The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines

“As an illustration, arhats whose contaminants have ceased have directly witnessed the reality of phenomena and do not place their confidence in others, so they are not captivated by malign Māra. Similarly, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible cannot be bested by those in the vehicle of the śrāvakas or by those in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas. They are qualified as irreversible from unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings are destined, dwell in the realm of the irreversible ones, and others have no influence on them.

“Subhūti, if those bodhisattva great beings do not place their confidence even in the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas, how could they possibly place their confidence in those in the vehicle of the śrāvakas? That would be impossible. How could they possibly place their confidence in those in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas? That would be impossible. How could they possibly place their confidence in malign Māra? That would be impossible. How could they possibly place their confidence in other tīrthikas and wandering mendicants? That would be impossible.

“If you ask why, it is because they do not observe any phenomenon in which they should place their confidence. They do not observe physical forms or the real nature of physical forms, they do not observe feelings or the real nature of feelings, they do not observe perceptions or the real nature of perceptions, they do not observe formative predispositions or the real nature of formative predispositions, and they do not observe consciousness or the real nature of consciousness. They do not observe the eyes or the real nature of the eyes, they do not observe the ears or the real nature of the ears, they do not observe the nose or the real nature of the nose, they do not observe the tongue or the real nature of the tongue, they do not observe the body or the real nature of the body, and they do not observe the mental faculty or the real nature of the mental faculty. They do not observe sights or the real nature of sights, they do not observe sounds or the real nature of sounds, they do not observe odors or the real nature of odors, they do not observe tastes or the real nature of tastes, they do not observe tangibles or the real nature of tangibles, and they do not observe mental phenomena or the real nature of mental phenomena. They do not observe visual consciousness or the real nature of visual consciousness, they do not observe auditory consciousness or the real nature of auditory consciousness, they do not observe olfactory consciousness or the real nature of olfactory consciousness, they do not observe gustatory consciousness or the real nature of gustatory consciousness, they do not observe tactile consciousness or the real nature of tactile consciousness, and they do not observe mental consciousness or the real nature of mental consciousness. They do not observe visually compounded sensory contact or the real nature of visually compounded sensory contact, they do not observe aurally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of aurally compounded sensory contact, they do not observe nasally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of nasally compounded sensory contact, they do not observe lingually compounded sensory contact or the real nature of lingually compounded sensory contact, they do not observe corporeally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of corporeally compounded sensory contact, and they do not observe mentally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of mentally compounded sensory contact. They do not observe feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact or the real nature of feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, they do not observe feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, they do not observe feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, they do not observe feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact or the real nature of feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, they do not observe feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and they do not observe feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact or the real nature of feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact.

“They do not observe the earth element or the real nature of the earth element, they do not observe the water element or the real nature of the water element, they do not observe the fire element or the real nature of the fire element, they do not observe the wind element or the real nature of the wind element, they do not observe the space element or the real nature of the space element, and they do not observe the consciousness element or the real nature of the consciousness element.

“They do not observe ignorance or the real nature of ignorance, they do not observe formative predispositions or the real nature of formative predispositions, they do not observe consciousness or the real nature of consciousness, they do not observe name and form or the real nature of name and form, they do not observe the six sense fields or the real nature of the six sense fields, they do not observe sensory contact or the real nature of sensory contact, they do not observe sensation or the real nature of sensation, they do not observe craving or the real nature of craving, they do not observe grasping or the real nature of grasping, they do not observe the rebirth process or the real nature of the rebirth process, they do not observe birth or the real nature of birth, and they do not observe aging and death or the real nature of aging and death.

“They do not observe the perfection of generosity or the real nature of the perfection of generosity, they do not observe the perfection of ethical discipline or the real nature of the perfection of ethical discipline, they do not observe the perfection of tolerance or the real nature of the perfection of tolerance, they do not observe the perfection of perseverance or the real nature of the perfection of perseverance, they do not observe the perfection of meditative concentration or the real nature of the perfection of meditative concentration, and they do not observe the perfection of wisdom or the real nature of the perfection of wisdom.

