The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines
Chapter 44
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 1.1.12 (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 44
Then the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, how should bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom investigate470 emptiness? How should they be absorbed in the meditative stability of emptiness? How should they investigate signlessness? How should they be absorbed in the meditative stability of signlessness? How should they investigate wishlessness? How should they be absorbed in the meditative stability of wishlessness? How should they investigate the four applications of mindfulness? [F.7.a] How should they cultivate the four applications of mindfulness? How should they investigate the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path? How should they cultivate the noble eightfold path [and those other causal attributes]. How should they investigate 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, emptiness, signlessness, 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? How should they cultivate the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas [and those other fruitional attributes]?”
“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom should determine that physical forms are empty. They should determine that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are empty. They should determine that the sense fields, the sensory elements, and the links of dependent origination are empty. They should determine that all the perfections, all the aspects of emptiness, and the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment are empty. They should determine that [all the causal and fruitional attributes], up to and including the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, are empty. They should determine that the realm of desire is empty. They should determine that the realm of form and the realm of formlessness are empty. By whatever means they make such determinations, they should do so with an unwavering mind. [F.7.b] One whose mind is unwavering does not observe those phenomena. One who does not observe those phenomena, does not actualize them. {Ki.IV: 193} If you ask why, it is because such bodhisattva great beings will have trained with regard to all phenomena, which are empty of their own defining characteristics. They do not delimit any phenomenon. They do not observe anything that brings into being, anything that is to be brought into being, or anything by which bringing into being takes place.”
Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, when the Blessed One said that bodhisattva great beings should not actualize phenomena that are empty, how then, Blessed Lord, do bodhisattva great beings dwell in emptiness and not actualize emptiness?”
“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “when bodhisattva great beings determine the emptiness endowed with all its finest aspects, they do not think, ‘I actualize it! I will actualize it!’ They do not think, ‘I should actualize it!’ Rather, they think, ‘I should thoroughly investigate it.’ And they think, ‘This is the time for investigation, but this is not the time for actualization.’ Bodhisattva great beings, when not in a state of absorption, focus their minds on perceptual objects and without any interruption on that account do not lapse from the factors conducive to enlightenment. Yet they do not actualize the state that is free from contaminants. If you ask why, it is because bodhisattva great beings are endowed with such extensive wisdom. They are established in the factors conducive to enlightenment, and know accordingly, ‘This is the time for investigation, not the time for actualization.’
“Subhūti, bodhisattva great [F.8.a] beings who practice the perfection of wisdom should determine, ‘This is the time for the perfection of generosity. This is the time for the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom. This is the time for cultivating the applications of mindfulness. This is the time for cultivating the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path. This is the time for cultivating emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. This is the time for acquiring the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, and the dhāraṇī gateways. This is the time for acquiring the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, {Ki.IV: 194} and the eighteen distinct attributes of the buddhas. This is the time for acquiring great loving kindness and great compassion.’
“ ‘However, this is not the time for actualizing the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa. This is not the time for actualizing the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the