The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 3: Designation

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

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.

“Moreover, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom think, ‘This bodhisattva is just a name. This awakening is just a name. This awakened one is just a name. This perfection of wisdom is just a name. This practicing the perfection of wisdom is just a name.’ They think, ‘This form is just a name, and these—feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness—are just names.’

“For example, Śāriputra, ‘self’ is said again and again but a self cannot be apprehended; a being, a soul, and a person cannot be apprehended either. Thus they work conventionally as what has been designated by a name,51 yet they cannot be apprehended at all, because of the emptiness of not apprehending. Similarly, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom also do not see a bodhisattva, they do not see up to consciousness, and they do not see even the names through which they work as conventional labels. So, Śāriputra, setting aside the wisdom of a tathāgata, bodhisattva great beings thus practicing the perfection of wisdom surpass the wisdom of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas because of the emptiness of not apprehending. And why? Because they do not see what would make them settle down on them as real. So bodhisattva great beings practicing thus, Śāriputra, [F.25.a] are practicing the perfection of wisdom.

“To illustrate, Śāriputra, if this Jambudvīpa were filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana—like a thicket of naḍa reeds, or a thicket of bamboo, or a thicket of sugarcane, or a thicket of rushes, or a thicket of rice, or a thicket of sesame—their wisdom would not approach the wisdom of a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom even by a hundredth part, or by a thousandth part, or by a hundred thousandth part; it would not stand up to any number, or fraction, or counting, or example, or comparison.52 And why? Because, Śāriputra, that wisdom of a bodhisattva great being has been established with the complete nirvāṇa of all beings as the aim.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, even the wisdom cultivated53 for a single day by a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom surpasses the wisdom of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. Śāriputra, let alone this Jambudvīpa filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, even if the great billionfold world system were filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana their wisdom would not approach the wisdom cultivated for a single day by a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom even by a hundredth part, up to it would not stand up to any comparison with it. Śāriputra, let alone the great billionfold world system filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, Śāriputra, even if as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River [F.25.b] to the east were filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and similarly, even if 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 were filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, their wisdom would not approach the wisdom cultivated for a single day by a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom even by a hundredth part, up to it would not stand up to any comparison with it.”

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, the wisdom of śrāvaka stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, worthy ones, pratyekabuddhas, and tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, all those wisdoms are not broken apart, they are a detachment, are not produced, and are empty of an intrinsic nature; and, Lord, you do not find variation or distinction in something that has not been broken apart, that is a detachment, not produced, and empty of an intrinsic nature. So how, Lord, could the wisdom cultivated for a single day by a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom surpass the wisdom of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas?”

Venerable Śāriputra having spoken thus, the Lord asked him, “What do you think, Śāriputra, is the wisdom of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas concerned with a purpose54 of the sort that concerns the wisdom cultivated for a single day by a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom furnished with the best of all aspects, [F.26.a] practicing the knowledge of all aspects,55 working for the welfare of all beings with the thought, ‘I must, having fully awakened to all dharmas in all forms, lead all beings to complete nirvāṇa’?”56

“No, Lord,” Śāriputra replied.

The Lord then asked, “What do you think, Śāriputra, do all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas think, ‘We must, having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, lead all beings to complete nirvāṇa in the element of nirvāṇa without any aggregates left behind’?”

“No, Lord,” Śāriputra replied.

The Lord said, “You should understand from just this explanation, Śāriputra, that all the wisdom of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas does not approach the wisdom cultivated for a single day by a bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom even by a hundredth part, up to it does not stand up to any comparison with it, hence it surpasses the wisdom of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

“What do you think, Śāriputra, do all these śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas think, ‘We must, having practiced the six perfections, having brought beings to maturity, having purified a buddhafield, having completed the ten tathāgata powers, having completed the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, and having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, [F.26.b] complete awakening, lead infinite, countless beings beyond measure to complete nirvāṇa’?”

“No, Lord,” Śāriputra replied.

“Śāriputra,” said the Lord, “a bodhisattva great being thinks, ‘I must, having practiced the six perfections, having brought beings to maturity, having purified a buddhafield, having fulfilled the ten tathāgata powers, having fulfilled the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, and having fully awakened to the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, lead infinite, countless beings beyond measure to complete nirvāṇa.’

“To illustrate, Śāriputra, just as a firefly-type creature does not think, ‘I should light up Jambudvīpa with my light, I should pervade Jambudvīpa with my light,’ so too, Śāriputra, no śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha thinks, ‘I must, having practiced the six perfections, having brought beings to maturity, having purified a buddhafield, having completed the ten tathāgata powers, having completed the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, and having fully awakened to the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, lead infinite, countless beings beyond measure to complete nirvāṇa.’

“Again to illustrate, Śāriputra, just as the circle of the sun, when it rises, lights up all Jambudvīpa [F.27.a] with its light and pervades all Jambudvīpa with its light, so too, Śāriputra, a bodhisattva great being, having practiced the six perfections, having brought beings to maturity, having purified a buddhafield, having completed the ten tathāgata powers, having completed the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, and having fully awakened to the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, leads infinite, countless beings beyond measure to complete nirvāṇa.”

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra then asked him, “How, Lord, do bodhisattva great beings, having passed beyond the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha level, reach the irreversible bodhisattva level and practice57 the bodhisattva path?”

Venerable Śāriputra having asked this, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings, from their first production of the thought of awakening onward, stand in the dharmas of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness while practicing the six perfections, and, having passed beyond the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha level, reach the irreversible bodhisattva level.”

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra asked him further, “Standing on which level, Lord, do bodhisattva great beings become worthy of the offerings of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas?”

Venerable Śāriputra having asked this, the Lord said to him, [F.27.b] “Śāriputra, in the interval from their first production of the thought up to the site of awakening, bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections are constantly and always worthy of the offerings of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. And why? Because, Śāriputra, it is thanks to bodhisattva great beings that all wholesome dharmas appear in the world, that is, that the ten wholesome actions, the morality with five branches, the morality with eight branches, and the four concentrations, four immeasurables, four formless absorptions, four noble truths, four applications of mindfulness, four right efforts, four legs of miraculous power, five faculties, five powers, seven limbs of awakening, and eightfold noble path appear in the world; and that the six perfections, the ten tathāgata powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, up to great love, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha appear in the world. And it is because those wholesome dharmas appear in the world that there are58 great sāla tree–like royal families in the world, great sāla tree–like brahmin families in the world, and great sāla tree–like business families in the world; that there are the Cāturmahā­rājika gods and gods of the Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin, Brahmapurohita, Brahmakāyika, Brahmapārṣadya, Parīttābha, Apramāṇābha, Ābhāsvara, [F.28.a] Parīttaśubha, Apramāṇaśubha, Śubhakṛtsna, Bṛhatphala, Asaṃjñisattva,59 Śuddhāvāsa—Sudṛśa, Sudarśana, Avṛha, Atapa, and Akaniṣṭha—and the Ākāśānantyāyatana, Vijñānānantyāyatana, Ākiṃcityāyatana, and Naiva­saṃjñā­nāsaṃjñāyatana; that stream enterers appear in the world, and that once-returners, non-returners, worthy ones, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattva great beings, and tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas appear in the world.”

“Lord, do bodhisattva great beings purify the offering, or do they not do so?” asked Śāriputra.

“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, “bodhisattva great beings metaphorically60 purify the offering. And why? Because, Śāriputra, a bodhisattva great being’s offering is absolutely pure. Thus, Śāriputra, a bodhisattva great being is a giver, but a giver of what? A giver of wholesome dharmas. A giver of which wholesome dharmas? A giver of these: the ten wholesome actions, the five-point training, the eight-branched confession and restoration, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha.”

“Lord, how are bodhisattva great beings who engage with the perfection of wisdom ‘engaged’?”61 asked Śāriputra.

“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, “here [F.28.b] bodhisattva great beings engaged with the emptiness of form are ‘engaged.’ Similarly, engaged with the emptiness of feelings, the emptiness of perceptions, the emptiness of volitional factors, and the emptiness of consciousness, they are engaged. Furthermore, Śāriputra, here bodhisattva great beings engaged with the emptiness of the eyes are engaged. Similarly, engaged with the emptiness of the ears, nose, tongue, body, and thinking mind they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of a form, a sound, a smell, a taste, a feeling, and a dharma they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of the eye consciousness constituent they are engaged. Similarly, engaged with the emptiness of the ear consciousness constituent, nose consciousness constituent, tongue consciousness constituent, body consciousness constituent, and thinking-mind consciousness constituent they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of suffering they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of origination, cessation, and the path they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of ignorance they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of volitional factors, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, contact, feeling, craving, appropriation, existence, birth, and old age and death, they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of all dharmas they are engaged. When they are engaged with the emptiness of all compounded and uncompounded phenomena they are engaged. Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who are engaged with the emptiness of a basic nature are engaged. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who are engaged with these seven emptinesses are engaged. [F.29.a]

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, when those bodhisattvas are practicing the perfection of wisdom with these seven emptinesses you cannot say, first of all, that they ‘are engaged’ or ‘are not engaged.’ And why? Because they do not see form as qualified by production or qualified by stopping. They do not see feelings, perceptions, volitional factors, or consciousness as qualified by production or qualified by stopping. They do not see form as qualified by defilement or qualified by purification. They do not see feelings, perceptions, volitional factors, or consciousness as qualified by defilement or qualified by purification. Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings do not see ‘a confluence of form with feeling,’ or similarly, ‘a confluence of feeling with perception, perception with volitional factors, or volitional factors with consciousness.’ They do not see ‘a confluence of consciousness with volitional factors.’ And why? Because no dharma is in a confluence with any other dharma, because they are empty of a basic nature. And why? Because that emptiness of form is not form, and because that emptiness of feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not consciousness. And why? Because, Śāriputra, that emptiness of form is not seeable,62 the emptiness of feeling does not experience, the emptiness of perception does not perceive, the emptiness of volitional factors [F.29.b] does not occasion anything, and the emptiness of consciousness does not make conscious. And why? Because, Śāriputra, form is not one thing and emptiness another; emptiness is not one thing and form another. Form is itself emptiness, and emptiness is form. Similarly, feeling is not one thing and emptiness another; emptiness is not one thing and feeling another. Perception is not one thing and emptiness another; emptiness is not one thing and perception another. Volitional factors are not one thing and emptiness another; emptiness is not one thing and volitional factors another. And consciousness is not one thing and emptiness another; emptiness is not one thing and consciousness another. Consciousness is itself emptiness, and emptiness is consciousness. And why? Because, Śāriputra, that emptiness is not produced and does not stop, is not defiled and is not purified, does not decrease and does not increase, and is not past, is not future, and is not present.

“In such as that there is no form, there is no feeling, there is no perception, there are no volitional factors, and there is no consciousness. There is no earth element, water element, fire element, or wind element. There is no space element. There is no consciousness element.

“There is no eye sense field; there is no form sense field. There is no ear sense field; there is no sound sense field. There is no nose sense field; there is no smell sense field. There is no tongue sense field; there is no taste sense field. There is no body sense field; there is no touch sense field. There is no thinking-mind sense field; there is no dharma sense field.

“There is no eye constituent, there is no form constituent, there is no eye consciousness constituent. There is no ear constituent, there is no sound constituent, [F.30.a] there is no ear consciousness constituent. There is no nose constituent, there is no smell constituent, there is no nose consciousness constituent. There is no tongue constituent, there is no taste constituent, there is no tongue consciousness constituent. There is no body constituent, there is no touch constituent, there is no body consciousness constituent. There is no thinking-mind constituent, there is no dharma constituent, there is no thinking-mind consciousness constituent.

“There is no ignorance; there is no cessation of ignorance. There are no volitional factors; there is no cessation of volitional factors. There is no consciousness; there is no cessation of consciousness. There is no name and form; there is no cessation of name and form. There are no six sense fields; there is no cessation of the six sense fields. There is no contact; there is no cessation of contact. There is no feeling; there is no cessation of feeling. There is no craving; there is no cessation of craving. There is no appropriation; there is no cessation of appropriation. There is no existence; there is no cessation of existence. There is no birth; there is no cessation of birth. There is no old age and death; there is no cessation of old age and death.

“There is no suffering. There is no origination. There is no cessation. There is no path. There is no attainment. There is no clear realization. There is no stream enterer; there is no result of stream enterer. There is no once-returner; there is no result of once-returner. There is no non-returner; there is no result of non-returner. There is no worthy one; there is no result of worthy one. There is no pratyekabuddha; there is no pratyekabuddha’s awakening. There is no buddha; there is no awakening. [B3]

“Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that are ‘engaged,’ but they do not see the practice of the perfection of wisdom as either ‘engaged’ or ‘not engaged’ with form. [F.30.b] They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the eyes. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the ears, nose, tongue, body, or thinking mind. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with form. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with sound, smell, taste, feeling, or dharmas.

“They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the eye constituent. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the form constituent. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the eye consciousness constituent … up to … They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the thinking-mind constituent, the dharma constituent, or the thinking-mind consciousness constituent.

“They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the applications of mindfulness. Similarly, they do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the right efforts, the legs of miraculous power, the faculties, the powers, the limbs of awakening, or the path. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the four truths. They do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the ten tathāgata powers, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, the four fearlessnesses, the five clairvoyances, or the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, up to they do not see it as either engaged or not engaged with the knowledge of a knower of all aspects furnished with the best of all aspects.

“Śāriputra, in this way you should know bodhisattva great beings who have engaged in the perfection of wisdom like that [F.31.a] have ‘engaged.’

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom neither cause emptiness to engage with emptiness, nor disengage from it, and the same holds true for the yogic practice of emptiness as well.63 They neither cause signlessness to engage with nor disengage from signlessness, and the same holds true for the yogic practice of signlessness as well. They neither cause wishlessness to engage with nor disengage from wishlessness, and the same holds true for the yogic practice of wishlessness as well. And why? Because emptiness is neither a yogic practice nor not a yogic practice. Similarly, signlessness and wishlessness are neither yogic practices nor not yogic practices.

“Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom enter into64 the emptiness of the marks particular to dharmas, and when they so enter they do not engage with nor disengage from form. Neither do they engage with nor disengage from feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness.

