfection of patience and establish them in it. And how, Subhūti, do bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of patience cause beings to engage in the perfection of patience and establish them in it? Subhūti, after bodhisattva great beings have produced their first thought of awakening they arm themselves with great armor in this way: they think, ‘Even if all beings deal me a blow with a stick, a stone, their fists, a knife, or a sword,243 I will not let myself feel any sort of mental anguish,’ and they also establish all beings in such patience.

14.16

“To illustrate, Subhūti, were a clever magician or magician’s apprentice to have conjured up a huge crowd of beings in front of a gathering of other beings at the junction of two main roads and caused them to engage in the perfection of patience and established them in it, what do you think, Subhūti, would that magician or magician’s apprentice have established any beings in the perfection of patience?”

“No, Lord,” answered Subhūti.

14.17

“Similarly, Subhūti,” said the Lord, “even though bodhisattva great beings establish an unbounded, infinite number of beings in the perfection of patience, still they do not establish any beings in the perfection of patience. And why? Because, Subhūti, this is just the way things are, given the illusory nature [F.135.a] of dharmas. Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.18

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of perseverance cause beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of perseverance. And how, Subhūti, do bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of perseverance cause beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of perseverance? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of perseverance with attention connected with the knowledge of all aspects cause beings to take up, enter into, and be established in physical and mental perseverance.244

14.19

“To illustrate, Subhūti, were a clever magician or magician’s apprentice to have conjured up a huge crowd of beings in front of a gathering of other beings at the junction of two main roads and caused them to take up, enter into, and be established in physical and mental perseverance, what do you think, Subhūti, would that magician or magician’s apprentice have caused any beings to take up, enter into, and be established in physical and mental perseverance?”

“No, Lord,” answered Subhūti.

14.20

“Similarly, Subhūti,” said the Lord, “even though bodhisattva great beings establish all beings in physical and mental perseverance, still they do not cause any beings to take up, enter into, and be established in physical and mental perseverance. And why? Because, Subhūti, this is just the way things are, given the illusory nature of dharmas. [F.135.b] Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.21

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of concentration cause all beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of concentration. And how, Subhūti, do bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of concentration cause all beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of concentration? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings standing in the sameness of all dharmas do not consider any dharma to be wavering or not wavering. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings stand in the perfection of concentration in that way, and they cause all beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of concentration like that. And those whom they have caused to take it up never become separated from that perfection of concentration, right up until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

14.22

“To illustrate, Subhūti, were a clever magician or magician’s apprentice to have conjured up a huge crowd of beings in front of a gathering of other beings at the junction of two main roads and caused them to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of concentration, what do you think, Subhūti, would that magician or magician’s apprentice have caused any beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of concentration?”

“No, Lord,” answered Subhūti.

14.23

“Similarly, Subhūti,” said the Lord, “even though bodhisattva great beings [F.136.a] establish all beings in the perfection of concentration, still they do not cause any beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of concentration. And why? Because, Subhūti, this is just the way things are, given the illusory nature of dharmas. Subhūti, it is said that bodhisattva great beings are ‘armed with great armor’ in that way.

14.24

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of wisdom cause all beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of wisdom. And how, Subhūti, do bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of wisdom cause all beings to take up, enter into, and be established in the perfection of wisdom? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed

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The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed