“Blessed Lord, who are they?” asked Subhūti.
“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “those lord buddhas teach the Dharma and express their delight in a way that causes joy in those bodhisattva great beings who, when they practice the conduct of a bodhisattva, dwell in a training in accord with the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly complete Buddha Akṣobhya. Those lord buddhas also teach the Dharma and express their delight in a way that causes joy in those bodhisattva great beings who practice the conduct of a bodhisattva by training in a way that accords with the bodhisattva great being Ratnaketu.
“Moreover, Subhūti, those lord buddhas teach the Dharma and express their delight in a way that causes joy in those bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom with a resolute belief that phenomena do not arise, but still have not gained acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, and who resolutely believe ‘all phenomena are empty,’ ‘all phenomena are at peace,’ ‘all phenomena are in vain and hollow,’ ‘all phenomena are contingent,’ and ‘all phenomena are pointless,’ but still have not gained acceptance that phenomena are nonarising.
“Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings to whom those lord buddhas teach the Dharma and express their delight by way of proclaiming their names are those bodhisattva great beings who have abandoned the level of the śrāvakas and the level of the pratyekabuddhas and are indeed prophesied to attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom to whom those lord buddhas teach the Dharma and express their delight by way of proclaiming their names are those bodhisattva great beings who dwell in the irreversible state and, abiding in it, will attain all-aspect omniscience.
“Moreover, Subhūti, if, when bodhisattva great beings hear the explanation of the profound perfection of wisdom, they think, ‘This exactly accords with the explanation given by the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas,’ and are not unsure, do not harbor doubt, and are not perplexed, then they will subsequently also hear this perfection of wisdom more extensively from the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly complete buddha Akṣobhya and those children of good families in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas. Those children of good families in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas resolutely believe in the profound perfection of wisdom, and resolutely believe this profound perfection of wisdom exactly accords with the teaching given by the tathāgatas, so they will dwell in the irreversible state.
“Subhūti, since bodhisattva great beings who hear this perfection of wisdom will thus have many advantages, one need not even speak of those who will resolutely believe, and, having resolutely believed, will dwell in true reality, and will work hard at true reality. Having dwelled in true reality and worked hard at true reality, they will dwell in all-aspect omniscience.”
Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, if, when they dwell in true reality and work hard at true reality, they do not apprehend anything at all, how then will they dwell in all-aspect omniscience? Blessed Lord, when nothing at all apart from the real nature will be apprehended, who will dwell in this real nature? Who, abiding in the real nature, will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment? Who will dwell in the real nature and teach the Dharma? Given that the real nature itself cannot be apprehended, what need one say of abiding in the real nature, fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment while abiding in the real nature, and teaching the Dharma while abiding in the real nature? That is impossible.”
“Subhūti,” said the Blessed One, “you have said, ‘Apart from the real nature, no other sort of phenomenon at all can be apprehended that would dwell in the real nature; that would, dwelling in the real nature, fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment; and that would, abiding in the real nature, teach the Dharma. Given that the real nature itself cannot be apprehended, what need one say of abiding in the real nature, fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment while abiding in the real nature, and teaching the Dharma while abiding in the real nature? That is impossible.’ That is so, Subhūti, that is so! It is as you have said. Subhūti, apart from the real nature, no other sort of phenomenon at all can be apprehended that would dwell in the real nature; that would, dwelling in the real nature, fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment; and that would, abiding in the real nature, teach the Dharma. Given that the real nature itself cannot be apprehended, what need one say of abiding in the real nature, fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment while abiding in the real nature, and teaching the Dharma while abiding in the real nature? That is impossible.
“If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because whether the tathāgatas appear or whether the tathāgatas do not appear, the real nature, unmistaken real nature, one and only nature, and reality of phenomena as it pertains to phenomena remains as it is. The realm of phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity of phenomena, and the very limit of reality as it pertains to phenomena remains as it is. Subhūti, there is nothing at all that will abide in this real nature. Since there is no one at all who, while abiding in it, will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, what need one say of anyone abiding in it and teaching the Dharma? That is impossible.”
Thereupon, Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, said to the Blessed One,1060 “Blessed Lord, this perfection of wisdom is profound. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment are engaged in a difficult task. If you ask why, Blessed Lord, it is because you cannot apprehend any phenomena—no one at all who abides in the real nature; nothing at all that attains fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment; and nothing at all that is the teaching the Dharma. Those who do not become disheartened by this, those who are not in a state where they are unsure and perplexed, are engaged in a difficult task.”
Then the elder Subhūti said to Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, “Kauśika, you have said, ‘Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who are not in a state where they are unsure about and perplexed by this profound Dharma are engaged in a difficult task.’ Kauśika, since all phenomena are emptiness, who is there who could possibly be unsure about and perplexed by them?”
Śakra replied, “Whatever the elder Subhūti is teaching, he teaches it all commencing with emptiness. It does not get attached to anything, just like an arrow fired into the sky that does not get attached to anything. In the same way, the elder Subhūti’s teaching of the Dharma does not get attached to anything.”
This completes the forty-ninth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”