“They do not join65 form with the prior limit, because they do not even see the prior limit. They do not join form with the later limit, because they do not even see the later limit. They do not join form with the present because they do not even see the present. Similarly, they do not join feeling … perception … volitional factors … or consciousness with the prior limit, because they do not even see the prior limit itself. They do not join consciousness with the later limit, because they do not even see [F.31.b] the later limit itself. They do not join consciousness with the present because they do not even see the present itself.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom, because of the sameness of the three periods of time, do not join the prior limit with the later limit and do not join the later limit with the prior limit. They do not join the present with the prior limit or the later limit, and they do not join the prior limit or the later limit with the present. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom engage in such a way that they do not join the knowledge of all aspects with the past. How, without even seeing the past itself, could they join it with the past? They do not join the knowledge of all aspects with the future. How, without even seeing the future itself, could they join it with the future? They do not join the knowledge of all aspects with the present. How, without even seeing the present itself, could they join it with the present? Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not join form with the knowledge of all aspects because they do not even see form. Similarly, they do not join feeling … perception … volitional factors … [F.32.a] or consciousness with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see consciousness itself. Similarly, they do not join the eyes with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see the eyes themselves. They do not join the ears … nose … tongue … body … or thinking mind with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see the thinking mind itself. Similarly, they do not join a form with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see a form itself. They do not join a sound … a smell … a taste … a feeling … or a dharma with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see a dharma itself. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not join the perfection of giving with the knowledge of all aspects because they do not even see the perfection of giving itself. Similarly, they do not join the perfection of morality … the perfection of patience … the perfection of perseverance … the perfection of concentration … or the perfection of wisdom with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see the perfection of wisdom itself. They do not join the applications of mindfulness with the knowledge of all aspects because they do not even see the applications of mindfulness themselves. Similarly, they do not join the right efforts … the legs of miraculous power … the five faculties … the five powers … the seven limbs of awakening … the eightfold noble path … the ten tathāgata powers … the four fearlessnesses … the four detailed and thorough knowledges … [F.32.b] the five clairvoyances … or the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha with the knowledge of all aspects either because they do not even see the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha themselves. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not join a buddha with the knowledge of all aspects, and they do not join the knowledge of all aspects with a buddha, because they do not even see a buddha. They do not join awakening with the knowledge of all aspects, and they do not join the knowledge of all aspects with awakening, because they do not even see awakening. And why? Because a buddha is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is the buddha as well. And because awakening itself is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is itself awakening as well. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, while bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of wisdom, form is not joined with ‘originating.’ Form is not joined with ‘perishing.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘originating.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘perishing.’ Form is not joined with ‘permanent.’ Form is not joined with ‘impermanent.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘permanent.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘impermanent.’ Form is not joined with ‘happiness.’ Form is not joined with ‘suffering.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … [F.33.a] volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘happiness.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘suffering.’ Form is not joined with ‘self.’ Form is not joined with ‘no self.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘self.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘no self.’ Form is not joined with ‘calm.’ Form is not joined with ‘not calm.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘calm.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘not calm.’ Form is not joined with ‘empty.’ Form is not joined with ‘not empty.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘empty.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘not empty.’ Form is not joined with ‘having a sign.’ Form is not joined with ‘being signless.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘having a sign.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘being signless.’ Form is not joined with ‘having a wish.’ Form is not joined with ‘being wishless.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘having a wish.’ Consciousness is not joined with ‘being wishless.’ Form is not joined with ‘being produced’ or ‘stopping.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘being produced’ or ‘stopping.’ Form is not joined with ‘the past,’ form is not joined with ‘the future,’ and form is not joined with ‘the present.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘the past,’ consciousness is not joined with ‘the future,’ and consciousness is not joined with ‘the present.’ Form is not joined with ‘strong’ or ‘weak.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … [F.33.b] volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘strong’ or ‘weak.’ Form is not joined with ‘is’ or ‘is not.’ Similarly, feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not joined with ‘is’ or ‘is not.’

“Śāriputra, if bodhisattva great beings do not assert ‘those who practice thus are practicing the perfection of wisdom’; if they do not assert ‘they are not practicing’; if they do not assert ‘they are practicing when they practice and not practicing when they do not practice’; and if they do not assert ‘they are not practicing and not not practicing,’ they are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of the perfection of giving. They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of the perfection of morality, the perfection of patience, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of concentration, or the perfection of wisdom. They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of the irreversible level. They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of bringing beings to maturity, for the sake of purifying a buddhafield, for the sake of the ten tathāgata powers, for the sake of the four fearlessnesses, for the sake of the four detailed and thorough knowledges, or for the sake of the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of inner emptiness. They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of outer emptiness, inner and outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of the compounded, the emptiness of the uncompounded, the emptiness of what transcends limits, the emptiness of no beginning and no end, the emptiness of nonrepudiation, the emptiness of a basic nature, the emptiness of its own mark, [F.34.a] the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unproduced,66 the emptiness of a nonexistent thing, the emptiness of an intrinsic nature, or the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of suchness, the dharma-constituent, or the very limit of reality. And why? Because bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not see a difference in any dharma. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“They do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of divine eyes, for the sake of divine ears, for the sake of knowing others’ thoughts, for the sake of the recollection of past lives, or for the sake of the performance of miraculous power. And why? Because bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that do not even see the perfection of wisdom itself, not to mention a bodhisattva, so however could they apprehend fully all the clairvoyances? Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not think, ‘With my divine eyes I will know the deaths and rebirths of beings established in as many world systems in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River. With my divine ears I will listen to their words, I will know their thoughts, and having also recollected their past lives I will go with miraculous power and teach the Dharma.’ Similarly, they do not think, ‘With my divine eyes I will know the deaths and rebirth of beings established in as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River in each of the southern, western, northern, northeastern, southeastern, southwestern, [F.34.b] and northwestern directions, below and above. With my divine ears I will listen to their words, I will know their thoughts, and having also recollected their past lives I will go with miraculous power and teach the Dharma.’ Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“They lead infinite, countless beings to complete nirvāṇa, so, Śāriputra, Māra the wicked one does not gain entry to bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like this. All those ordinary afflictive emotions, as many as there are, are destroyed.67

“The lord buddhas in as many world systems in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, as well as the lord buddhas in 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, guard the bodhisattva great beings so they will not fall to the śrāvaka level or to the pratyekabuddha level. The Cāturmahā­rājika gods and the Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin gods, and the Brahmakāyika gods up to the Akaniṣṭha gods who are standing there, also guard the bodhisattva great beings so that nothing will draw them toward hindrances. Whatever physical defects68 they have, in each and every way they become nonexistent in this very life. And why? Because the bodhisattva great beings are filled with a love that extends to all beings. [F.35.a] Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom come face to face, with little difficulty, with the dhāraṇī gateways and the meditative stabilization gateways.69 In all their births they please the tathāgatas, the worthy ones, the perfectly complete buddhas, and are not separated from the lord buddhas, until fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, it does not occur to bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom to wonder, ‘Is any phenomenon conjoined with or separated from phenomena, or does it come together with or not come together with them?’ And why? Because they do not see any phenomenon that could be united or separated, or could come together or not come together. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, it does not occur to bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom to wonder, ‘Will I quickly fully awaken, or not fully awaken to the dharma-constituent?’ And why? Because the dharma-constituent does not fully awaken by means of the dharma-constituent. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom [F.35.b] do not see any dharma over and above the dharma-constituent, they do not make a distinction between the dharma-constituent and any dharma,70 and it does not occur to them to wonder, ‘Will I penetrate into the dharma-constituent, or will I not penetrate into it?’ This is because they do not see any dharma that is the dharma that would come to be penetrated into by means of a dharma, because they71 do not join the dharma-constituent to ‘empty’ and do not join it to ‘not empty.’ Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaged like that are ‘engaged’ in the perfection of wisdom.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not join form to emptiness and do not join emptiness to form. Similarly, they do not join feeling … perception … volitional factors … or consciousness to emptiness and they do not join emptiness to consciousness. Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not join the eye constituent to emptiness and do not join emptiness to the eye constituent; do not join the form constituent to emptiness and do not join emptiness to the form constituent; and do not join the eye consciousness constituent to emptiness and do not join emptiness to the eye consciousness constituent. Similarly, they do not join the ear constituent … the sound constituent … and the ear consciousness constituent … the nose constituent … the smell constituent … and the nose consciousness constituent … the tongue constituent … the taste constituent … and the tongue consciousness constituent … the body constituent … the touch constituent … and the body consciousness constituent … and they do not join the thinking-mind constituent to emptiness and do not join emptiness to the thinking-mind constituent. They do not join the dharma constituent to emptiness and do not join emptiness to the dharma constituent. [F.36.a] They do not join the thinking-mind consciousness constituent to emptiness and do not join emptiness to the thinking-mind consciousness constituent. And why? Because, Śāriputra, this—the yogic practice of emptiness—is the bodhisattva great beings’ ultimate yogic practice. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing emptiness do not fall to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level, purify a buddhafield, bring beings to maturity, and quickly and fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Śāriputra, whatever the bodhisattva great beings’ yogic practices, of them the yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom is the highest, the foremost, the most excellent, the best, the most superb, sublime, and unsurpassed. And why? Because this—the yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom, the yogic practice of emptiness, of singlessness, and of wishlessness—is a yogic practice that is unsurpassed.

