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Table of Contents

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Summary

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While dwelling at Vulture Peak near Rāja­gṛha, the Buddha sets in motion the sūtras that are the most extensive of all‍—the sūtras on the Prajñā­pāramitā, or “Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.” Committed to writing around the start of the first millennium, these sūtras were expanded and contracted in the centuries that followed, eventually amounting to twenty-three volumes in the Tibetan Kangyur. Among them, The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines is a compact and coherent restatement of the longer versions, uniquely extant in Tibetan translation, without specific commentaries, and rarely studied. While the structure generally follows that of the longer versions, chapters 1–2 conveniently summarize all three hundred and sixty-seven categories of phenomena, causal and fruitional attributes which the sūtra examines in the light of wisdom or discriminative awareness. Chapter 31 and the final chapter 33 conclude with an appraisal of irreversible bodhisattvas, the pitfalls of rejecting this teaching, and the blessings that accrue from committing it to writing.

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Acknowledgements

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Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group under the direction of Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche and Pema Wangyal Rinpoche. The text was translated, introduced, and annotated by Dr. Gyurme Dorje, and edited by Charles Hastings and John Canti with contributions from Greg Seton.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


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Work on this text was made possible thanks to generous donations made by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche; respectfully and humbly offered by Judy Cole, William Tai, Jie Chi Tai and families; by Shi Jing and family; by Wang Kang Wei and Zhao Yun Qi and family; and by Matthew, Vivian, Ye Kong and family. They are all most gratefully acknowledged.

Text Body

The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines
27.
Chapter 27

Full Attainment

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings dispense their gifts, acquisitiveness does not arise. When they dispense their gifts, miserliness does not arise. Indeed, they dedicate those gifts toward omniscience, and they serve all sentient beings with physical acts of loving kindness. Similarly, they serve them with verbal acts of loving kindness, and with mental acts of loving kindness. At that time, great bodhisattva beings acquire the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings dispense their gifts, even though recipients may revile them with disingenuous reprimands [F.300.a] and false words, they will not be discouraged, and indeed they will not hate those ill-intentioned, quarrelsome recipients. Rather, they will cultivate an attitude of loving kindness and an attitude of compassion toward them, and continue to speak gently. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, after abiding in the transcendent perfection of generosity, acquire the transcendent perfection of tolerance.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings dispense their gifts, even though recipients may revile them with disingenuous reprimands and false words, they absolutely persist in their generosity. They resort to an attitude of exclusive generosity, and to an attitude of renunciation,400 because they understand the nature of their own deeds whereby fruits are attained according to their past actions. Thinking, ‘I should exclusively dispense generosity on a large scale toward all sentient beings!’ they cultivate physical and mental perseverance, and exclusively dispense generosity at all times. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of generosity, acquire the transcendent perfection of perseverance.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings dispense their gifts to recipients with an attitude free from hostility, they do not dedicate the merit to places, [F.300.b] they do not dedicate it to the world system of desire, they do not dedicate it to the world systems of form and formlessness, they do not dedicate it to the level of the śrāvakas, and they do not dedicate it to the level of the pratyekabuddhas, but, making common cause with all sentient beings, they do dedicate it exclusively to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of generosity, acquire the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings dispense their gifts to recipients, they exclusively maintain an illusion-like attitude toward them at all times. Owing to the emptiness of ultimate reality, they do not consider that any sentient beings are benefitted or harmed. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of generosity, acquire the transcendent perfection of wisdom.”

27.­7

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Su­bhūti as follows: “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings who abide in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline do not, owing to the conditioning of their physical, verbal, and mental merits, [F.301.a] maintain the supremacy of the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas. Even for the sake of their own lives, they do not deprive sentient beings of life, they do not steal that which is not given, they do not commit acts of sexual misconduct, they do not tell lies, they do not slander, they do not speak harshly, they do not resort to nonsensical speech, they do not become covetous, they do not become vindictive, and they do not resort to wrong views. Abiding in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, they dispense their generosity as follows: They give food to those who need food, drink to those who need drink, vehicles to those who need vehicles, clothing to those who need clothing, garlands to those who need garlands, unguents to those who need unguents, bedding to those who need bedding, asylum to those who need asylum, lamps to those who need lamps, and in the same vein, all resources to those who need them. Similarly, they give all sorts of things that are useful for human beings to those who need them, and they also dedicate those gifts, making common cause with all sentient beings, toward unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment, and whatever they do, they make these dedications without regressing to the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, acquire the transcendent perfection of generosity.

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“Moreover, Su­bhūti, while great bodhisattva beings abide in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, even if all sentient beings were to approach them and cut off the limbs and appendages of those great bodhisattva beings who abide in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, and discard them in the cardinal and intermediate directions, owing to the setting of their mind solely [on enlightenment], which those great bodhisattva beings have, they would not even resort to anger and would not even resort to malice. They would think, ‘All sentient beings [F.301.b] have cut off my limbs and appendages and discarded them to the cardinal and intermediate directions, but I have obtained an excellent benefit! Through my renunciation of this purulent body, I shall attain the excellent buddha body which is of the nature of indestructible reality!’ In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, acquire the transcendent perfection of tolerance.

27.­9

“Moreover, Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings abide in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, they don the armor of great compassion. Thinking, ‘I shall liberate all sentient beings from the unbearable fears of the ocean of cyclic existence! I shall establish them in the deathless expanse!’ they will never abandon their physical and mental perseverance. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, acquire the transcendent perfection of perseverance.

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“Moreover, Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings abide in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, they become absorbed in the first meditative concentration. Similarly, they become absorbed in the second, and likewise the third and likewise the fourth meditative concentrations. Similarly, they become absorbed in the meditative absorption of the sense field of infinite space, and [in the other formless absorptions], up to and including the meditative absorption of cessation. Yet, because they remember their former aspirations, they will not regress to the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas, and they will, provisionally, not actualize the finality of existence. Rather, they think, ‘O, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, I shall liberate all sentient beings from the unbearable fears of the ocean of cyclic existence! I shall establish them in the deathless expanse!’ In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, acquire the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration.” [F.302.a]

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“Moreover, Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings abide in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, they do not transgress the real nature of all things, and apart from that, they do not consider anything at all to be virtuous or non-virtuous, specified or unspecified, contaminated or uncontaminated, mundane or supramundane, and conditioned or unconditioned. They do not consider anything to be classified as an entity or classified as a non-entity. They do not consider anything to be existent or non-existent. Through this transcendent perfection of wisdom and skill in means, they do not regress to the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, acquire the transcendent perfection of wisdom.” [B27]

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, if all sentient beings were to approach those great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfections of tolerance, and reprimand them with disingenuous, negative words, and even cut off their limbs and appendages, they would think, ‘Alas! These sentient beings are imbued with suffering, smitten by disease, and unprotected. I shall exclusively dispense generosity toward all sentient beings at all times!’ Then they would give food to those who need food, [F.302.b] they would give drinks to those who need drink, and, in the same vein, they would dispense [all other resources], up to and including all manner of things that are useful to human beings to those who need those things that are useful to human beings, [and so forth].401 Having mastered all the roots of virtue, making common cause with all sentient beings, they would then dedicate [these gifts] toward unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment, without apprehending anything. If you ask how this dedication is made, the dedication is made without engaging in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, acquire the transcendent perfection of generosity.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, from the time when they first begin to set their mind on enlightenment until they are seated at the Focal Point of Enlightenment, even for the sake of their own lives, do not deprive any sentient being of life, and so on. They do not resort to wrong views. Their minds never engage with the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas. They also dedicate these roots of virtue, making common cause with all sentient beings, toward unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are also made without engaging in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, acquire the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, [think], ‘I will travel for a while, for one yojana, a hundred yojana, or a thousand yojana, or similarly through anything from a single world system to a hundred thousand world systems, just to establish even a few sentient beings in the ground of training and the eighth-lowest stage. Similarly, having established them in the attributes of the level of buddha nature, the attributes of the eighth-lowest stage, the fruit of entering the stream, and so on, up to arhatship, up to individual enlightenment, and up to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment, mastering all those roots of virtue, making common cause with all sentient beings, I will dedicate these merits to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment.’ These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, acquire the transcendent perfection of perseverance.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, achieve and then maintain the first meditative concentration, which is free from the desires [of the senses], free from negative and non-virtuous attributes, and endowed with ideation and scrutiny, alongside the joy and bliss that arise from that freedom. In the same vein, they achieve and maintain the other meditative concentrations, up to and including the fourth meditative concentration. Similarly, they become absorbed in the [formless absorptions], up to the sense field of infinite space, and up to the cessation of feelings and perceptions, and they bring forth the roots of the virtuous attributes of mind and mental states. All these they dedicate, [F.303.b] making common cause with all sentient beings, toward unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. By any means, these dedications are made without engaging in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, acquire the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when, with respect to all things, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, survey and abide in the modality of voidness, the modality of quiescence, the modality of the ending [of contaminants], and the modality of cessation, they do not realize the quiescence of all things until they have attained omniscience, seated at the Focal Point of Enlightenment. Then arising from their seat at the Focal Point of Enlightenment, in order to benefit all sentient beings and in order to make all sentient beings happy, they turn the wheel of the sacred doctrine. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of tolerance, acquire the transcendent perfection of wisdom.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, think, ‘I shall certainly attain manifestly perfect buddhahood in unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment!’ [F.304.a] They never desist from the perseverance that seeks out virtuous attributes, and they never stop seeking the gnosis that is omniscience. For the sake of sentient beings, they would travel a hundred yojana, a thousand yojana, a hundred thousand yojana, or a trillion yojana, and similarly, they would travel through anything from a single world system to one hundred billion trillion world systems, so as to establish only a single sentient being in whichever vehicle is appropriate among the three vehicles. Mastering all these roots of virtue, making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate them to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, acquire the transcendent perfection of generosity.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, [think], ‘From the time when I first begin to set my mind on enlightenment until I am seated at the Focal Point of Enlightenment, I shall indeed abstain from killing living creatures, and I shall encourage others to keep abstaining from killing living creatures. I shall also praise the abstention from killing living creatures, and I shall praise and rejoice in others who abstain from killing living creatures. In the same vein, I shall abstain from all other non-virtuous actions, up to and including the holding of wrong views, and I shall encourage others to keep abstaining from wrong views [and the other non-virtuous actions]. I shall also praise the abstention from wrong views [and so forth], and I shall praise and rejoice in others who abstain from wrong views [and the other non-virtuous actions]!’ [F.304.b] Through this transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, they do not strive for the world system of desire, they do not strive for the world system of form and the world system of formlessness, they do not strive for the level of the śrāvakas, and they do not strive for the level of the pratyekabuddhas, but, mastering all these roots of virtue and making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate them to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, acquire the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, from the time when they first begin to set their mind on enlightenment until they are seated at the Focal Point of Enlightenment, even if humans or non-humans should arrive and cut off all their limbs and appendages, and discard them in the cardinal and intermediate directions, would not think, ‘There is someone cutting off or piercing my402 limbs and appendages!’ Rather, they exclusively think, ‘While I hold on to this body for their sake, they have approached me, cutting off my limbs and appendages and discarding them, so I will obtain an excellent benefit!’ If you ask why, it is because in this way they will excellently remain attentive to the nature of reality. They do not dedicate these roots of virtue to the level of the śrāvakas or to the level of the pratyekabuddhas, but making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate these roots of virtue exclusively to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. [F.305.a] These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, acquire the transcendent perfection of tolerance.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, achieve and then maintain the first meditative concentration, which is free from desires, free from negative and non-virtuous attributes, and endowed with ideation and scrutiny, alongside the joy and bliss that arise from that freedom. Similarly, they achieve and maintain the other meditative concentrations, up to and including the fourth meditative concentration, and they also achieve and maintain the four immeasurable aspirations and so forth, up to and including absorption in the cessation of perceptions and feelings. However, they do not grasp the maturation of those meditative concentrations, immeasurable aspirations, and formless absorptions. For the sake of sentient beings, they will be reborn in other realms where they will train sentient beings. Gathering these sentient beings through the four attractive qualities of a bodhisattva, they will establish them in the six transcendent perfections. In order to venerate the lord buddhas and cultivate the roots of virtue, they will move from buddhafield to buddhafield, experiencing the roots of virtue dependent on meditative concentration, and mastering all these until buddhahood is cultivated. Making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate them to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, [F.305.b] abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, acquire the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, do not consider the transcendent perfection of generosity as a designation, and similarly, they do not consider the transcendent perfection of generosity as an entity or as a sign. Likewise, they do not consider the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline, the transcendent perfection of tolerance, the transcendent perfection of perseverance, the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, or the transcendent perfection of wisdom as a designation, and similarly they do not consider the transcendent perfection of wisdom and so forth as an entity or as a sign. Similarly, they do not consider the applications of mindfulness and [the other causal attributes], up to and including the noble eightfold path, as a designation, and likewise, they do not consider these as an entity or as a sign. In the same vein as before, they do not consider [all the fruitional attributes and attainments], up to and including omniscience, as an entity or as a sign. Likewise, they do not consider anything as a designation, and they do not consider anything as an entity or as a sign; they do not abide in anything at all. They do as they say. Mastering all these roots of virtue, making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate them to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, [F.306.a] abiding in the transcendent perfection of perseverance, acquire the transcendent perfection of wisdom.”

