“ ‘Just this, “the tathāgatas exist after death,” is true, other notions are nonsensical’ is underpinned by physical forms, it is underpinned by feelings, it is underpinned by perceptions, it is underpinned by formative predispositions, and it is underpinned by consciousness. In like manner, ‘Just these, “the tathāgatas do not exist after death,” “the tathāgatas both exist and do not exist after death,” and “the tathāgatas will neither continue to exist after death, nor will they not continue to exist after death,” are true, other notions are nonsensical’ are underpinned by physical forms, they are underpinned by feelings, they are underpinned by perceptions, they are underpinned by formative predispositions, and they are underpinned by consciousness.
“Subhūti, it is in that manner that the tathāgatas correctly and definitively know, dependent on this profound perfection of wisdom, the thoughts of other beings and other persons that diffuse and absorb and are expanded and contracted.
“Moreover, Subhūti, the tathāgatas, dependent on this profound perfection of wisdom, know physical forms. If you ask how they know physical forms, they know them as the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, unchanging, without conceptualization, without a mental image, without doing anything, without elaboration, and without apprehending anything. They know feelings. If you ask how they know feelings, they know them as the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, unchanging, without conceptualization, without a mental image, without doing anything, without elaboration, and without apprehending anything. They know perceptions. If you ask how they know perceptions, they know them as the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, unchanging, without conceptualization, without a mental image, without doing anything, without elaboration, and without apprehending anything. They know formative predispositions. If you ask how they know formative predispositions, they know them as the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, unchanging, without conceptualization, without a mental image, without doing anything, without elaboration, and without apprehending anything. They know consciousness. If you ask how they know consciousness, they know it as the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, unchanging, without conceptualization, without a mental image, without doing anything, without elaboration, and without apprehending anything.
“Similarly, Subhūti, the tathāgatas, dependent on this profound perfection of wisdom, know the thoughts of other beings and other persons that diffuse and absorb and are expanded and contracted exactly as they know the real nature, exactly as they know the unmistaken real nature, exactly as they know the unchanging, exactly as they know without conceptualization, exactly as they know without a mental image, exactly as they know without doing anything, exactly as they know without elaboration, and exactly as they know without apprehending anything.
“So it is that the real nature of thoughts that diffuse and absorb and are expanded and contracted is the real nature of the aggregates. The real nature of the aggregates is the real nature of the sense fields. The real nature of the sense fields is the real nature of the sensory elements. The real nature of the sensory elements is the real nature of the links of dependent origination. The real nature of the links of dependent origination is the real nature of all phenomena. The real nature of all phenomena is the real nature of the six perfections. The real nature of the six perfections is the real nature of all the emptinesses. The real nature of all the emptinesses is the real nature of the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment. The real nature of the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment is the real nature of the four meditative concentrations. The real nature of the four meditative concentrations is the real nature of the four immeasurable attitudes. The real nature of the four immeasurable attitudes is the real nature of the four formless absorptions. The real nature of the four formless absorptions is the real nature of the five extrasensory powers. The real nature of the five extrasensory powers is the real nature of the eight liberations. The real nature of the eight liberations is the real nature of the nine serial steps of meditative absorption. The real nature of the nine serial steps of meditative absorption is the real nature of the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation. The real nature of the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation is the real nature of the ten powers of the tathāgatas. The real nature of the ten powers of the tathāgatas is the real nature of the four fearlessnesses. The real nature of the four fearlessnesses is the real nature of the four kinds of exact knowledge. The real nature of the four kinds of exact knowledge is the real nature of great loving kindness. The real nature of great loving kindness is the real nature of great compassion. The real nature of great compassion is the real nature of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas. The real nature of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas is the real nature of all-aspect omniscience. The real nature of all-aspect omniscience is the real nature of virtuous phenomena. The real nature of virtuous phenomena is the real nature of nonvirtuous phenomena. The real nature of nonvirtuous phenomena is the real nature of mundane phenomena. The real nature of mundane phenomena is the real nature of supramundane phenomena. The real nature of supramundane phenomena is the real nature of contaminated phenomena. The real nature of contaminated phenomena is the real nature of uncontaminated phenomena. The real nature of uncontaminated phenomena is the real nature of past, future, and present phenomena. The real nature of past, future, and present phenomena is the real nature of conditioned and unconditioned phenomena. The real nature of conditioned and unconditioned phenomena is the real nature of the fruit of having entered the stream. The real nature of the fruit of having entered the stream is the real nature of the fruit of once-returner. The real nature of the fruit of once-returner is the real nature of the fruit of non-returner. The real nature of the fruit of non-returner is the real nature of the fruit of arhatship. The real nature of arhatship is the real nature of individual enlightenment. The real nature of individual enlightenment is the real nature of unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. The real nature of unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment is the real nature of the tathāgatas. The real nature of the tathāgatas is the single real nature, the undifferentiated real nature. The undifferentiated real nature is inexhaustible, and because it is inexhaustible, it is not two things, and it cannot be divided into two. Subhūti, the tathāgatas, dependent on this perfection of wisdom, have awakened to that real nature of all phenomena.
“Therefore, Subhūti, this profound perfection of wisdom is the one that gives birth to the tathāgatas and the one that reveals this world to them. Subhūti, it is in that manner that the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas comprehend the real nature of all phenomena, and comprehend the unmistaken real nature and the one and only real nature. It is owing to this real nature (tathatā) that they are called the tathāgatas,896 arhats, perfectly complete buddhas.”
Subhūti said, “Blessed Lord, this—the real nature of all phenomena, the unmistaken real nature, and the one and only real nature—is profound. Blessed Lord, it is owing to this real nature of all phenomena, this unmistaken real nature, and this one and only real nature that the lord buddhas have described and spoken about enlightenment. Blessed Lord, nobody except for the irreversible bodhisattva great beings, the persons who have the perfect view, and arhats who have attained the cessation of contaminants will resolutely believe in this. Blessed Lord, those phenomena that the tathāgatas have awakened to in manifest buddhahood and explained to beings are extremely profound.”
“Subhūti, it is because the real nature is inexhaustible,” said the Blessed One. “If you ask why it is inexhaustible, it is because all phenomena are inexhaustible. Subhūti, the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas, having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, explain this real nature of all phenomena to beings. Such is the real nature of all phenomena.”
This completes the thirty-second chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”