“Śāriputra, you should bear in mind that bodhisattva great beings engaged like that have been prophesied, or are close to being prophesied.72 Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings engaging like that will work for the welfare of infinite, countless beings beyond measure, but it will not occur to them to think, ‘The lord buddhas will make a prophecy about me. I am close to being prophesied. I will purify a buddhafield. I will bring beings to maturity. Having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening I will turn the wheel of the Dharma.’ And why? Because they do not make the dharma-constituent into a causal sign,73 and [F.36.b] do not see any dharma at all, over and above the dharma-constituent, that is a practice of the perfection of wisdom, or about which the lord buddhas will make a prophecy, or that will become fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. And why? Because the notion of a being does not occur to bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that. And why? Because a being is absolutely not produced and does not cease, because the true dharmic nature of dharmas is not produced and does not cease. How could what is not produced and does not cease practice the perfection of wisdom? Śāriputra, a bodhisattva great being practicing like that practices the perfection of wisdom as an unproduced and unceasing being,74 practices the perfection of wisdom as a being who is emptiness, and practices the perfection of wisdom as a being who cannot be apprehended, is in an isolated state, is without a basic nature, and is without an intrinsic nature. Śāriputra, this—the yogic practice of emptiness—is the bodhisattva great beings’ ultimate yogic practice. Śāriputra, this is the bodhisattva great beings’ yogic practice of the practice of the perfection of wisdom that stands surpassing any other yogic practices. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing this yogic practice accomplish the ten tathāgata powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, great love, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings standing in this yogic practice do not produce a miserly [F.37.a] thought, and they do not produce an immoral thought, a malicious thought, a lazy thought, a distracted thought, or an intellectually confused thought.”

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra then inquired of him, “Where did they die, Lord, bodhisattva great beings dwelling by means of this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom who have taken birth here? And having died here where will they take birth?”

Venerable Śāriputra having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, you should know that bodhisattva great beings dwelling by means of this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom have taken birth here, having died in other buddhafields; or have taken birth here, having died a god of the Tuṣita class; or have taken birth here, having died a human.75

“Śāriputra, the bodhisattva great beings who have taken birth here, having died in other buddhafields, quickly become absorbed in yogic practice, that is, in this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom. This deep dharma manifests itself to them even after they have exchanged lives, and afterward they again become absorbed in the yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom. They take birth in whichever buddhafield the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas dwell and maintain themselves, and they please those tathāgatas.

“Śāriputra, the bodhisattva great beings who have taken birth here, having died a god of the Tuṣita class, are interrupted by a single birth, and insofar as they have not lost76 their six perfections, all the dhāraṇī gateways and the meditative stabilization gateways [F.37.b] are brought together in them and are not lost either.

“Śāriputra, the bodhisattva great beings who, having died as humans, have taken birth sharing in the unique good fortune of humans, the faculties of those bodhisattva great beings are dull unless they are bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible from awakening. They do not quickly become absorbed in this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom, and the dhāraṇī gateways and meditative stabilization gateways do not manifest themselves to them either.

“Śāriputra, you asked, ‘Where will bodhisattva great beings dwelling by means of this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom, having died here, take birth?’ Śāriputra, having died in this buddhafield, bodhisattva great beings dwelling by means of this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom will pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield wherever the lord buddhas dwell and maintain themselves, and until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening they will never be separated from the lord buddhas and will please those lord buddhas.

“Śāriputra, there are certain bodhisattva great beings without skillful means who become absorbed in the four concentrations and practice the perfections, but even if, having taken birth among the long-lived gods because of their acquisition of the concentrations, they acquire a human birth and please the lord buddhas, they are still those with dull, not keen, faculties.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who become absorbed in the concentrations and practice the perfections but still, without skillful means, relax [F.38.a] the concentrations and so take birth even in the desire realm. Śāriputra, those bodhisattva great beings too are still those with dull, not keen, faculties.

“Śāriputra, there are also bodhisattva great beings who become absorbed in the four concentrations, and become absorbed in the four formless absorptions, the applications of mindfulness, the right efforts, the legs of miraculous power, the faculties, the powers, the limbs of awakening, and the path but still, with great compassion and skillful means do not take birth through the influence of the concentrations and do not take birth through the influence of the four immeasurables or the formless absorptions, but instead take birth wherever the lord buddhas dwell and maintain themselves and, inseparable from this yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom, will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening right here in the Fortunate Age.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who, having produced the four concentrations, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions stop all the concentrations and meditative stabilizations with skillful means, and, taking birth in the desire realms, are born in great sāla tree–like royal families, or in great sāla tree–like brahmin families, or in great sāla tree–like business families. This is not because they want another existence, but they take birth in order to bring beings to maturity.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who become absorbed in the four concentrations, and become absorbed in the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions as well, but with skillful means do not take birth through the influence of the concentrations, [F.38.b] the meditative stabilizations, or the absorptions but instead take birth sharing in the good fortune of the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, or take birth sharing in the good fortune of the Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin gods. Living there they bring beings to maturity, purify a buddhafield, and please the lord buddhas.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who practice the six perfections and with skillful means become absorbed in the four concentrations, and become absorbed in the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions as well, who, having died here, take birth in the Brahmaloka. Having become brahmās, mahābrahmās, there, standing in those brahmā dwellings they pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield in order to request the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma in whichever buddhafield the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings interrupted by a single birth who practice the six perfections and with skillful means become absorbed in the four concentrations, and become absorbed in the four immeasurables and the four formless absorptions as well, who also cultivate the applications of mindfulness, the right efforts, the legs of miraculous power, the faculties, the powers, the limbs of awakening, and the path, and become absorbed in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness meditative stabilizations, but without taking birth through their influence. [F.39.a] Having pleased the lord buddhas who have manifested themselves, and practiced celibacy there, and having taken birth sharing in the good fortune of the Tuṣita gods, remaining there for as long as they live without their faculties declining, mindful, with introspection, and surrounded by, and at the head of, many hundred thousand one hundred million billion gods, they demonstrate a birth here and fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening in various buddhafields.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who have acquired the six clairvoyances and do not take birth in the desire realm, do not take birth in the form and formless realms, but passing on from buddhafield to buddhafield they respect, revere, honor, and worship those lord buddhas, the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfect complete buddhas.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who have acquired the six clairvoyances and who,77 sporting by means of the six clairvoyances, pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield‍—buddhafields where, over and above the Buddha Vehicle, there is not even the sound of the words Śrāvaka Vehicle or Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who have acquired the six clairvoyances and who, sporting by means of the six clairvoyances, pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield‍—buddhafields where the lifespan of beings is infinite.

