Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the eight liberations practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the nine serial steps of meditative absorption practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the extrasensory powers practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the meditative stabilities practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the dhāraṇī gateways practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the ten powers of the tathāgatas practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the four fearlessnesses practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the four kinds of exact knowledge practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of great loving kindness practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of great compassion practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the fruit of having entered the stream practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the fruit of once-returner practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the fruit of non-returner practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of arhatship practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of individual enlightenment practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of the knowledge of the aspects of the path practice the perfection of wisdom? Blessed Lord, does the emptiness, the vanity, the hollowness, the contingency, the essencelessness, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the reality of phenomena, the realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, the very limit of reality, the realm of the inconceivable of all-aspect omniscience practice the perfection of wisdom?”
“No, it does not, Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One.
Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, if these phenomena do not practice the perfection of wisdom, how then, Blessed Lord, do bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?”
The Blessed One asked in return, “Subhūti, do you think that you observe that phenomenon that is a practice of the perfection of wisdom?”
“No, I do not, Blessed Lord.”
“Subhūti, do you think that you observe the sort of perfection of wisdom that bodhisattva great beings practice?”
“No, I do not, Blessed Lord.”
“Subhūti, do you think that that phenomenon—the phenomenon that you do not observe—can be apprehended?” asked the Blessed One.
“No, I do not, Blessed Lord.”
“Subhūti, do you think that that phenomenon that cannot be apprehended arises or ceases?” asked the Blessed One.
“No, I do not, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti.
The Blessed One said, “This, Subhūti, is the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising of bodhisattva great beings. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings endowed with such forbearance are prophesied by the lord buddhas to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. This, Subhūti, is said to be the paths of the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, and the distinct qualities of the buddhas. It is impossible that bodhisattva great beings who have set out on that path, practicing in that manner, striving in that manner, and endeavoring in that manner, will not attain the transcendent knowledge of an unsurpassed, completely awakened buddha—the great transcendent knowledge, the transcendent knowledge of an all-aspect omniscient one. If you ask why, it is because those bodhisattva great beings have attained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, and those phenomena of theirs will never decrease until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.”
Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, is it on account of that—that all phenomena are nonarising—that bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?”
“No, it is not, Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One.
Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, is it neither on account of arising nor on account of nonarising that bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?”
“No, it is not, Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One.
Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, if it is neither on account of arising, nor indeed on account of nonarising, that bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, how then are bodhisattva great beings prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?”
The Blessed One asked in return, “Subhūti, do you think that you observe such a phenomenon—one that is prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?”
“No, I do not, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “Blessed Lord, I do not observe those phenomena that are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Blessed Lord, I do not observe the phenomenon that will fully awaken, or through which there will be full awakening, or which is the full awakening.”
“It is so, Subhūti, it is so,” replied the Blessed One. “Bodhisattva great beings who do not apprehend any phenomena do not think, ‘I will fully awaken. Through this I will fully awaken. Toward this I will fully awaken.’1033 If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom are without all those conceptualizations. If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because the perfection of wisdom is nonconceptual.”
This completes the forty-fifth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”