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Su­bhūti as follows: “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings achieve and maintain the first meditative concentration, which is free from the desires [of the senses], free from negative and non-virtuous attributes, and endowed with ideation and scrutiny, alongside the joy and bliss that arise from that freedom. Similarly, they achieve and maintain the other meditative concentrations, up to and including the fourth meditative concentration, in which even that sense of bliss is abandoned and suffering is abandoned, and in which neither suffering nor bliss is present because blissful and unhappy states of mind have both previously subsided, while equanimity and mindfulness are utterly pure. Similarly, they achieve and maintain the four immeasurable aspirations and the formless absorptions, up to and including the absorption of the cessation of feelings and perceptions. Abiding in this transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, they teach the sacred doctrine to sentient beings with an undistracted mind. They dispense the gift of the sacred doctrine, and also worldly gifts. They themselves at all times dispense the gift of the sacred doctrine and worldly gifts, and they encourage others to keep dispensing the gift of the sacred doctrine and worldly gifts. They at all times praise the gift of the sacred doctrine and worldly gifts, and they praise and rejoice in others who dispense the gift of the sacred doctrine and worldly gifts. They do not dedicate these roots of virtue to the level of the śrāvakas or to the level of the pratyekabuddhas, but mastering all these roots of virtue, and making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate them exclusively to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. [F.306.b] These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, acquire the transcendent perfection of generosity.”

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Su­bhūti as follows: “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, never develop thoughts of desire. They never develop thoughts of hatred or thoughts of delusion. They never develop thoughts of violence, miserliness, or degenerate morality, and apart from that they are continuously in synergy with the modes of attention associated with omniscience. Without dedicating these roots of virtue to the level of the śrāvakas or to the level of the pratyekabuddhas, they master all these roots of virtue, and making common cause with all sentient beings, dedicate them to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, acquire the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline.”

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Su­bhūti as follows: “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, [F.307.a] abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, discern physical forms as resembling a mass of foam. Similarly, they discern feelings as resembling a water bubble, perceptions as resembling a mirage, formative predispositions as resembling a hollow plantain, and consciousness as resembling a magical display. When making such discernments, they always maintain the perception that the five psycho-physical aggregates are essenceless, thinking, ‘All formative predispositions [and so forth] are empty. What is this [body] that is being harmed, cut, or split? Who is piercing or cutting it? Whose are these physical forms? Whose are these feelings? Whose are these perceptions? Whose are these formative predispositions? Whose is this consciousness? Who is being reprimanded, rebuked, or targeted with malice? Who is this who reprimands, rebukes, or targets with malice?’ They do not dedicate these roots of virtue to the level of the śrāvakas or to the level of the pratyekabuddhas, and, apart from that, making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate them to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, acquire the transcendent perfection of tolerance.”