“Śāriputra, there are also those bodhisattva great beings who have acquired the six clairvoyances and who pass on from world system to world system‍—world systems where there is not even the sound of the word Buddha, of the word Dharma, or of the word Saṅgha, and, having arrived, [F.39.b] there they proclaim the word Buddha, proclaim the word Dharma, and proclaim the word Saṅgha, speaking in praise of the Three Jewels. The word Buddha, the word Dharma, and the word Saṅgha cause those beings, furthermore, to become serenely confident and to take birth, after their death there, where the lord buddhas are dwelling.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who, after producing the first thought of awakening, have acquired the four concentrations, four immeasurables, and four formless absorptions; who cultivate the applications of mindfulness, right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and the noble path; and who have acquired the ten tathāgata powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. They do not take birth in the desire realm, do not take birth in the form realm, and do not take birth in the formless realm but work there for the welfare of beings.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who, having entered right from the production of the first thought of awakening into flawlessness,78 stand on the irreversible level.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who, right from the production of the first thought of awakening, fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, turn the wheel of the Dharma, work for the welfare of countless beings beyond measure, and enter into complete nirvāṇa in the element of nirvāṇa without any aggregates left behind. Even though they have entered into nirvāṇa, their good Dharma lasts for an eon or more than an eon.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who, right from the production of the first thought, [F.40.a] become absorbed in the yogic practice of the perfection of wisdom and pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield together with many hundred thousand one hundred million billion bodhisattvas in order to see the lord buddhas and in order to bring beings to maturity and purify a buddhafield.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who practice the six perfections and have acquired the four concentrations, have acquired the four immeasurables, and have acquired the four formless absorptions. They sport with the concentrations, the immeasurables, and the formless absorptions in different ways, that is, they become absorbed in the first concentration and, having emerged from that, become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, they become absorbed in the second concentration, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, they become absorbed in the third concentration, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, they become absorbed in the fourth concentration, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, they become absorbed in the station of endless space, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, they become absorbed in the station of endless consciousness, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, they become absorbed in the station of nothing-at-all, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption; having emerged from that, [F.40.b] they become absorbed in the station of neither perception nor nonperception, and having emerged from that become absorbed in the cessation absorption. Śāriputra, those bodhisattva great beings thus practicing the perfection of wisdom with skillful means become absorbed into those concentrations, immeasurables, meditative stabilizations, and absorptions by leaping above.79

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who have acquired the applications of mindfulness, the right efforts, the legs of miraculous power, the faculties, the powers, the limbs of awakening, and the noble path; who have acquired the ten tathāgata powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha; who do not reach the result of stream enterer, and who do not reach the result of once-returner, the result of non-returner, the state of a worthy one, or a pratyekabuddha’s awakening. They practice the perfection of wisdom and with skillful means cause the mental continuums of beings to be led into the path, cause them to be purified, and cause them to reach the result of stream enterer and to reach the result of once-returner, the result of non-returner, the state of a worthy one, and a pratyekabuddha’s awakening. Śāriputra, the knowledge that is the cause of reaching the result state of a worthy one and a pratyekabuddha’s awakening is a bodhisattva great being’s forbearance. Śāriputra, you should know those bodhisattva great beings dwelling in this perfection of wisdom are irreversible from awakening.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who make the Tuṣita abode pure. Śāriputra, you should know that they are bodhisattva great beings [F.41.a] of the Fortunate Age.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who acquire the four concentrations, up to who acquire the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. They practice in order to understand the four truths but do not penetrate the four truths. Śāriputra, you should know that they are bodhisattva great beings interrupted by a single birth.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who pass on from world system to world system. They cause beings to be led to awakening. They make a buddhafield pure. Śāriputra, you should know that they are bodhisattva great beings who will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening over the course of immeasurable, incalculable eons.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, ever striving for the sake of beings, never speak an unprofitable word and never do an unprofitable physical, verbal, or mental deed.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections who, ever striving for the sake of beings, pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield, cutting off the path to the terrible forms of life.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, focusing80 on the perfection of giving, supply beings with all their requirements for happiness: food for those seeking food and drink for those seeking drink. They supply as appropriate flowers, flower garlands, perfumes, creams, incense, [F.41.b] beds and seats, clothes, ornaments, sustenance, homes, money, grain, jewels, pearls, gold, silver, and coral.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, focusing on the perfection of morality, establish beings in restraint of body, speech, and mind.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, focusing on the perfection of patience, establish beings in non-anger and non-malice.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, focusing on the perfection of perseverance, establish beings in a zeal for all wholesome dharmas.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, focusing on the perfection of concentration, establish beings in a calm abiding single-pointedness and detachment from sense objects.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who, focusing on the perfection of wisdom, magically produce a body just like the shape a tathāgata assumes81 and teach the Dharma in order to lead beings in the hells, those in the animal world, and beings in the world of Yama beyond all the terrible forms of life.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who magically produce a body just like the shape a buddha assumes, [F.42.a] betake themselves to as many buddhafields in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, teach the Dharma, attend on the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, listen to the Dharma, see the bodhisattva saṅgha and the array of buddhafield qualities, apprehend the causal signs82 of those buddhafields and perfect many buddhafields even more expansive and more special than those, perfecting themselves in those buddhafields as bodhisattva great beings interrupted by a single birth. Similarly, they betake themselves to each of as many buddhafields 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, teach the Dharma, attend on the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, listen to the Dharma, see the bodhisattva saṅgha and the array of buddhafield qualities, apprehend the causal signs of those buddhafields and perfect many buddhafields even more expansive and more special than those, perfecting themselves in those buddhafields as bodhisattva great beings interrupted by a single birth.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections who, having become fully endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great person, become endowed with refined and purified faculties. With their purified bodies they make beings feel a joy and serene confidence. They become dear to and loved by many people. Just that wholesome root of those beings [F.42.b] with that serene mental confidence furthermore causes them to gradually enter into complete nirvāṇa by means of the three vehicles.

“Thus indeed, Śāriputra, should bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections train in the purified body; thus should they train in the purified speech and in the purified mind.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections who, having acquired refined faculties, do not, on account of their refined faculties, praise themselves and disparage others.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who, after producing the first thought of awakening, stand in the perfection of giving and the perfection of morality. Until they reach the irreversible stage they never become destitute and never tumble into terrible, catastrophic forms of life.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings who, after producing the first thought of awakening until they reach the irreversible stage, never quit the ten wholesome actions.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of giving and the perfection of morality who become wheel-turning emperors, establish beings in the ten wholesome actions, and gather beings together through giving and kind words.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of giving and the perfection of morality who, protecting many empires of wheel-turning emperors, dealing with many hundreds of thousands of empires of wheel-turning emperors, standing there pleasing many hundred thousand one hundred million billion buddhas, respect, revere, honor, and worship those lord buddhas [F.43.a] with all requirements and all offerings.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who lighten the darkness of beings standing in wrong views with the light of the buddhadharmas, and they never separate themselves from the light of the buddhadharmas up until they fully awaken to the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.83

“This, Śāriputra, is the origination of the bodhisattva great beings in the buddhadharmas.84

“Therefore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom would provide no opportunity for basic85 immoral physical, verbal, and mental action.” [B4]

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra then inquired of him, “What, Lord, is a bodhisattva great being’s basic immoral physical action, basic immoral verbal action, and basic immoral mental action?”

Venerable Śāriputra having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, when it occurs to a bodhisattva great being, ‘This is the body with which I should undertake physical action, this the voice with which I should undertake verbal action, and this the thinking mind with which I should undertake mental action,’ Śāriputra, that undertaking of a physical, verbal, or mental action is a basic immorality of a bodhisattva great being. This is because, Śāriputra, a bodhisattva great being’s practice of the perfection of wisdom does not apprehend a body, does not apprehend a voice, and does not apprehend a thinking mind. [F.43.b]

“Śāriputra, were bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of wisdom to apprehend a body, to apprehend a voice, and to apprehend a thinking mind, they would with that body, voice, and thinking mind cause a miserly thought to arise, or cause an immoral thought, a malicious thought, a lazy thought, a distracted thought, or a confused thought to arise. But something like that, Śāriputra, will never be known, because it is impossible for bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom to cause the final physical, verbal, and thinking mind basis of suffering to arise. And why? Because, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections are causing the final physical basis of suffering to be cleansed, the final verbal basis of suffering to be cleansed, and the final thinking mind basis of suffering to be cleansed. And that, Śāriputra, is the bodhisattva great beings’ absence of basic immoral physical, verbal, and mental action.”

