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Table of Contents

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Summary

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The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines is among the most important scriptures underlying both the “vast” and the “profound” approaches to Buddhist thought and practice. Known as the “middle-length” version, being the second longest of the three long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras, it fills three volumes of the Kangyur. Like the two other long sūtras, it records the major teaching on the perfection of wisdom given by the Buddha Śākyamuni on Vulture Peak, detailing all aspects of the path to enlightenment while at the same time emphasizing how bodhisattvas must put them into practice without taking them‍—or any aspects of enlightenment itself‍—as having even the slightest true existence.

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Acknowledgements

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Translation by the Padmakara Translation Group. A complete draft by Gyurme Dorje was first edited by Charles Hastings, then revised and further edited by John Canti. The introduction was written by John Canti. We are grateful for the advice and help received from Gareth Sparham, Greg Seton, and Nathaniel Rich.

This translation is dedicated to the memory of our late colleague, long-time friend, and vajra brother Gyurme Dorje (1950–2020), who worked assiduously on this translation in his final years and into the very last months of his life. We would also like to express our gratitude to his wife, Xiaohong, for the extraordinary support she gave him on so many levels.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


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The generous sponsorship of Kris Yao and Xiang-Jen Yao, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.

Text Body

The Translation
The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines
35.

Chapter 35

35.­1

“Subhūti, you should know that this is like when a ship is wrecked at sea. If the people on board do not catch and hold on to a piece of wood, a wooden log, a wooden plank, a leather bag, or a human corpse, they will surely die, Subhūti, without reaching the ocean shore. Subhūti, when a ship is wrecked at sea, the people on board who do catch and hold on to a piece of wood, a wooden log, a wooden plank, [F.296.a] a leather bag, or a human corpse will not die at sea. They will safely reach the other shore of the ocean, uninjured and unharmed. They will reach dry land, uninjured and unharmed.

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35.­2

“In the same way, Subhūti, those noble sons or noble daughters who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas and who have just a little faith, a little love, and a little devotion for this profound perfection of wisdom do not commit this profound perfection of wisdom to writing. They do not teach it, do not disseminate it, do not focus their attention correctly on it, and do not rely upon it. They do not commit to writing the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, or the perfection of generosity. They do not reveal them, do not disseminate them, do not focus their attention correctly on them, and do not rely upon them. They do not commit to writing the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities, {Ki.IV: 86} the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍—the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, or the [goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience. They do not reveal them, do not disseminate them, do not focus their attention correctly on them, and do not rely upon them. In the interim, they will lapse from enlightenment. Without attaining all-aspect omniscience, [F.296.b] they will actualize the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas.

35.­3

“Subhūti, those individual followers of the vehicle of the bodhisattvas who are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment do commit this profound perfection of wisdom to writing. They transmit and disseminate it, focusing their attention correctly on it, and they rely upon it. So it is that those noble sons or noble daughters have faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. For this reason they are sustained by the perfection of wisdom, and they are sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, and the perfection of generosity. They are sustained by the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities, the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍—the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas. [F.297.a] They are sustained by the [goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience. So, in the interim they will not be damaged. They will transcend the level of the śrāvakas. They will transcend the level of the pratyekabuddhas. Having brought beings to maturity and having refined the buddhafields, they will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. {Ki.IV: 87}

35.­4

“Moreover, Subhūti, you should know that this is like when a man or woman thinks of fetching water in an unbaked clay jar that has not been fired‍—that jar would not last long, but would swiftly break up and disintegrate. If you ask why, it is because the jar is unbaked. In the end it will turn to mud. In the same way, Subhūti, if those noble sons or noble daughters who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas and are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, but nonetheless are not sustained by the perfection of wisdom; are not sustained by skillful means; are not sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, and the perfection of generosity; and if they are not sustained by the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, and [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities; and if they are not sustained by the applications of mindfulness, the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the path; and if they are not sustained by the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, [F.297.b] the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍—the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and if they are not sustained by [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, then you should know that those noble sons or noble daughters who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas will be damaged in interim states. Subhūti, if you ask what are the interim states in which those noble sons or noble daughters who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas will be damaged, they comprise the level of the śrāvakas and the level of the pratyekabuddhas.