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Su­bhūti as follows: “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, grasp the indications of all the meditative concentrations, aspects of liberation, and meditative stabilities, and then experience the many aspects of miraculous abilities, and so on, as has [already] been extensively indicated. [F.307.b] Through clairaudience that surpasses the range of human hearing, they hear many aspects of divine and human sound. Similarly, their minds precisely know the minds of other beings and the minds of other realized individuals, up to and including the minds of unsurpassed beings. Similarly, they recollect many different past abodes, as has [already] been extensively indicated. Similarly, through pure clairvoyance that surpasses the range of human sight, they perceive [all beings] who move in accordance with their past actions. Maintaining these five extrasensory powers, in order to behold and venerate the lord buddhas, to develop the roots of virtue, and also to bring sentient beings to maturation, they move from buddhafield to buddhafield, and even refine the buddhafields. Making common cause with all sentient beings, they dedicate these roots of virtue exclusively to unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. These dedications are made without engaging at all in the dualistic attitude that differentiates the subject who makes the dedication and the object to whom the dedication is made. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, acquire the transcendent perfection of perseverance.”

The Blessed One replied to the venerable Su­bhūti as follows: “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, do not apprehend physical forms. Similarly, they do not apprehend [all the other phenomena], up to and including the applications of mindfulness. Similarly, they do not apprehend [all the other causal attributes], up to and including the noble eightfold path. They do not apprehend [all the fruitional attributes and attainments], up to and including omniscience. They do not apprehend conditioned elements. They do not apprehend unconditioned elements. [F.308.a] Since all things are unconditioned, they do not condition anything at all. Since they do not condition anything at all, they neither adopt nor do they not adopt anything at all. They neither cause anything to arise, nor do they cause anything to cease. If you ask why, Su­bhūti, whether the tathāgatas have appeared or not, the abiding nature of all things and the expanse of reality continue to abide, and these neither arise nor cease. Great bodhisattva beings always achieve and maintain this [reality] through undistracted attention, endowed with omniscience. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration, acquire the transcendent perfection of wisdom.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, do not apprehend the emptiness of internal phenomena as the emptiness of internal phenomena. They do not apprehend the emptiness of external phenomena as the emptiness of external phenomena. They do not apprehend the emptiness of both external and internal phenomena as the emptiness of both external and internal phenomena. They do not apprehend the emptiness of emptiness as the emptiness of emptiness. They do not apprehend the emptiness of great extent as the emptiness of great extent. They do not apprehend the emptiness of ultimate reality as the emptiness of ultimate reality. They do not apprehend the emptiness of conditioned phenomena as the emptiness of conditioned phenomena. They do not apprehend the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena as the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena. They do not apprehend the emptiness of the unlimited as the emptiness of the unlimited. They do not apprehend the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end as the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end. They do not apprehend the emptiness of non-dispersal as the emptiness of non-dispersal. [F.308.b] They do not apprehend the emptiness of all things as the emptiness of all things. They do not apprehend the emptiness of inherent existence as the emptiness of inherent existence. They do not apprehend the emptiness of all intrinsic defining characteristics as the emptiness of all intrinsic defining characteristics. They do not apprehend the emptiness of non-apprehension as the emptiness of non-apprehension. Similarly, they do not apprehend the emptiness of non-entities as the emptiness of non-entities. They do not apprehend the emptiness of essential nature as the emptiness of essential nature. They do not apprehend the emptiness of the essential nature of non-entities as the emptiness of the essential nature of non-entities.

27.­28

“Abiding in these aspects of emptiness, they do not apprehend the notion that physical forms are empty, or the notion that they are not empty. Similarly, they do not apprehend the notion that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are empty, or the notion that they are not empty. Similarly, they do not apprehend the notion that the applications of mindfulness are empty, or the notion that they are not empty. Similarly, they do not apprehend the notion that [the other causal attributes], up to and including the noble eightfold path, are empty, or the notion that they are not empty. In the same vein, they do not apprehend the notion that [the fruitional attributes], up to and including omniscience, are empty, or the notion that they are not empty. They do not apprehend the notion that conditioned elements are empty, or the notion that they are not empty. They do not apprehend the notion that unconditioned elements are empty, or the notion that they are not empty.