“How, Lord, do bodhisattva great beings cleanse basic immoral physical, verbal, and mental action?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “Śāriputra, because bodhisattva great beings do not apprehend a body, do not apprehend a voice, and do not apprehend a thinking mind, they thus cleanse basic immoral physical, verbal, and mental action. I say, Śāriputra, were bodhisattva great beings after producing the first thought of awakening to have taken and pursued the ten wholesome actions without producing a śrāvaka thought or a pratyekabuddha thought, were they to have constantly attended to a greatly compassionate thought for beings, in that case bodhisattva great beings [F.44.a] would have thoroughly cleansed the final physical basis of suffering, the final verbal basis of suffering, and the final mental basis of suffering.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cleansing the awakening path who are practicing the perfection of giving and practicing the perfection of morality, the perfection of patience, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of concentration, and the perfection of wisdom.”

“What, Lord, is the bodhisattva great beings’ awakening path?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “Śāriputra, when bodhisattva great beings practice the awakening path they do not apprehend a body, do not apprehend a voice, do not apprehend a thinking mind, do not apprehend the perfection of giving, do not apprehend the perfection of morality, do not apprehend the perfection of patience, do not apprehend the perfection of perseverance, do not apprehend the perfection of concentration, do not apprehend the perfection of wisdom, do not apprehend a Śrāvaka Vehicle, do not apprehend a Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, do not apprehend a Bodhisattva Vehicle, and do not apprehend a perfectly complete Buddha Vehicle. That is to say, this not apprehending all dharmas is the bodhisattva great beings’ awakening path because, Śāriputra, nobody is capable of breaking bodhisattva great beings traveling on this path practicing the six perfections.”

“How, Lord, do bodhisattva great beings who cannot be broken practice?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “Śāriputra, here bodhisattva great beings [F.44.b] practicing the six perfections do not falsely project form, and they do not falsely project feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness; they do not falsely project the earth element, and they do not falsely project the water element, fire element, wind element, space element, or consciousness element; they do not falsely project eyes and form, and they do not falsely project ears and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and touch, or thinking mind and dharmas; they do not falsely project the eye constituent, form constituent, and eye consciousness constituent, and they do not falsely project the ear constituent, sound constituent, and ear consciousness constituent, the nose constituent, smell constituent, and nose consciousness constituent, the tongue constituent, taste constituent, and tongue consciousness constituent, the body constituent, touch constituent, and body consciousness constituent, or the thinking mind constituent, dharma constituent, and thinking-mind consciousness constituent. They do not falsely project the applications of mindfulness, right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, or path; they do not falsely project the perfection of giving, and they do not falsely project the perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, or perfection of wisdom; they do not falsely project the ten tathāgata powers, and they do not falsely project the four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, or eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha; [F.45.a] they do not falsely project the result of stream enterer, and they do not falsely project the result of once-returner, the result of non-returner, or the state of a worthy one; and they do not falsely project a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, they do not falsely project a bodhisattva, and they do not falsely project unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings growing in the six perfections like that cannot be broken by anyone.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings standing in the six perfections who perfect the knowledge of a knower of all aspects. In possession of that knowledge they block all the gateways to terrible forms of life, do not become destitute, worn-out people, and do not appropriate the sort of body86 this world with its celestial beings criticizes.”

Venerable Śāriputra then asked the Lord, “What, Lord, is the bodhisattva great beings’ knowledge of a knower of all aspects?”

The Lord replied, “Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings in possession of that knowledge behold as many tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River residing in as many world systems in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River. They listen to their Dharma, and they also see the bodhisattva saṅghas and behold the arrays of buddhafield qualities. Similarly, they behold as many tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River residing in world systems to the south, west, and north, in the intermediate directions to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, below and above, [F.45.b] as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River. They listen to their Dharma, and they also see those bodhisattva saṅghas and behold the arrays of buddhafield qualities.

“Bodhisattva great beings in possession of that knowledge form no notion of a buddha, form no notion of a bodhisattva, form no notion of a śrāvaka, form no notion of a pratyekabuddha, form no notion of a self, form no notion of an other, and form no notion of a buddhafield. Bodhisattva great beings in possession of that knowledge practice the perfection of giving and practice the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom but do not apprehend those six perfections. They cultivate the applications of mindfulness but do not apprehend the applications of mindfulness. They cultivate the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path but do not apprehend the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path. They do not apprehend the powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, or distinct attributes of a buddha. That, Śāriputra, is the bodhisattva great beings’ knowledge of a knower of all aspects, and bodhisattva great beings in possession of that knowledge perfect all the buddhadharmas but still do not see87 all the buddhadharmas.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who acquire the five eyes and cleanse them. [F.46.a] And what are the five? They are the flesh eye, divine eye, wisdom eye, dharma eye, and buddha eye.”

“What, Lord, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure flesh eye?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “There is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees for one hundred yojanas. There is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees Jambudvīpa. There is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees two continents. There is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees a four-continent world system. There is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees a thousand world systems. There is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees a million world systems. And there is the flesh eye of a bodhisattva great being that sees the great billionfold world system. That, Śāriputra, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure flesh eye.”

“What, Lord, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure divine eye?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “Śāriputra, bodhisattvas know the divine eye of the Cāturmahā­rājika gods. Bodhisattvas know the divine eye of the Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin gods. Bodhisattvas know the divine eye of the Brahmapurohita, Brahmakāyika, Brahmapārṣadya, Parīttābha, Apramāṇābha, Ābhāsvara, Parīttaśubha, Apramāṇaśubha, and Śubhakṛtsna; of the Anabhrakā, Puṇyaprasava, and Bṛhatphala; and [F.46.b] of the Asaṃjñisattva, Śuddhāvāsa,88 Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, Sudarśana, and Akaniṣṭha gods. Śāriputra, the Cāturmahā­rājika gods do not know the divine eye of bodhisattva great beings. Construe as before, up to the Akaniṣṭha gods do not know the divine eye of bodhisattvas.

“With just that perfectly pure divine eye they know as they are the deaths and rebirths of beings established in as many world systems in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River. Similarly, they know as they are the deaths and rebirths of beings established in as many world systems in each of the southern, western, northern, northeastern, southeastern, southwestern, and northwestern directions, below and above, as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River. That, Śāriputra, is the perfectly pure divine eye of bodhisattva great beings.”

“What, Lord, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure wisdom eye?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “There is no phenomenon that is compounded or uncompounded, wholesome or unwholesome, a basic immorality or not a basic immorality, with outflows or without outflows, with afflictions or without afflictions, ordinary or extraordinary, defiled or purified that bodhisattva great beings in possession of that wisdom eye do not know. There is no phenomenon at all that bodhisattva great beings in possession of that wisdom eye have not seen, or heard, or of which they have not been mindful, or of which they have not been aware. That, Śāriputra, is [F.47.a] the perfectly pure wisdom eye of a bodhisattva great being.”

“What, Lord, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure dharma eye?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied,89 “Here a bodhisattva great being’s dharma eye knows, ‘This person is a faith follower, this one is a Dharma follower, this one dwells in emptiness, this one dwells in signlessness, this one dwells in wishlessness. Through the gateways to liberation the five faculties of this person will be produced, with the five faculties they will experience the uninterrupted meditative stabilization, with the uninterrupted meditative stabilization they will produce the knowledge and seeing of liberation, and with the knowledge and seeing of liberation they will eliminate the three fetters—the view of the perishable collection, doubt, and grasping rules and rituals as absolute. That person is called a stream enterer. This one, having reached the path of meditation, weakens attachment to sense objects and malice. That person is called a once-returner. And this one, by intense meditation on just that path eliminates attachment to sense objects and malice. That person is called a non-returner. This one, by intense meditation on just that path eliminates attachment to forms, attachment to formless states, ignorance, pride, and gross mental excitement. That person is called a worthy one.90

“ ‘This person dwells in emptiness. Through the emptiness gateway to liberation they will gain the five faculties, with the five faculties they will experience the uninterrupted meditative stabilization, with the uninterrupted meditative stabilization they will produce the knowledge and seeing of liberation, construing it as before, up to that person will reach the state of a worthy one.