“They do not observe the emptiness of internal phenomena or the real nature of the emptiness of internal phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of external phenomena or the real nature of the emptiness of external phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of external and internal phenomena or the real nature of the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of great extent or the real nature of the emptiness of great extent, they do not observe the emptiness of ultimate reality or the real nature of the emptiness of ultimate reality, they do not observe the emptiness of conditioned phenomena or the real nature of the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena or the real nature of the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of the unlimited or the real nature of the emptiness of the unlimited, they do not observe the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end or the real nature of the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, they do not observe the emptiness of nonexclusion or the real nature of the emptiness of nonexclusion, they do not observe the emptiness of inherent nature or the real nature of the emptiness of inherent nature, they do not observe the emptiness of all phenomena or the real nature of the emptiness of all phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics or the real nature of the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, they do not observe the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended or the real nature of the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, they do not observe the emptiness of nonentities or the real nature of the emptiness of nonentities, they do not observe the emptiness of essential nature or the real nature of the emptiness of essential nature, and they do not observe the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities or the real nature of an essential nature of nonentities.

“They do not observe the applications of mindfulness or the real nature of the applications of mindfulness, they do not observe the correct exertions or the real nature of the correct exertions, they do not observe the supports for miraculous ability or the real nature of the supports for miraculous ability, they do not observe the faculties or the real nature of the faculties, they do not observe the powers or the real nature of the powers, they do not observe the branches of enlightenment or the real nature of the branches of enlightenment, and they do not observe the noble eightfold path or the real nature of the noble eightfold path.

“They do not observe the truths of the noble ones or the real nature of the truths of the noble ones, they do not observe the meditative concentrations or the real nature of the meditative concentrations, they do not observe the immeasurable attitudes or the real nature of the immeasurable attitudes, they do not observe the formless absorptions or the real nature of the formless absorptions, they do not observe the liberations or the real nature of the liberations, they do not observe the serial steps of meditative absorption or the real nature of the serial steps of meditative absorption, they do not observe emptiness or the real nature of emptiness, they do not observe signlessness or the real nature of signlessness, they do not observe wishlessness or the real nature of wishlessness, they do not observe the extrasensory powers or the real nature of the extrasensory powers, they do not observe the meditative stabilities or the real nature of the meditative stabilities, and they do not observe the dhāraṇī gateways or the real nature of the dhāraṇī gateways.

“They do not observe the powers of the tathāgatas or the real nature of the powers of the tathāgatas, they do not observe the fearlessnesses or the real nature of the fearlessnesses, they do not observe the kinds of exact knowledge or the real nature of the kinds of exact knowledge, they do not observe great loving kindness or the real nature of great loving kindness, they do not observe great compassion or the real nature of great compassion, and they do not observe the distinct qualities of the buddhas or the real nature of the distinct qualities of the buddhas.

“They do not observe the fruit of having entered the stream or the real nature of the fruit of having entered the stream, they do not observe the fruit of once-returner or the real nature of the fruit of once-returner, they do not observe the fruit of non-returner or the real nature of the fruit of non-returner, they do not observe arhatship or the real nature of arhatship, they do not observe individual enlightenment or the real nature of individual enlightenment, they do not observe the knowledge of the aspects of the path or the real nature of the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and they do not observe enlightenment or the real nature of enlightenment.

“Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess those characters, those indications, and those signs are irreversible.