27.­29

“Practicing this transcendent perfection of wisdom accordingly, they dispense their gifts, whatever they may be, from food or drink up to those things that are useful to humankind, to those who need them, but they do not consider the notion that their gifts are empty, or that they are not empty. Nor do they consider at all the one who dispenses these gifts, the one to whom they are dispensed, and the gifts that are dispensed. Nor do they consider all these three aspects as emptiness. For those who abide in this manner, there is never any occasion for miserliness or acquisitiveness to arise. If you ask why, it is because for those who thus practice the transcendent perfection of wisdom, all such notions will not arise, from the time when they first begin to set their mind on enlightenment until they are seated at the Focal Point of Enlightenment. [F.309.a] Just as for tathāgatas, arhats, genuinely perfect buddhas miserliness and acquisitiveness never arise, so it is also for those great bodhisattva beings who practice the transcendent perfection of wisdom. Su­bhūti, this transcendent perfection of wisdom is the teacher of great bodhisattva beings. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, acquire the transcendent perfection of generosity.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, do not let the mindsets of all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas even arise. If you ask why, it is because they do not apprehend those levels of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and they do not apprehend any thought that they should dedicate their physical, verbal, and mental ethical discipline to the level of the śrāvakas or to the level of the pratyekabuddhas. From the time when they first begin to set their mind on enlightenment until they are seated at the Focal Point of Enlightenment, they abstain from killing living creatures, and oppose the killing of living creatures. They also praise the abstention from killing living creatures, and encourage others to keep abstaining from killing living creatures. They praise and rejoice in others who abstain from killing living creatures. In the same vein, they themselves abstain from all other non-virtuous actions, up to and including the holding of wrong views, and also praise the abstention from wrong views [and the other non-virtuous actions]. They encourage others to keep abstaining from wrong views [and the other non-virtuous actions], and they praise and rejoice in others who abstain from wrong views [and the other non-virtuous actions]. [F.309.b] Furthermore, through this ethical discipline they do not strive for conduct associated with the world system of desire, or for conduct associated with the world system of form and the world system of formlessness, or for the attributes of the śrāvakas, or the attributes of the pratyekabuddhas, but, unlike them, they exclusively strive for and maintain unsurpassed, genuinely perfect enlightenment. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, acquire the transcendent perfection of ethical discipline.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, when great bodhisattva beings abide in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, a corresponding [sense of] tolerance arises. When they obtain this tolerance, they think, ‘O! There is nothing at all that is subject to cessation, or birth, aging, death, reprimand, rebuke, cutting, piercing, injury, killing, or bondage.’ If all sentient beings were to approach those great bodhisattva beings who have obtained such tolerance, and reprimand or rebuke them, striking them with clods of earth, clubs, or weapons, or cutting off all their limbs and appendages, their attitude would not change, and they would think, ‘This is the reality of all things. In this [reality], there is nothing at all that would reprimand, rebuke, cut, pierce, injure, kill, or bind anything at all.’ In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, acquire the transcendent perfection of tolerance.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, teach the sacred doctrine to sentient beings with unrelenting perseverance. They teach the sacred doctrine in all ways, establishing those sentient beings in the transcendent perfection of generosity, and likewise establishing them in the other transcendent perfections, up to and including the transcendent perfection of wisdom. But in doing so, they do not at all establish them in conditioned elements and they do not at all establish them in unconditioned elements. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, acquire the transcendent perfection of perseverance.”

The Blessed One replied, “Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, may become absorbed in the meditative stabilities of the śrāvakas, or the meditative stabilities of the pratyekabuddhas, or in the meditative stabilities of the bodhisattvas‍—in all of them except the meditative stabilities of the tathāgatas. Abiding in those meditative stabilities of the bodhisattvas [and so forth], they may become absorbed in and arise from the eight aspects of liberation, either sequentially or in reverse order. If you ask what these eight are, they are as follows: The first aspect of liberation ensues when corporeal beings observe physical forms. The second aspect of liberation ensues when formless beings endowed with internal perception observe external physical forms. The third aspect of liberation ensues when beings are inclined toward pleasant states. [F.310.b] The fourth aspect of liberation ensues when the perceptions of physical forms have been completely transcended in all respects, when the perceptions of obstructed phenomena have subsided, and the mind does not engage with diverse perceptions, so that one achieves and abides in the sense field of infinite space, thinking, ‘Space is infinite.’ The fifth aspect of liberation ensues when the sense field of infinite space has been completely transcended in all respects, and when one achieves and abides in the sense field of infinite consciousness, thinking, ‘Consciousness is infinite.’ The sixth aspect of liberation ensues when the sense field of infinite consciousness has been completely transcended in all respects, and one achieves and abides in the sense field of nothing-at-all, thinking, ‘There is nothing at all.’ The seventh aspect of liberation ensues when the sense field of nothing-at-all has been completely transcended in all respects, and one achieves and abides in the sense field of neither perception nor non-perception. The eighth aspect of liberation ensues when the sense field of neither perception nor non-perception has been completely transcended in all respects, and one achieves and abides in the cessation of all perceptions and feelings. They may become absorbed in and arise from these eight aspects of liberation, both sequentially and in the reverse order.

27.­34

“Similarly, they may become absorbed in and arise from the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, either sequentially or in reverse order. If you ask what these nine are, they comprise the four meditative concentrations, the four formless absorptions, and the cessation of all perceptions and feelings.

27.­35

“After differentiating these eight aspects of liberation and the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, they may become absorbed in the meditative stability known as the yawning lion. Su­bhūti, if you ask what is the meditative stability known as the yawning lion, which great bodhisattva beings may experience, at this point, Su­bhūti, great bodhisattva beings [F.311.a] will have achieved and maintained the first meditative concentration, where there is freedom from desires, and freedom from negative and non-virtuous attributes, while ideation and scrutiny are present, alongside the joy and bliss that arise from that freedom. Similarly, they will have achieved and maintained all the other meditative concentrations, up to and including the fourth meditative concentration, where both bliss and suffering have been abandoned, and neither suffering nor bliss is present because blissful and unhappy states of mind have both previously subsided, while equanimity and mindfulness are utterly pure. Similarly, they will have become absorbed in the formless absorptions, up to and including the sense field of neither perception nor non-perception. Then they will have become absorbed in the cessation of perceptions and feelings.