“ ‘This person dwells in signlessness. Through the signless gateway to liberation they will gain the five faculties, construing it as before, up to that person will reach the state of a worthy one. [F.47.b]

“ ‘This person dwells in wishlessness. Through the wishless gateway to liberation they will gain the five faculties. Then, with the five faculties they will experience the uninterrupted meditative stabilization; having reached the uninterrupted meditative stabilization they will produce the knowledge and seeing of liberation, up to they will reach the state of a worthy one.’ That, Śāriputra, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure dharma eye.

“Furthermore,91 Śāriputra, that a bodhisattva, having thus realized that everything qualified by origination is qualified by cessation, will gain the five faculties, faith, and so on‍—that too, Śāriputra, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure dharma eye.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings know as follows: ‘This bodhisattva great being has produced the first thought of awakening, practices the perfection of giving, the perfection of morality, up to the perfection of wisdom, and gains the faculty of faith and the faculty of perseverance from that. Possessed of skillful means and stable with wholesome roots, they intentionally appropriate a body. This bodhisattva great being is born in great sāla tree–like royal families, this one in great sāla tree–like brahmin families, this one in great sāla tree–like business families, this one is born among the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, this one among the Trāyastriṃśa gods, this one the Yāma, this one the Tuṣita, this one the Nirmāṇarati, and this one the Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin gods. [F.48.a] One, standing there, will bring beings to maturity, make available to those beings all their requirements for happiness, purify a buddhafield, please the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, and respect, revere, honor, and worship them. One will not fall to the śrāvaka level or to the pratyekabuddha level. This bodhisattva great being will be irreversible up until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ That too, Śāriputra, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure dharma eye.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings know that these bodhisattva great beings have been prophesied to reach unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, these are definite, these are indefinite, these will be prophesied, these will not be prophesied, these are irreversible, these are not irreversible, the clairvoyances of these are complete, and the clairvoyances of these are not complete. These bodhisattva great beings with their completed clairvoyances go to as many world systems in the eastern direction as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, please the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, and respect, revere, honor, and worship them. Similarly, they go to 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, [F.48.b] southwest, and northwest, below and above, please the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas, and respect, revere, honor, and worship them. This one will acquire the clairvoyances, this one will not acquire the clairvoyances. This one has acquired the forbearance,92 this one has not acquired the forbearance. The buddhafield of this bodhisattva great being will become perfectly pure, the buddhafield of this one will not become perfectly pure. This bodhisattva great being has made the great prayer that is a vow, this one has not made the great prayer that is a vow.93 This one has brought beings to maturity, this one has not brought beings to maturity. The lord buddhas in the ten directions in as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River speak in praise of this bodhisattva great being, but they do not speak in praise of this one. These bodhisattva great beings will stay close94 to the lord buddhas, these ones will not stay close. This bodhisattva’s lifespan will be finite, this one’s lifespan will be infinite. This one’s radiance, voice, and community of monks95 will be infinite, this one’s will be finite. This one will undertake the difficult practices, this one will not undertake them. This one is in a final existence, this one is not in a final existence. This one will be seated at the site of awakening, [F.49.a] this one will not be seated there. These bodhisattva great beings will have Māras, these will not have them.’ That too, Śāriputra, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure dharma eye.”

“What, Lord, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure buddha eye?” asked Śāriputra.

The Lord replied, “Bodhisattva great beings, right after the thought of awakening, become absorbed in the vajropama meditative stabilization and gain the knowledge of all aspects. They are endowed with the ten tathāgata powers, and they are endowed with the four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, great love, great compassion, and a buddha’s liberation without obscurations. This is their eye, endowed with which there is nothing bodhisattva great beings do not see, or hear, or remember, or know. That, Śāriputra, is a bodhisattva great being’s perfectly pure eye of a buddha who has fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

“Therefore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings who want to cleanse and want to acquire the five eyes should make endeavors in the six perfections. And why? Because, Śāriputra, all wholesome dharmas, all śrāvaka dharmas, all pratyekabuddha dharmas, all bodhisattva dharmas, and all buddha dharmas are included in the six perfections. Śāriputra, if perfect teachers teach that all wholesome dharmas are inside the perfection of wisdom they are perfect teachers [F.49.b] teaching perfectly. And why? Because, Śāriputra, the perfection of wisdom produces all the perfections and those five eyes, because bodhisattva great beings training in the five eyes will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

“Śāriputra, those bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom will acquire the six clairvoyances and experience96 the performance of miraculous power in its various aspects. They will, furthermore, cause shaking.97 They will experience being one and becoming many, being many and becoming one, and appearing and disappearing. They will even go right through walls, even go right through fences, and even go right through mountains without them obstructing their bodies, just as they would through the sky. They will even travel cross-legged through the air like a bird on the wing. They will also emerge onto the earth and sink down into it, as they would do in water. They will also walk on water without sinking, as they would do on the earth. They will also emit smoke and flames, like a big bonfire. Even the sun and the moon, as incredibly magical, powerful, and grand as they are, they will touch and stroke with their hands. They extend their power up to the Brahmaloka with their bodies.

“Because its intrinsic nature is empty, its intrinsic nature is isolated,98 and its intrinsic nature is not produced, they do not apprehend a false projection of miraculous power, they do not apprehend what they might falsely project, or what might be falsely projecting; apart from paying attention to the knowledge of all aspects they do not intend miraculous power, or intend to accomplish miraculous power. [F.50.a] Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes the performance of miraculous power.

“Because its intrinsic nature is empty, its intrinsic nature is isolated, and its intrinsic nature is not produced, they hear sounds with the purified divine ear that transcends the human‍—namely, human and divine ones.99 Thus they do not apprehend the sound, thinking, ‘I hear a sound with my divine hearing,’ so they do not falsely project it. Apart from paying attention to the knowledge of all aspects they do not intend that, or intend to accomplish that. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes divine hearing.

“With their mind they know the thought of other beings, of other persons, for what it is. They know a greedy thought for what it is: a greedy thought. They know a mind free from greed for what it is: a mind free from greed. Similarly, they know a mind with hate and free from hate, with confusion and free from confusion, with craving and free from craving, with appropriation and free from appropriation, collected and distracted, narrow and inclusive,100 absorbed and not absorbed, emancipated and not emancipated, with outflows and without outflows, blemished and unblemished, and they know a surpassed thought for what it is‍—a surpassed thought‍—and they know an unsurpassed thought for what it is: an unsurpassed thought. Because even that thought is no thought‍—because it is inconceivable‍—it [F.50.b] does not falsely project anything. They do not apprehend even that very thought that does not falsely project anything. Because its intrinsic nature is empty, its intrinsic nature is isolated, and its intrinsic nature is not produced, they do not falsely project ‘I know.’ Apart from paying attention to the knowledge of all aspects, they do not intend a thought. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes the thought activity of all beings.

