“Blessed Lord, why is the perfection of wisdom immeasurable?” asked Ānanda.
“Ānanda,” replied the Blessed One, “the perfection of wisdom is immeasurable because it is inexhaustible. Ānanda, the perfection of wisdom is immeasurable because it is void. Ānanda, however many tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas of the past appeared, they too originated from this same perfection of wisdom, and the perfection of wisdom has not been exhausted. Ānanda, however many tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas will appear in the future, they too will originate from this same perfection of wisdom, and the perfection of wisdom will not be exhausted. Ānanda, however many tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas there are residing and maintaining themselves in the world systems of the ten directions at the present time, teaching the Dharma, they too originate from this same perfection of wisdom, and the perfection of wisdom is not being exhausted. The perfection of meditative concentration has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the perfection of perseverance has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the perfection of tolerance has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the perfection of ethical discipline has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; and the perfection of generosity has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted. The emptiness of internal phenomena has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of external phenomena has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of external and internal phenomena has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of emptiness has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of great extent has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of ultimate reality has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of conditioned phenomena has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of the unlimited has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of nonexclusion has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of inherent nature has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of all phenomena has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of nonentities has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the emptiness of essential nature has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted. The applications of mindfulness have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the correct exertions have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the supports for miraculous ability have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the faculties have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the powers have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the branches of enlightenment have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; and the noble eightfold path has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted. The truths of the noble ones have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the meditative concentrations have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the immeasurable attitudes have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the formless absorptions have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the liberations have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the serial steps of meditative absorption have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the extrasensory powers have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the meditative stabilities have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; and the dhāraṇī gateways have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted. The powers of the tathāgatas have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the fearlessnesses have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; the kinds of exact knowledge have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted; great compassion has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; and the distinct qualities of the buddhas have not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and are not being exhausted. The fruit of having entered the stream has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the fruit of once-returner has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the fruit of non-returner has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; arhatship has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; individual enlightenment has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; the knowledge of the aspects of the path has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted; and all-aspect omniscience has not been exhausted, will not be exhausted, and is not being exhausted. Since all phenomena indeed have no arising, how could they possibly be exhausted?”
Thereupon the Blessed One extended his tongue. Covering his entire face with his tongue, he asked the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, do you think that one possessing a tongue such as this would speak falsely or would speak otherwise?”
“No, Blessed Lord. No, Sugata,” said Ānanda.
“Therefore, Ānanda,” continued the Blessed One, “teach this perfection of wisdom to the four assemblies in detail. Expound, proclaim, explain, establish, definitively establish, interpret, analyze, elucidate, and perfectly reveal it! It is in this profound perfection of wisdom that all phenomena have been taught in detail—the phenomena in which those in the vehicle of the śrāvakas, those in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and individuals in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas should train. By training in them, as they have been explained, they will dwell on their own respective levels.
“Ānanda, this profound perfection of wisdom is an entrance to all syllables. Ānanda, this profound perfection of wisdom is the gateway to all the dhāraṇīs—the dhāraṇī gateways in which bodhisattva great beings should train. Bodhisattva great beings who take up these dhāraṇīs will realize all the gateways to inspired eloquence and the kinds of exact knowledge.
“Ānanda, I have explained this perfection of wisdom to be the inexhaustible repository of the good Dharma of the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present. Therefore, Ānanda, you should have the confidence and the conviction that1071 those who take up, uphold, recite, and master this profound perfection of wisdom are taking up the enlightenment of the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present. Ānanda, this dhāraṇī of the perfection of wisdom is the dhāraṇī of the perfection of wisdom that I have taught, the dhāraṇī by upholding which you will uphold all phenomena.
This completes the fiftieth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”