27.­36

“Arising from that meditative stability which is the absorption in cessation, [then in reverse order], they become absorbed in the sense field of neither perception nor non-perception; in the same vein, arising from that absorption in the sense field of neither perception nor non-perception, they abide, absorbed in the [other formless absorptions and meditative concentrations], down to and including the first meditative concentration. Su­bhūti, this is the meditative stability known as the yawning lion. Abiding in that meditative stability, they attain the sameness of all things. In this way, Su­bhūti, do great bodhisattva beings, abiding in the transcendent perfection of wisdom, acquire the transcendent perfection of meditative concentration.”

27.­37

This completes the twenty-seventh chapter from “The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines,” entitled “Full Attainment.”403

c.

Colophon

c.­1

This translation was edited and redacted by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman, along with the editor-in-chief and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.

ye dharmā hetuprabhavā hetun teṣāṃ tathāgato bhavat āha teṣāṃ ca yo nirodho evaṃ vādī mahāśramaṇaḥ [ye svāhā]

“Whatever events arise from a cause, the Tathā­gata has told the cause thereof, and the great virtuous ascetic has also taught their cessation.”

ab.

Abbreviations

ARIRIAB Annual Report of the International Research Institute of Advanced Buddhology. Tokyo: SOKA University.
ISMEO Rome: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Orient
KPD bka’ ’gyur dpe bsdur ma [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009.
LTWA Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India
SOR Serie Orientale Roma
TOK ’jam mgon kong sprul, The Treasury of Knowledge. English translations of shes bya kun khyab mdzod by the Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group in The Treasury of Knowledge series (TOK, Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1995 to 2012); mentioned here are Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group 1995 (Book 1) and 1998 (Book 5); Ngawang Zangpo 2010 (Books 2, 3, and 4); Callahan 2007 (Book 6, Part 3); and Dorje 2012 (Book 6 Parts 1–2).
TPD bstan ’gyur dpe bsdur ma [Comparative edition of the Tengyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 120 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 1994–2008.
b.

Bibliography

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shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 31, pp. 530–763 and vol. 32, pp. 3–763.

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Kimura, Takayasu. Pañca­viṃśati­sāhasrikā Prajñā­pāramitā, edition of the recast Sanskrit manuscript (Parts One–Eight). Part One (2007), Parts Two–Three (1986), Part Four (1990), Part Five (1992), and Parts Six–Eight (2006). Tokyo: Sankibo Busshorin Publishing Co. Ltd., 1986–2007.

Secondary References

Sūtras

klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa’i mdo (Sāgara­nāga­rāja­paripṛcchā­sūtra) [The Questions of Nāga King Sāgara (1)]. Toh 153. Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha, fol. 116a–198a); also KPD 58: 303–491. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2021).

dkon mchog sprin gyi mdo (Ratna­megha­sūtra) [The Jewel Cloud]. Toh 231. Degé Kangyur vol. 64 (mdo sde, va, fol. 1b–112b); also KPD 64: 3–313. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2019).

dkon brtsegs/ dkon mchog brtsegs pa’i mdo (Ratna­kūṭa). The “Heap of Jewels” section of the Kangyur comprising Toh 45–93, Degé Kangyur vols. 39–44. Also KPD: 39–44.

rgya cher rol pa (Lalita­vistara­sūtra) [The Play in Full]. Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha, fol. 1b–216b); also KPD 46: 3–527. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2013).

chos yang dag par sdud pa’i mdo (Dharma­saṃgīti­sūtra). Toh 238, Degé Kangyur vol. 65 (mdo sde, zha, fol. 1b–99b); also KPD 65: 3–250. English translation in Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York (2024).

de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa’i mdo (Tathā­gata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa­sūtra) [The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata]. Toh 147, Degé Kangyur, vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa, fol. 142a–242b); also KPD 57: 377–636. English translation in Burchardi (2020).

phal po che’i mdo (sangs rgyas phal po che shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo) (Ava­taṃsaka­sūtra Buddhāva­taṃsaka­mahā­vaipulya­sūtra) [The Ornaments of the Buddhas]. Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vols. 35–38 (phal chen, vols. ka– a); also KPD 35–38. Translated Cleary (1984).

tshangs pa’i dra ba’i mdo (Brahma­jāla­sūtra) [Sūtra of the Net of Brahmā]. Toh 352, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aḥ), fol. 70b–86a; also KPD76: 205–249. Translated from the Pali version in Bodhi (1978).

gzungs kyi dbang phyug rgyal po’i mdo (Dhāraṇīśvara­rāje­sūtra) [Sūtra of Dhāraṇīśvararāja]. An alternative title for Tathā­gata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa­sūtra. Toh 147, q.v. English translation in Burchardi (2020).

theg pa chen po’i man ngag gi mdo (Mahā­yānopadeśa). Toh 169, Degé Kangyur vol. 59 (mdo sde, ba), fol. 259–307.

yul ’khor skyong gi zhus pa’i mdo (Rāṣṭra­pāla­paripṛcchā) [The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla]. Toh 62, Degé Kangyur, vol. 42 (dkon brtsegs, nga), folios 227.a–257.a. English translation in Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group (2021).

