The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines

Then the venerable Subhūti said to the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, the perfection of wisdom is profound. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment indeed are engaged in a difficult task, because they have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment for the sake of beings while not apprehending a ‘being’ or anything at all designated as a being. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to attain all-aspect omniscience for the sake of beings are, to give an illustration, just like some persons who wish to grow a plant in groundless space.

“It is so, Subhūti, it is so,” replied the Blessed One. “Bodhisattva great beings who, for the sake of beings, set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and, having fully awakened to all-aspect omniscience, liberate beings from grasping at being are engaged in a difficult task. To illustrate, Subhūti, when some persons want to grow a plant, those persons plant the stem of the plant without having seen the roots of that plant, and without having seen its branches, without having seen its trunk, without having seen its leaves, without having seen its flowers, and without having seen its fruit. Nurtured with water at the appropriate times, gradually the trunk becomes fully formed, the leaves become fully formed, the flowers become fully formed, and the fruit becomes fully formed, and they would then enjoy the foliage of that plant, they would enjoy its flowers, and they would enjoy its fruit. In the same way, bodhisattva great beings indeed set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, for the sake of beings, gradually practicing the six perfections, attaining all-aspect omniscience and sustaining all beings in the manner of leaves, flowers, and fruit.

“As for the leaves there, Subhūti, beings rely on bodhisattva great beings and are liberated from the three lower realms. As for the flowers, they rely on bodhisattva great beings and are born in great and lofty royal families, are born in great and lofty priestly families, are born in great and lofty householder families, and are born as Caturmahārājika gods, born as Trayastriṃśa gods, born as Tuṣita gods, born as Nirmāṇarati gods, and born as Paranirmitavaśavartin gods; are born as Brahmakāyika gods, born as Brahmapārṣadya gods, born as Brahmapurohita gods, and born as Mahābrahmā gods; are born as Ābha gods, born as Parīttābha gods, born as Apramāṇābha gods, and born as Ābhāsvara gods; are born as Śubha gods, born as Parīttaśubha gods, born as Apramāṇaśubha gods, and born as Śubhakṛtsna gods; are born as Vṛha gods, born as Parīttavṛha gods, born as Apramāṇavṛha gods, and born as Vṛhatphala gods; are born as Avṛha gods, born as Atapa gods, born as Sudṛśa gods, born as Sudarśana gods, and born as Akaniṣṭha gods; and are born as gods of the sphere of infinite space gods, born as gods of the sphere of infinite consciousness gods, born as gods of the sphere of nothing-at-all, and born as gods of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception.

“As for the fruit, bodhisattva great beings, having attained all-aspect omniscience, establish those beings in the fruit of having entered the stream, establish them in the fruit of once-returner, establish them in the fruit of non-returner, establish them in arhatship, and establish them in individual enlightenment. In reliance on those same bodhisattva great beings, they will attain all-aspect omniscience, and having attained all-aspect omniscience, they too will sustain all beings, just as fruit is sustaining. Those who offer them donations will also, through the three vehicles‍—the vehicle of the śrāvakas, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and the Great Vehicle‍—gradually attain final nirvāṇa and fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. But still, they do not designate them as beings, and even without the designation as beings, nevertheless they liberate beings from grasping at being. Subhūti, although bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom in that manner, they do not apprehend any being, or anything designated as a being for whose sake they think, ‘I should attain all-aspect omniscience.’ ”

Subhūti then said, “Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings should be known to be the tathāgatas themselves. If you ask why, Blessed Lord, it is because, thanks to bodhisattva great beings, all the hells are cut off, all the animal realms are cut off, and all the worlds of Yama are cut off; all the states that lack freedom and the terrible forms of life are cut off, all states of poverty are cut off, and all the inferior classes¹¹³¹ are cut off; and the entire realm of desire is cut off, the entire realm of form is cut off, and the entire realm of formlessness is cut off.”

“It is so, Subhūti, it is so,” replied the Blessed One. “Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should be known to be the tathāgatas themselves. Subhūti, if there were no bodhisattva great beings, there would be no unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment of the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present. Nor would pratyekabuddhas appear in the world, nor indeed would arhats, non-returners, once-returners, or those who have entered the stream appear in the world. All the hells would not be cut off, all the animal realms would not be cut off, all the worlds of Yama would not be cut off, and the entire realm of desire would not be cut off, the entire realm of form would not be cut off, and the entire realm of formlessness would not be cut off.