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35.­5

“Subhūti, it is just as when a man or a woman fetches water from a river, lake, pool, or well with a clay jar that has been well baked‍—you should know, Subhūti, that the jar of this water carrier will easily be brought home. In the same way, Subhūti, if bodhisattva great beings who are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment have been sustained by the perfection of wisdom; if they have been sustained by skillful means; if they have been sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, {Ki.IV: 88} and the perfection of generosity; [F.298.a] and if they have been sustained by [all the attributes and goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, then, Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings will not be damaged in interim states‍—the level of the śrāvakas and the level of the pratyekabuddhas. Uninjured and unharmed, they will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.

35.­6

“Subhūti, it is just as if an ocean-going ship that has not been repaired and caulked were to set out to sea, loaded with merchandise‍—one should know, Subhūti, that this ship will disintegrate. The ship will go one way and the cargo another, so that the merchant, being unskilled in means, will incur great misfortune and suffer the loss of great prosperity. In the same way, Subhūti, if bodhisattva great beings are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, but, nonetheless, are not sustained by the perfection of wisdom; are not sustained by skill in means; are not sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, or the perfection of generosity; are not sustained by any of the aspects of emptiness; are not sustained by the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment; are not sustained by the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍— [F.298.b] the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, or the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and if they are not sustained by [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, then you should know, Subhūti, that those bodhisattva great beings will be damaged in the interim states. They will be deprived of the great advantage that is the wealth of all-aspect omniscience, and they will suffer the loss of great prosperity. Subhūti, if you ask what are the interim states in which those bodhisattva great beings are damaged, they comprise the level of the śrāvakas and the level of the pratyekabuddhas.

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35.­7

“Subhūti, it is just as if a skilled person were to launch into the water an ocean-going ship that has been properly caulked and properly prepared, and load it with merchandise‍—you should know, Subhūti, that this ocean-going ship would not disintegrate midway, and it would reach its destination. In the same way, Subhūti, if any bodhisattva great beings are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, {Ki.IV: 89} higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and if in addition they have also been sustained by the perfection of wisdom; if they have been sustained by skill in means; if they have been sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, and the perfection of generosity; if they have been sustained by the aspects of emptiness, the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, [F.299.a] the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍—the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and if they have been sustained by [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, then you should know, Subhūti, that those bodhisattva great beings intent on unsurpassed, complete enlightenment will not be damaged in the interim states.

35.­8

“Subhūti, they will indeed turn out like that. If any bodhisattva great beings who are indeed endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and if in addition they have been sustained by the perfection of wisdom, if they have been sustained by skill in means, if they have been sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline and the perfection of generosity, and if they have been sustained by [all the attributes and goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, those bodhisattva great beings will not fall into the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas.

35.­9

“Subhūti, if, as an analogy, the body of an aged and decrepit old man who has reached the age of one hundred and twenty were to succumb to some illness, due to a wind, bile, or [F.299.b] phlegm disorder, or to a combination of these, do you think, Subhūti, that this man would be able to rise from his bed unaided?”

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35.­10

“No, Blessed Lord! Even if he were capable of rising from the bed, he would not be able to walk for more than one or two krośa.448 Because that man would be ravaged by old age and suffering, he would not be able to walk far, even if he could rise from his bed.” {Ki.IV: 90}

35.­11

“In the same way, Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “if bodhisattva great beings who are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, but nonetheless have not been sustained by the perfection of wisdom; have not been sustained by skill in means; have not been sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline, or the perfection of generosity; have not been sustained by the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, or [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities; have not been sustained by the applications of mindfulness; have not been sustained by the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, or the path; have not been sustained by the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍—the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, [F.300.a] the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, or the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and have not been sustained by [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, in that case, Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings will fall into the interim states‍—the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas. If you ask why, it is because they have not been sustained by the perfection of wisdom, they have not been sustained by skillful means, and they have not been sustained by [all the attributes and goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience.