“Śāriputra, they accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes knowledge that recollects past lives in various aspects: they recollect from one thought up to even a hundred thoughts, or they recollect one day up to a hundred days, one month up to a hundred months, one year up to a hundred years, one eon up to a hundred eons, or even up to many hundred eons, or up to many thousand eons, or up to many hundred thousand eons, or up to many hundred thousand one hundred million billion eons, recollecting right up to the very limit of the past. ‘I was in such-and-such a place, named so-and-so, in such-and-such a lineage, with such-and-such a birth status, following such-and-such a diet, pursuing such-and-such a livelihood, with an allotted lifespan of such-and-such a duration, actually living for such-and-such a length of time; having died there I was born in such-and-such places, and having died there then I took birth here.’ Thus, they recollect their own and others’ past lives in their various aspects along with the appearances,101 locations, and places of origin. Because even that knowledge is no knowledge‍—because it is inconceivable‍—that knowledge of clairvoyance that recollects past lives does not falsely project anything. They do not apprehend even that very knowledge [F.51.a] that does not falsely project anything. Because its intrinsic nature is empty, its intrinsic nature is isolated, and its intrinsic nature is not produced, they do not falsely project ‘I know.’ Apart from paying attention to the knowledge of all aspects, they do not intend to know recollection. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes previous states of existence.

“With their purified divine eye that far surpasses the human they see beings, and they know beings that are dying and being born; are beautiful, ugly, vile, or exemplary; are in a good form of life and in a terrible form of life‍—exactly in accord with the action.102 They know those beings who have bad physical behavior, who have bad verbal behavior and bad mental behavior, who speak ill of noble beings, and who hold wrong views, and who with the action of those wrong views as a foundation and cause, on the breakup of their body after death tumble into and take birth in terrible, catastrophic forms of life. They know those beings who have good physical behavior, who have good verbal behavior and good mental behavior, who do not speak ill of noble beings, and who hold right views, and who with the action of that good physical, verbal, and mental behavior as a foundation and cause, take birth among the gods in good forms of life in the heavenly worlds. Thus, with their purified divine eye that far surpasses the human they know as they are the deaths and births of beings in the six forms of life in worlds in the ten directions as vast as the dharma-constituent and as far-reaching as the space element in all world systems. Because even that eye is no eye‍—because it is inconceivable‍—it does not falsely project anything. They do not apprehend even that very eye [F.51.b] that does not falsely project anything. Because its intrinsic nature is empty, its intrinsic nature is isolated, and its intrinsic nature is not produced, they do not falsely project ‘I know.’ Apart from paying attention to the knowledge of all aspects, they do not intend an eye. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes the divine eye.

“They accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes the extinction of outflows and do not fall to the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha level. They do not wish to attain any dharma apart from full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.103 With that clairvoyance, based on the vajropama meditative stabilization they eliminate all residual impressions, connections, and afflictions. Because even that knowledge is no knowledge‍—because it is inconceivable‍—the wholesomeness, when knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes the extinction of outflows has been accomplished, does not falsely project anything. They do not apprehend even that very knowledge. Because its intrinsic nature is empty, its intrinsic nature is isolated, and its intrinsic nature is not produced, they do not falsely project ‘I know.’ Apart from paying attention to the knowledge of all aspects, they do not intend even that knowledge. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that accomplish knowledge of the clairvoyance that realizes the extinction of outflows.

“Śāriputra, practicing the perfection of wisdom like that the six clairvoyances of bodhisattva great beings are perfected and purified, and those purified clairvoyances cause them to gain the knowledge of all aspects.

Therefore, Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings [F.52.a] practicing the perfection of wisdom who, standing in the perfection of giving, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects based on not holding on to anything because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who, standing in the perfection of morality, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects based on not incurring a downfall or a compounded downfall because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who, standing in the perfection of patience, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects based on there being no disturbance because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who, standing in the perfection of perseverance, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects based on being physically and mentally indefatigable because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who, standing undistracted in the perfection of concentration, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, there are bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who, standing in the perfection of wisdom, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects based on not apprehending intellectually confused thoughts104 because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that, standing in the six perfections, cleanse the path to the knowledge of all aspects based on not having gone, not having come, and not having grasped anything [F.52.b] because of the emptiness that transcends limits.

“Śāriputra, giving is designated105 based on holding on to things; morality is designated based on immorality; patience is designated based on disturbance; perseverance is designated based on laziness; concentration is designated based on an uncollected state; and wisdom is designated based on intellectual confusion.

“They do not falsely project ‘they have gotten beyond that.’ They do not falsely project ‘they have not gotten beyond that.’ They do not falsely project ‘giving and miserliness.’ They do not falsely project ‘morality and not morality.’ They do not falsely project ‘patience and disturbance.’ They do not falsely project ‘perseverance and laziness.’ They do not falsely project ‘a collected state and an uncollected state.’ They do not falsely project ‘wisdom and intellectual confusion.’ They do not falsely project ‘I have been snubbed.’ They do not falsely project ‘I have been saluted.’ They do not falsely project ‘I have been honored.’ They do not falsely project ‘I have not been honored.’ And why? Because, Śāriputra, a nonproduction does not falsely project ‘I have been snubbed.’ It does not falsely project ‘I have been saluted.’ It does not falsely project ‘I have been honored.’ It does not falsely project ‘I have not been honored.’ And why? Because the perfection of wisdom cuts off all false projection.

“Here, Śāriputra, no śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas have these good qualities that bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom have. Completing those qualities, they bring beings to maturity, purify a buddhafield, [F.53.a] and reach the knowledge of all aspects.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom produce the thought, in regard to all beings, that they are the same, and having produced the thought that all beings are the same, they attain the state in which all phenomena are the same; having attained the state in which all phenomena are the same, they establish all beings in the state in which all phenomena are the same.106 In this very life they become loved by and a pleasure to the lord buddhas; they also become loved by and a pleasure to all bodhisattvas, all śrāvakas, and all pratyekabuddhas. Wherever they are born they will never again see unpleasant shapes with their eyes, will not hear unpleasant sounds with their ears, will not smell unpleasant smells with their noses, will not taste unpleasant tastes with their tongues, will not feel unpleasant feelings with their bodies, and will not know unpleasant dharmas with their thinking minds. Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom are not lacking in what is necessary for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

While this exposition of the perfection of wisdom was being expounded three hundred monks107 dressed108 the body of the lord in whatever clothes they were wearing and produced the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.109

At that moment the Lord smiled. Venerable Ānanda then got up from his seat, adjusted his upper robe so it hung down from one shoulder, knelt down with his right knee on the ground, cupped his palms together in a gesture of supplication specifically to the Lord, bowed forward to him, and said to the Lord, “Lord, the tathāgatas, worthy ones, [F.53.b] perfectly complete buddhas do not give a smile without a cause, or without a condition. So why did you smile? What is the cause, and what is the condition?”

The Lord said to venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, these three hundred monks, having died here, will be reborn in the buddhafield of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Akṣobhya. In sixty-one eons, during the Tārakopama eon, they will arise in the world as tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas named Mahāketu. And sixty thousand gods living in the desire realm have also produced the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and they will please the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Maitreya. Having gone forth to homelessness right there, they will practice celibacy, and the tathāgata Maitreya will prophesy their unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

Then at that time, through the buddha’s might, the four retinues saw from there ten thousand buddhas seated in the eastern direction. They saw ten thousand buddhas seated in each of the ten directions up to the encircling mountain ranges.110 The array of the good qualities of the buddhafields of those lord buddhas that appears in those lord buddhas’ world systems is an array of good qualities of buddhafields that does not appear in this Sahā world system. As well, ten thousand of those who were in the retinue made this prayer that is a vow: “We will do the work that needs to be done so that we may take birth in those buddhafields.”

Then the Buddha, aware of the aspiration of those children of good families, gave a smile.

Venerable Ānanda then said to the Lord, “Lord, the lord buddhas [F.54.a] do not give a smile without a cause, or without a condition. So why did you smile? What is the cause, and what is the condition?”

The Lord asked venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, do you see these ten thousand beings?”

“I see them, Lord,” he replied.

The Lord said, “Ānanda these ten thousand beings, having died here, will take birth in those buddhafields and will never be separated from the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas. Afterward they will become the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas named Vyuharāja.