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭa­daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā) [Sūtra of the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines]. Toh 10, Degé Kangyur vols. 29–31 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ka), f. 1b–ga, f. 206a; also KPD 29: p. 3–31: 495. Translated and edited in Conze (1975) and in Sparham (2022).

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭa­sāhasarikā­prajñā­pāramitā) [Sūtra of the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines]. Toh 12, Degé Kangyur vol. 33 (shes phyin, brgyad stong, ka), fol. 1b–286a; also KPD 33. Translated in Conze (1973).

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag brgya pa (Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā) [Sūtra of the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines]. Toh 8. Degé Kangyur vols. 14–25 (shes phyin, ’bum, ka), f. 1b–a, f. 395a; also KPD 14–25. English translation in Sparham 2024.

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa (Pañca­viṃśati­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā) [Sūtra of the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines]. Toh 9, Degé Kangyur vols. 26–28 (shes phyin, nyi khri, ka), f. 1b–ga, f. 381a; also KPD 26–28. Annotated Sanskrit edition of the recast manuscript in Dutt (1934) and Kimura (1971–2009). Partially translated in Conze (1975) and fully translated in Padmakara Translation Group (2023).

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa rdo rje gcod pa’i mdo (Vajracchedikā­prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra) [Sūtra of the Adamantine Cutter [in Three Hundred Lines]. Toh 16, Degé Kangyur vol. 34 (shes phyin, ka), f. 121a–132b; also KPD 34: 327–357. Translated in Red Pine (2001).

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa tshigs su bcad pa (Prajñā­pāramitā­sañcaya­gāthā) [Verse Summation of the Transcendental Perfection of Wisdom]. Toh 13, Degé Kangyur vol. 34 (shes phyin, ka), f. 1b–19b; also KPD 34: 3–44. Translated in Conze (1973).

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i snying po (Prajñā­pāramitā­hṛdaya­sūtra) [Heart Sūtra of the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom]. Toh 21, Degé Kangyur vol. 34 (shes phyin, ka), f. 144b–146a; also KPD 34, pp. 402–405. Translated in Red Pine (2004) and in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2022).

Indic Commentaries

A­saṅga. chos mngon pa kun las btus pa (Abhi­dharma­samuccaya) [The Compendium of Abhidharma]. Toh 4049. Degé Tengyur vol. 236 (sems tsam, ri), fol. 44b–120a; also TPD 76: 116–313. Translated from French in Boin-Webb (2001).

rnal ’byor spyod pa’i sa’i dngos gzhi (Yoga­caryā­bhūmi­vastu). Toh 4035–4037, Degé Tengyur vols. 229–231 (sems tsam, tshi–vi). This is the first of the five parts of the Yogacaryā Level, comprising three texts: Yogacaryā­bhūmi (Toh 4035) and its sub-sections: Śrāvaka­bhūmi (Toh 4036) and Bodhi­sattva­bhūmi (Toh 4037).

Hari­bhadra. mngon rtogs rgyan gyi snang ba (Abhi­samayalaṃkārāloka) [Light for the Ornament of Emergent Realization]. Toh 3791, Degé Tengyur vol. 85 (shes phyin, cha), f. 1b–341a; also TPD 51: 891–1728. Translated in Sparham (2006–2012).

Kalyāṇamitra. ’dul bag zhi rgya cher ’grel pa (Vinaya­vastu­ṭīkā) [Great Commentary on the Chapters on Monastic Discipline]. Toh 4113, Degé Tengyur vol. 258 (’dul ba, tsu), f. 177a–326a; also TPD 87: 481–883.

Maitreya. [shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos] mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan (Abhi­samayālaṃkāra-[nāma-prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­kārikā]) [Ornament of Clear Realization]. Toh 3786, Degé Tengyur vol. 80 (shes phyin, ka), fol. 1b–13a; also TPD 49: 3–30. Translated in Conze (1954) and Thrangu (2004).

[theg pa chen po] mdo sde’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa ([Mahā­yāna]­sūtrālaṃkāra­kārikā) [Ornament of the Sūtras of the Great Vehicle]. Toh 4020, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), f. 1b–39a; also TPD 70: 805–890 Translated in Jamspal et al. (2004).

theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos (Mahā­yānottara­tantra­śāstra) [Ultimate Continuum of the Great Vehicle]. Toh 4024, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), f. 54b–73a; also TPD 70: 935–979. Translated in Holmes, Kenneth and Katia Holmes. The Changeless Nature. Eskdalemuir: Karma Drubgyud Drajay Ling, 1985. See also Takasaki, Jikido. A Study on the Ratna­gotra­vibhāga (Uttara­tantra). SOR XXXIII. Roma: ISMEO, 1966.

Ratnākāra­śānti. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i dka’ ’grel snying po mchog (Aṣṭa­sāhasarikā­prajñā­pāramitā­pañjikā­sārottama). Toh 3803, Degé Tengyur, vol. 89 (shes phyin, tha), f. 1b–230a; also TPD 53: 711–1317.