35.­12

“Subhūti, just as when that same aged and decrepit old man, who has reached the age of one hundred and twenty and whose body had succumbed to some illness, due to a wind, bile, or phlegm disorder, or to a combination of these, wishes to rise from his bed, and two strong men then hold and support him on his left and right sides, and urge him on, saying, ‘Sir, you may freely go wherever you wish. You should not be afraid because we will hold and support you on the way, as far as your destination,’ in the same way, Subhūti, if any bodhisattva great beings are endowed with faith, tolerance, devotion, higher aspiration, love, enthusiasm, relentlessness, and unrelenting perseverance for the sake of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and if in addition they are also sustained by the perfection of wisdom; if they are sustained by skill in means; if they are sustained by the perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance, [F.300.b] the perfection of ethical discipline, and the perfection of generosity; if they are sustained by the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, and [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities; if they are sustained by the applications of mindfulness; if they are sustained by the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the path; if they are sustained by the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the gateways to liberation‍—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness‍—the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and if they are sustained by [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, then, Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings will not be damaged in the interim states. Those bodhisattva great beings can reach the abode of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. If you ask why, it is because they are not separated from the perfection of wisdom, and they are not separated from skillful means.”

35.­13

“Blessed Lord, how do individual followers of the vehicle of the bodhisattvas not fall into the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas because they are not separated from the perfection of wisdom or from skillful means?” {Ki.IV: 91}

35.­14

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “it is excellent that you think to question the Tathāgata about this matter for the sake of individuals who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas. [F.301.a] Excellent! In this regard, Subhūti, at the beginning, when individual followers of the vehicle of the bodhisattvas dispense gifts, they do so with a mind that succumbs to [notions of] ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ When they maintain ethical discipline, cultivate tolerance, undertake perseverance, become absorbed in meditative concentration, and cultivate wisdom, they do so with a mind that succumbs to [notions of] ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ When they dispense gifts, they think, ‘I am giving gifts! I am giving gifts to them! I am a giver!’ and similarly, ‘I am maintaining ethical discipline! I maintain this ethical discipline! I am ethical! I am cultivating tolerance! This is the tolerance I cultivate! I am tolerant! I am undertaking perseverance! This is the perseverance I undertake! I am one who perseveres! I am absorbed in meditative concentration! These are the meditative concentrations in which I am absorbed! I am a meditator! I am cultivating wisdom! This is the wisdom I cultivate! I am wise!’ They give rise to conceits about gifts, they give rise to conceits on account of gifts, and they give rise to the conceit that they are givers.449 They give rise to conceits about ethical discipline, they give rise to conceits on account of ethical discipline, and they give rise to the conceit that they are ethical. They give rise to conceits about tolerance, they give rise to conceits on account of tolerance, and they give rise to the conceit that they are tolerant. They give rise to conceits about perseverance, they give rise to conceits on account of perseverance, and they give rise to the conceit that they are persevering. They give rise to conceits about the meditative concentrations, they give rise to conceits on account of the meditative concentrations, [F.301.b] and they give rise to the conceit that they are meditators. They give rise to conceits about wisdom, they give rise to conceits on account of wisdom, and they give rise to the conceit that they are wise. If you were to ask, ‘How is that?’ in the perfection of generosity there are no such concepts. The perfection of generosity is far removed. In the perfection of ethical discipline there are no such concepts. The perfection of ethical discipline is far removed. In the perfection of tolerance there are no such concepts. The perfection of tolerance is far removed. In the perfection of perseverance there are no such concepts. The perfection of perseverance is far removed. In the perfection of meditative concentration there are no such concepts. The perfection of meditative concentration is far removed. In the perfection of wisdom there are no such concepts. The perfection of wisdom is far