The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines
Chapter 39
Toh 9
Degé Kangyur, vol. 26 (shes phyin, nyi khri, ka), folios 1.b–382.a; vol. 27 (shes phyin, nyi khri, kha), folios 1.b–393.a; and vol. 28 (shes phyin, nyi khri, ga), folios 1.b–381.a
Imprint
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2023
Current version v 1.1.13 (2024)
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84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.
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Table of Contents
Summary
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.
Acknowledgements
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.
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
Chapter 39
Then the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, [F.353.a] what are the attributes of bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible? What are their indications? What are their signs? How should we know that such bodhisattva great beings are irreversible?”
The Blessed One replied to the venerable Subhūti, “In this regard, Subhūti, the level of ordinary people, the level of the śrāvakas, the level of the pratyekabuddhas, the level of the bodhisattvas, and the level of the tathāgatas—all these levels [of spiritual attainment] that have been explained—are unchanging in the real nature. They are nonconceptual, nondual, and indivisible. Those [bodhisattva great beings] engage definitively in that real nature, just as it is. They do not conceive of that real nature, and so they engage without conceiving of it. Having engaged in that manner, and having definitively heard about the real nature, just as it is, they transcend such [levels of attainment] and they are not in the slightest consumed by doubt, thinking that the real nature is individual, dual, or neither. They do not prattle incoherently. They speak words that are meaningful, without speaking meaninglessly. They do not look upon what others have and have not done. They pursue excellent speech. {Ki.IV: 142} Subhūti, one should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess those attributes, those indications, and those signs are irreversible.”
“Blessed Lord, through which attributes, indications, and signs are bodhisattva great beings known to be irreversible?”
“Subhūti, all phenomena are without attributes, without indications, and without signs!” replied the Blessed One.
“Blessed Lord, if all phenomena are without attributes, without indications, and without signs, then from what phenomena have the bodhisattva great beings turned away so that they may be revealed to be irreversible?”
“Subhūti,” [F.353.b] replied the Blessed One, “when bodhisattva great beings have turned away from physical forms, when they have turned away from feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness, and when they have turned away from the sense fields, the sensory elements, and the links of dependent origination, then, Subhūti, you should know that those bodhisattva great beings are irreversible. When bodhisattva great beings have turned away from the perfection of generosity; when they have turned away from the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; when they have turned away from the emptiness of internal phenomena; when they have turned away from [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities; when they have turned away from the applications of mindfulness; when they have turned away from the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path; when they have turned away from the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, and the formless absorptions; when they have turned away from the aspects of liberation, the serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, and the dhāraṇī gateways; when they have turned away from the powers of the tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; when they have turned away from the levels of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas; when they have turned away from knowledge of the path; and when they have turned away from unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, then, Subhūti, you should know that those bodhisattva great beings are irreversible. [F.354.a]
“If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because there is no essential nature of physical forms in which bodhisattva great beings could be established. There is no essential nature of feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, or consciousness in which bodhisattva great beings could be established. There is no essential nature of the sense fields, the sensory elements, or the links of dependent origination in which bodhisattva great beings could be established. There is no essential nature of any of the perfections, any of the aspects of emptiness, or the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment in which bodhisattva great beings could be established. There is no essential nature of [any of the fruitional attributes], up to and including the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, in which bodhisattva great beings could be established. There is no essential nature of [any of the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, in which bodhisattva great beings could be established. {Ki.IV: 143}
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings are not beholden to virtuous ascetics and brahmins of other [non-Buddhist] persuasions, saying that those virtuous ascetics and brahmins know what should be known, see what should be seen, or conceive of the correct view. That would be impossible! They do not have doubts. They do not overestimate or fall into wrong views concerning their ethical discipline and ascetic practices. They do not conceive of purity [merely] on the basis of auspicious ceremonies and omens. They do not pay homage to strange gods. They do not offer them flowers, garlands, perfume, unguents, powders, clothing, parasols, victory banners, or ribbons, and they do not consider doing so. Subhūti, one should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible. [F.354.b]
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible will not be reborn among denizens of the hells. They will not be reborn in the animal realm. They will not be reborn in the world of Yama. They will not be reborn within the eight unfavorable states with no opportunity [to practice the Dharma]. Nor will they assume the physical form of a woman. Subhūti, one should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible.
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible adopt and practice the ways of the ten virtuous actions. They themselves will have abstained from killing living creatures, and they also encourage others to successfully abstain from killing living creatures. They praise abstinence from killing living creatures. They praise and take empathetic delight in others who have abstained from killing living creatures. They themselves will have abstained from stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, slander, harsh words, nonsensical chatter, covetousness, malice, and wrong views, and they also encourage others to abstain from wrong views [and so forth]. They praise abstention from wrong views [and so forth]. They praise and take empathetic delight in others abstaining from wrong views [and so forth]. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible.
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible do not apprehend the ways of the ten nonvirtuous actions, even in their dreams, let alone when they are awake. Subhūti, one should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible. {Ki.IV: 144} [F.355.a]
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible dwell in the perfection of generosity, and when they dwell in the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom, at that time they dispense gifts for the sake of all beings, they maintain ethical discipline, they cultivate tolerance, they undertake perseverance, they are absorbed in meditative concentration, and they cultivate wisdom. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible.
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible have mastered, for the purpose of giving the Dharma, the categories of the teachings, which include the discourses, the sayings in prose and verse, the prophetic declarations, the verses, the aphorisms, the contexts, the quotations, the tales of past lives, the most extensive teachings, the narratives, and the established instructions. Consequently, when they dispense the gift of the Dharma, they think, ‘May the wishes of all beings be fulfilled by means of this gift of the Dharma!’ Making common cause with all beings, they dedicate that gift of the Dharma toward unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible.
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible have no doubt, indecision, or hesitation with regard to the profound attributes.”
“Blessed Lord, [F.355.b] why do bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible have no doubt, indecision, or hesitation with regard to the profound attributes?”
“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “it is because bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible do not observe anything at all with respect to which they might have doubt, indecision, or hesitation. That is to say, they do not observe physical forms, feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, consciousness, the sense fields, the sensory elements, the links of dependent origination, any of the perfections, any of the aspects of emptiness, the factors conducive to enlightenment, the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the aspects of liberation, the serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the powers of the tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, the distinct qualities of the buddhas, or [the goals], up to and including unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible. {Ki.IV: 145}
“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible undertake gentle physical actions, gentle verbal actions, and gentle mental actions. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess these attributes, indications, and signs are irreversible.
“Moreover, Subhūti, the bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible undertake physical actions imbued with loving kindness, [F.356.a] verbal actions imbued with loving kindness, and mental actions imbued with loving kindness. Subhūti, you should know that