Vasubandhu. chos mngon pa’i mdzod kyi bshad pa (Abhi­dharma­kośa­bhāṣya). Toh 4090, Degé Tengyur vol. 242 (mngon pa, ku), fol. 26b–258a; also TPD 79: 65–630. Translated from the French in Pruden (1988–1990).

chos mngon pa’i mdzod kyi tshig le’ur byas pa (Abhi­dharma­kośa­kārikā). Toh 4089, Degé Tengyur vol. 242 (mngon pa, ku), fol. 1b–25a; also TPD 79: 3–59. Translated from the French in Pruden (1988–1990).

Vasubandhu/Dāṃṣṭrasena. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ’bum pa dang nyi khri lnga stong pa dang khri brgyad stong pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Śata­sahāsrikā­pañca­viṃśati­sāhasrikāṣṭā­daśa­sāhasrikā­prajnā-pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā) [The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines]. Toh 3808, Degé Tengyur vol. 93 (shes phyin, pha), fol. 1b–292b; also TPD 55: 645–1376. English translation in Sparham (2022).

Vi­mukti­sena. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi ’grel pa (Pañca­viṃśati­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitopdeśa­śāstrābhi­samayālaṃkāra­vṛtti) [Commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization: A Treatise of Instruction on the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines]. Toh 3787, Degé Tengyur, vol. 80 (shes phyin, ka), f. 14b–212a); also TPD 49: 33–530. Translated in Sparham (2006–2012).

Indigenous Tibetan Works

Jamgön Kongtrül (’jam mgon kong sprul). shes bya kun khyab mdzod [The Treasury of Knowledge]. Root verses contained in three-volume publication. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1982; Boudhnath: Padma Karpo Translation Committee edition, 2000 (photographic reproduction of the original four-volume Palpung xylograph, 1844). Translated, along with the auto-commentary, by the Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group in The Treasury of Knowledge series (TOK). Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 1995 to 2012. Mentioned here are Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group 1995 (Book 1) and 1998 (Book 5); Ngawang Zangpo 2010 (Books 2, 3, and 4); Callahan 2007 (Book 6, Part 3); and Dorje 2012 (Book 6 Parts 1-2).

Kawa Paltsek (ka ba dpal brtsegs) and Namkhai Nyingpo (nam mkha’i snying po). ldan dkar ma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 308 (sna tshogs, jo), f. 294b–310a; also TPD 116: 786–827.

Nordrang Orgyan (nor brang o rgyan). chos rnam kun btus. 3 vols. Beijing: Krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008.

Situ Paṇchen (si tu paṇ chen) or Situ Chökyi Jungné (si tu chos kyi ’byung gnas). sde dge’i bka’ ’gyur dkar chags. Degé Kangyur, vol. 103 (dkar chags, lak+S+mI and shrI), Toh 4568; also Chengdu: Sichuan Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1989.

Various, bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa (Mahāvyutpatti). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), f. 1b–131a; also TPD 115: 3–254. Sakaki, Ryozaburo, ed. (1916–25); reprint, 1965.

Zhang Yisun et al. bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo. 3 vols. Subsequently reprinted in 2 vols. and 1 vol. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1985. Translated in Nyima and Dorje 2001 (vol. 1).

Secondary Literature

Apte, Vaman Shivram. The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary. 3rd edition. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.

Bodhi, Bhikkhu, trans. The Sūtra on the All-Embracing Net of Views. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1978.

Boin-Webb, Sara, trans. Abhidharmasamuccaya: The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy). By Asanga. From the French translation by Walpola Rahula. Fremont, CA: Asian Humanities Press, 2001.

Brunnholzl, Karl. Gone Beyond (Volume One): The Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyu Tradition. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2010.

Burchardi, Anne, trans. The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata (Tathāgata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa, Toh 147). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Callahan, Elizabeth, trans. The Treasury of Knowledge (Book Six, Part Three): Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy. By Jamgön Kongtrul. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2007.

Cleary, Thomas, trans. The Flower Ornament Scripture. Boston and London: Shambhala, 1984.

Conze, Edward, trans. (1954). Abhi­samayālaṅkāra. SOR 6. Rome: ISMEO.

Conze, Edward (1960) The Prajñāpāramitā Literature. New Delhi: Munishiram Manoharlal.

Conze, Edward, trans. (1973). The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines and Its Verse Summary. Bolinas, CA: Four Seasons Foundation.

Conze, Edward (1973) Materials for a Dictionary of The Prajñāpāramitā Literature. Tokyo: Suzuki Research Foundation.

Conze, Edward, trans. (1975). The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Davidson, Ronald. “Studies in Dhāraṇī Literature I: Revisiting the Meaning of the Term Dhāraṇī.” Journal of Indian Philosophy 37, no. 2 (April 2009): 97–147.

Dayal, Har. The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1932. Reprinted Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2013). The Play in Full (Lalita­vistara). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2019). The Jewel Cloud (Ratnamegha, Toh 231). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2021). The Questions of Nāga King Sāgara (1) (Sāgara­nāga­rāja­paripṛcchā, Toh 153). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

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84000. The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (Daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā, shes phyin khri pa, Toh 11). Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025. https://84000.co/translation/toh11/UT22084-031-002-chapter-27.Copy
84000. The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (Daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā, shes phyin khri pa, Toh 11). Translated by Padmakara Translation Group, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025, 84000.co/translation/toh11/UT22084-031-002-chapter-27.Copy
84000. (2025) The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (Daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā, shes phyin khri pa, Toh 11). (Padmakara Translation Group, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh11/UT22084-031-002-chapter-27.Copy
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