Then the venerable Śāriputra asked the venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, in this perfection of wisdom, are the three vehicles—that is to say, the vehicle of the śrāvakas, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and the vehicle of the perfectly complete buddhas—not extensively presented? Is the mentor676 of bodhisattva great beings not taught as well? And is there not a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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?
“Are the ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities not also taught? So then, is it not the case that bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, or that they will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, or that they will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete? Or is it not the case that the continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted, up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience, or that they will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption?677 Or is it not the case that they will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane?”
“Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it is so,” replied Subhūti. “It is just as you have said. In this perfection of wisdom the three vehicles—that is to say, the vehicle of the śrāvakas, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and the vehicle of the perfectly complete buddhas—are extensively taught. The mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught as well. There is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield, and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted, up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption; and, by way of not apprehending anything, they will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“If you ask by way of not apprehending what, it is by way of not apprehending the self, by way of not apprehending a being, by way of not apprehending a life form, by way of not apprehending a living being, by way of not apprehending life, by way of not apprehending an individual, by way of not apprehending a person, by way of not apprehending one born of Manu, by way of not apprehending a child of Manu, by way of not apprehending an agent, by way of not apprehending an experiencer, by way of not apprehending a knower, and by way of not apprehending a viewer; by way of not apprehending physical forms, by way of not apprehending feelings, by way of not apprehending perceptions, by way of not apprehending formative predispositions, and by way of not apprehending consciousness; by way of not apprehending the eyes, by way of not apprehending the ears, by way of not apprehending the nose, by way of not apprehending the tongue, by way of not apprehending the body, and by way of not apprehending the mental faculty; by way of not apprehending sights, by way of not apprehending sounds, by way of not apprehending odors, by way of not apprehending tastes, by way of not apprehending tangibles, and by way of not apprehending mental phenomena; by way of not apprehending visual consciousness, by way of not apprehending auditory consciousness, by way of not apprehending olfactory consciousness, by way of not apprehending gustatory consciousness, by way of not apprehending tactile consciousness, and by way of not apprehending mental consciousness; by way of not apprehending visually compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending aurally compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending nasally compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending lingually compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending corporeally compounded sensory contact, and by way of not apprehending mentally compounded sensory contact; by way of not apprehending feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, by way of not apprehending feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and by way of not apprehending feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; by way of not apprehending the earth element, by way of not apprehending the water element, by way of not apprehending the fire element, by way of not apprehending the wind element, by way of not apprehending the space element, and by way of not apprehending the consciousness element; by way of not apprehending ignorance, by way of not apprehending formative predispositions, by way of not apprehending consciousness, by way of not apprehending name and form, by way of not apprehending the six sense fields, by way of not apprehending sensory contact, by way of not apprehending sensation, by way of not apprehending craving, by way of not apprehending grasping, by way of not apprehending the rebirth process, by way of not apprehending birth, and by way of not apprehending aging and death; by way of not apprehending the perfection of generosity, by way of not apprehending the perfection of ethical discipline, by way of not apprehending the perfection of tolerance, by way of not apprehending the perfection of perseverance, by way of not apprehending the perfection of meditative concentration, and by way of not apprehending the perfection of wisdom; by way of not apprehending the emptiness of internal phenomena, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of external phenomena, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of emptiness, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of great extent, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of ultimate reality, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of the unlimited, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of nonexclusion, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of inherent nature, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of all phenomena, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of nonentities, by way of not apprehending the emptiness of essential nature, and by way of not apprehending the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; by way of not apprehending the applications of mindfulness, by way of not apprehending the correct exertions, by way of not apprehending the supports for miraculous ability, by way of not apprehending the faculties, by way of not apprehending the powers, by way of not apprehending the branches of enlightenment, and by way of not apprehending the path; and by way of not apprehending the truths of the noble ones, by way of not apprehending the meditative concentrations, by way of not apprehending the immeasurable attitudes, by way of not apprehending the formless absorptions, by way of not apprehending the liberations, by way of not apprehending the serial steps of meditative absorption, by way of not apprehending the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, by way of not apprehending the extrasensory powers, by way of not apprehending the meditative stabilities, by way of not apprehending the dhāraṇī gateways, by way of not apprehending the powers of the tathāgatas, by way of not apprehending the fearlessnesses, by way of not apprehending the kinds of exact knowledge, by way of not apprehending great loving kindness, by way of not apprehending great compassion, by way of not apprehending the distinct qualities of the buddhas, by way of not apprehending knowledge of all the dharmas, by way of not apprehending the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and by way of not apprehending all-aspect omniscience. It is in that sort of way.”
The venerable Śāradvatīputra then asked the venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, why in this perfection of wisdom, by way of not apprehending anything, are the three vehicles extensively taught? Why is the mentor of bodhisattva great beings taught? Why is there a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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? Why are the ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities also taught, and therefore why will bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, and their extrasensory powers know no decline? Why will they go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—become complete, and the continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience? Why will they always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption? And why, by way of not apprehending anything, will they be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane?”
The venerable Subhūti replied to the venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it is because of the emptiness of internal phenomena that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of external phenomena that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of external and internal phenomena that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of emptiness that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of great extent that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of ultimate reality that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of conditioned phenomena that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of the unlimited that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of nonexclusion that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of inherent nature that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of all phenomena that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of nonentities that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; it is because of the emptiness of essential nature that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything; and it is because of the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities that the three vehicles are extensively taught by way of not apprehending anything.
“It is because of the emptiness of internal phenomena that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of external phenomena that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption mode by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of external and internal phenomena that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of emptiness that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of great extent that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of ultimate reality that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of conditioned phenomena that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.
“It is because of the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena that the mentor of bodhisattva great beings is taught, that there is a teaching about the path of the bodhisattvas, from the first setting of the mind up to the tenth setting of the mind on enlightenment—that is to say, about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom; about the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; and about the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the five 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. The ways bodhisattva great beings play with their extrasensory powers and miraculous abilities are also taught—that is to say, therefore, bodhisattva great beings will practice the perfection of wisdom and take birth miraculously, will have extrasensory powers that know no decline, and will go from buddhafield to buddhafield and their roots of virtue—those roots of virtue on account of which they will seek to serve, respect, honor, and worship those lord buddhas—will become complete. The continuity of any Dharma that they will hear from those lord buddhas will never be interrupted up until they have attained all-aspect omniscience. They will always be in a meditative absorption by way of being without distraction and without meditative absorption. Those bodhisattva great beings, by way of not apprehending anything, will be endowed with a confidence that inspires speech that is unimpeded, inspires speech that is uninterrupted, inspires speech that is composed, inspires speech that is rational, inspires speech that is well connected, inspires speech that is purposeful, and inspires speech that is distinguished and elevated above the mundane.