“Moreover, Subhūti, malign Māra, arriving in the presence of bodhisattva great beings in the guise of a monk, says, ‘This is the conduct associated with saṃsāra, but not the conduct of a bodhisattva. Right here you should put an end to suffering.’ This malign Māra teaches the bodhisattva great beings an imitation of the path, which is an imitation of the path in the mundane forms of conduct associated with saṃsāra. He teaches them the perception of bones,⁹⁶⁷ or else he teaches the first meditative concentration, or else he teaches the second meditative concentration, or else he teaches the third meditative concentration, or else he teaches the fourth meditative concentration, or else he teaches loving kindness, or else he teaches compassion, or else he teaches empathetic joy, or else he teaches equanimity, or else he teaches the sphere of infinite space, or else he teaches the sphere of infinite consciousness, or else he teaches the sphere of nothing-at-all, or else he teaches the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, and he says, ‘Venerables, this is the path and this is the earnest application‍—the path and earnest application through which you attain the fruit of having entered the stream, attain the fruit of once-returner, attain the fruit of non-returner, and attain arhatship. Venerables, through this path and through this earnest application, right here you should put an end to suffering and afterward you will not experience those sufferings associated with conduct that pertains to saṃsāra. Really, even if you have not completed the termination of⁹⁶⁸ this body in this very life, how could you think of assuming yet another body?’ If, Subhūti, he speaks such words, but still the minds of the bodhisattva great beings are not disturbed and do not waver, and they think in addition, ‘This monk who shows to me in this manner an imitation of the path is beneficial to me, for through this imitation of the path the fruit of those who enter the stream cannot be actualized, the fruit of once-returner cannot be actualized, the fruit of non-returner cannot be actualized, arhatship cannot be actualized, individual enlightenment cannot be actualized, and unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment cannot be actualized.’ And if, in addition to that, they take pleasure in the thought, ‘This monk who teaches me attachment in this manner is beneficial to me. I should understand those attachments and I should train in all the three vehicles,’ this malign Māra, knowing that these bodhisattva great beings are rejoicing, would say to them, ‘Sons of good families, do you want to see the many bodhisattva great beings who have served the lord buddhas, as many as there are, numerous as the grains of sand of the River Gaṅgā, with the basic necessities of robes, alms, bedding, and medications, and who, in the presence of the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas, as many as there are, numerous as the grains of sand of the River Gaṅgā, have completed the perfection of generosity, have completed the perfection of ethical discipline, have completed the perfection of tolerance, have completed the perfection of perseverance, have completed the perfection of meditative concentration, and have completed the perfection of wisdom‍—those bodhisattva great beings who, for the sake of this vehicle of the bodhisattvas, have devoted themselves to the lord buddhas, as many as there are, numerous as the grains of sand of the River Gaṅgā, and questioned them all, asking, “How, when bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of generosity, are practicing the perfection of ethical discipline, are practicing the perfection of tolerance, are practicing the perfection of perseverance, are practicing the perfection of meditative concentration, and are practicing the perfection of wisdom; are practicing the emptiness of internal phenomena, are practicing the emptiness of external phenomena, are practicing the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, are practicing the emptiness of emptiness, are practicing the emptiness of great extent, are practicing the emptiness of ultimate reality, are practicing the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, are practicing the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, are practicing the emptiness of the unlimited, are practicing the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, are practicing the emptiness of nonexclusion, are practicing the emptiness of inherent nature, are practicing the emptiness of all phenomena, are practicing the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, are practicing the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, are practicing the emptiness of nonentities, are practicing the emptiness of essential nature, and are practicing the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; are practicing the applications of mindfulness, are practicing the correct exertions, are practicing the supports for miraculous ability, are practicing the faculties, are practicing the powers, are practicing the branches of enlightenment, and are practicing the noble eightfold path; are practicing the truths of the noble ones, are practicing the meditative concentrations, are practicing the immeasurable attitudes, are practicing the formless absorptions, are practicing the eight liberations, are practicing the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, are practicing the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, are practicing the extrasensory powers, are practicing the meditative stabilities, and are practicing the dhāraṇī gateways; are practicing the ten powers of the tathāgatas, are practicing the four fearlessnesses, are practicing the four kinds of exact knowledge, are practicing great loving kindness, are practicing great compassion, and are practicing the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; are practicing omniscience, are practicing the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and are practicing all-aspect omniscience should they dwell in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas?” They have lived in accordance with what the lord buddhas have explained in that manner, and have persevered, but still such bodhisattva great beings as those have not fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. If even those who have been taught in this way, those who have been instructed in this way, those who have lived in this way, and those who have been trained in this way have not attained all-aspect omniscience, how could you ever possibly attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?’

“If, even when he has attempted to dissuaded⁹⁶⁹ these bodhisattva great beings, they do not change their minds, and they are not afraid, not frightened, and not terrified‍—and if, in addition, they rejoice, thinking, ‘This monk is showing me the attachments on account of which the fruit of having entered the stream will not be attained, the fruit of once-returner will not be attained, the fruit of non-returner will not be attained, arhatship will not be attained, individual enlightenment will not be attained, the knowledge of the aspects of the path will not be attained, and all-aspect omniscience will not be attained. He is beneficial to me’‍—then malign Māra, knowing that the bodhisattva great beings are not disheartened, would conjure up, in that very place, a multitude of monks, and say, ‘All these monks have also set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, but since they have all remained in the state of arhatship, how could you ever possibly fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?’

“If, even when he has said this, those bodhisattva great beings, while practicing the perfection of wisdom, think, ‘This is malign Māra teaching an imitation of the path,’ and do not turn back from unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment and do not fall to the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas‍—and if, in addition, they think, ‘It is impossible, there is no chance, that bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of generosity, practice the perfection of ethical discipline, practice the perfection of tolerance, practice the perfection of perseverance, practice the perfection of meditative concentration, practice the perfection of wisdom…up to, practice all-aspect omniscience in that manner will not fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. That would be impossible’‍—then, Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess those characters, those indications, and those signs are irreversible.

“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible, while practicing the perfection of wisdom, think, ‘If, having trained as the tathāgatas have taught, their practice has not parted from that practice and their attention is focused on the perfections, those [bodhisattvas] do not degenerate from the perfection of generosity, do not degenerate from the perfection of ethical discipline, do not degenerate from the perfection of tolerance, do not degenerate from the perfection of perseverance, do not degenerate from the perfection of meditative concentration, and do not degenerate from the perfection of wisdom; do not degenerate from the emptiness of internal phenomena, do not degenerate from the emptiness of external phenomena, do not degenerate from the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, do not degenerate from the emptiness of emptiness, do not degenerate from the emptiness of great extent, do not degenerate from the emptiness of ultimate reality, do not degenerate from the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, do not degenerate from the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, do not degenerate from the emptiness of the unlimited, do not degenerate from the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, do not degenerate from the emptiness of nonexclusion, do not degenerate from the emptiness of inherent nature, do not degenerate from the emptiness of all phenomena, do not degenerate from the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, do not degenerate from the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, do not degenerate from the emptiness of nonentities, do not degenerate from the emptiness of essential nature, and do not degenerate from the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; do not degenerate from the applications of mindfulness, do not degenerate from the correct exertions, do not degenerate from the supports for miraculous ability, do not degenerate from the faculties, do not degenerate from the powers, do not degenerate from the branches of enlightenment, and do not degenerate from the noble eightfold path; do not degenerate from the truths of the noble ones, do not degenerate from the meditative concentrations, do not degenerate from the immeasurable attitudes, do not degenerate from the formless absorptions, do not degenerate from the liberations, do not degenerate from the serial steps of meditative absorption, do not degenerate from emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, do not degenerate from the extrasensory powers, do not degenerate from the meditative stabilities, and do not degenerate from the dhāraṇī gateways; do not degenerate from the ten powers of the tathāgatas, do not degenerate from the four fearlessnesses, do not degenerate from the four kinds of exact knowledge, do not degenerate from great loving kindness, do not degenerate from great compassion, and do not degenerate from the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and do not degenerate from omniscience, do not degenerate from the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and do not degenerate from all-aspect omniscience.’ Moreover, Subhūti, if the bodhisattva great beings think, ‘Those who know the work of Māra will not degenerate from unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment,’ then, Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess those characters, those indications, and those signs are irreversible.”

The Blessed One having said this, the venerable Subhūti then inquired of him, “Blessed Lord, what do bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible turn back from so that they are called ‘irreversible’?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “they turn back from the notion of physical forms. They turn back from the notion of feelings. They turn back from the notion of perceptions. They turn back from the notion of formative predispositions. They turn back from the notion of consciousness. They turn back from the notion of sensory elements. They turn back from the notion of sense fields. They turn back from the notion of desire. They turn back from the notion of hatred. They turn back from the notion of delusion. They turn back from the notion of points of view. They turn back from the notion of the perfections. They turn back from the notion of the emptinesses. They turn back from the notion of the applications of mindfulness. They turn back from the notion of the correct exertions. They turn back from the notion of the supports for miraculous ability. They turn back from the notion of the faculties. They turn back from the notion of the powers. They turn back from the notion of the branches of enlightenment. They turn back from the notion of the noble eightfold path. They turn back from the notion of the truths of the noble ones. They turn back from the notion of the meditative concentrations. They turn back from the notion of the immeasurable attitudes. They turn back from the notion of the formless absorptions. They turn back from the notion of the liberations. They turn back from the notion of the serial steps of meditative absorption. They turn back from the notion of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. They turn back from the notion of the extrasensory powers. They turn back from the notion of the meditative stabilities. They turn back from the notion of the dhāraṇī gateways. They turn back from the notion of the powers of the tathāgatas. They turn back from the notion of the fearlessnesses. They turn back from the notion of the kinds of exact knowledge. They turn back from the notion of great loving kindness. They turn back from the notion of great compassion. They turn back from the notion of the distinct qualities of the buddhas. They turn back from the notion of the fruit of having entered the stream. They turn back from the notion of the fruit of once-returner. They turn back from the notion of the fruit of non-returner. They turn back from the notion of arhatship. They turn back from the notion of individual enlightenment. They turn back from the notion of complete enlightenment. They turn back from the notion of śrāvaka. They turn back from the notion of pratyekabuddha. They turn back from the notion of bodhisattva. They turn back from the notion of buddha.

“If you ask why, it is because bodhisattva great beings who are irreversible, for whom all phenomena are empty of their own intrinsic defining characteristics, have entered a bodhisattva’s full maturity. They do not apprehend phenomena, even a mere tiny particle, and because they do not apprehend anything, they do not condition anything. Because they do not condition anything, they do not produce anything. These bodhisattva great beings are said to be those who have acceptance that phenomena are nonarising. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who possess those characters, those indications, and those signs are irreversible.”

This completes the thirty-ninth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”