“Therefore, regarding what you said, Subhūti‍—‘Bodhisattva great beings should be known to be the tathāgatas themselves’‍—it is so, Subhūti, it is so. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should be known to be the tathāgatas themselves. If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because the real nature through which tathāgatas are designated, the real nature through which pratyekabuddhas are designated, and the real nature though which all the ārya beings are designated; the real nature through which physical forms are designated, the real nature through which feelings are designated, the real nature through which perceptions are designated, the real nature through which formative predispositions are designated, and the real nature through which consciousness is designated; the real nature through which the eyes are designated, the real nature through which the ears are designated, the real nature through which the nose is designated, the real nature through which the tongue is designated, the real nature through which the body is designated, and the real nature through which the mental faculty is designated; the real nature through which sights are designated, the real nature through which sounds are designated, the real nature through which odors are designated, the real nature through which tastes are designated, the real nature through which tangibles are designated, and the real nature through which mental phenomena are designated; the real nature through which visual consciousness is designated, the real nature through which auditory consciousness is designated, the real nature through which olfactory consciousness is designated, the real nature through which gustatory consciousness is designated, the real nature through which tactile consciousness is designated, and the real nature through which mental consciousness is designated; the real nature through which visually compounded sensory contact is designated, the real nature through which aurally compounded sensory contact is designated, the real nature through which nasally compounded sensory contact is designated, the real nature through which lingually compounded sensory contact is designated, the real nature through which corporeally compounded sensory contact is designated, and the real nature through which mentally compounded sensory contact is designated; the real nature through which feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact are designated, the real nature through which feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact are designated, the real nature through which feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact are designated, the real nature through which feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact are designated, the real nature through which feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact are designated, and the real nature through which feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact are designated; the real nature through which the earth element is designated, the real nature through which the water element is designated, the real nature through which the fire element is designated, the real nature through which the wind element is designated, the real nature through which the space element is designated, and the real nature through which the consciousness element is designated;; the real nature through which ignorance is designated, the real nature through which formative predispositions are designated, the real nature through which consciousness is designated, the real nature through which name and form are designated, the real nature through which the six sense fields are designated, the real nature through which sensory contact is designated, the real nature through which sensation is designated, the real nature through which craving is designated, the real nature through which grasping is designated, the real nature through which the rebirth process is designated, the real nature through which birth is designated, and the real nature through which aging and death are designated; the real nature through which the perfection of generosity is designated, the real nature through which the perfection of ethical discipline is designated, the real nature through which the perfection of tolerance is designated, the real nature through which the perfection of perseverance is designated, the real nature through which the perfection of meditative concentration is designated, and the real nature through which the perfection of wisdom is designated; the real nature through which the emptiness of internal phenomena is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of external phenomena is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of external and internal phenomena is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of emptiness is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of great extent is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of ultimate reality is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of conditioned phenomena is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of the unlimited is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of nonexclusion is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of inherent nature is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of all phenomena is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of nonentities is designated, the real nature through which the emptiness of essential nature is designated, and the real nature through which the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities is designated,; the real nature through which the applications of mindfulness are designated, the real nature through which the correct exertions are designated, the real nature through which the supports for miraculous ability are designated, the real nature through which the faculties are designated, the real nature through which the powers are designated, the real nature through which the branches of enlightenment are designated, and the real nature through which the noble eightfold path is designated; the real nature through which the truths of the noble ones are designated, the real nature through which the meditative concentrations are designated, the real nature through which the immeasurable attitudes are designated, the real nature through which the formless absorptions are designated, the real nature through which the eight liberations are designated, the real nature through which the nine serial steps of meditative absorption are designated, the real nature through which the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation are designated, the real nature through which the extrasensory powers are designated, the real nature through which the meditative stabilities are designated, and the real nature through which the dhāraṇī gateways are designated; the real nature through which the ten powers of the tathāgatas are designated, the real nature through which the four fearlessnesses are designated, the real nature through which the four kinds of exact knowledge are designated, the real nature through which great loving kindness is designated, the real nature through which great compassion is designated, and the real nature through which the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas are designated; the real nature through which the fruit of having entered the stream is designated, the real nature through which the fruit of once-returner is designated, the real nature through which the fruit of non-returner is designated, the real nature through which arhatship is designated, the real nature through which individual enlightenment is designated, the real nature through which the knowledge of the aspects of the path is designated, and the real nature through which all-aspect omniscience is designated; up to, the real nature through which the realm of the conditioned is designated, and the real nature through which the realm of the unconditioned is designated––they are all just like just that.¹¹³² This is why it is called the real nature. It is because bodhisattva great beings train in this real nature and attain all-aspect omniscience that they are therefore called tathāgatas, those who have realized the real nature. For this reason, Subhūti, taking the real nature as the standard, those bodhisattva great beings should be known to be the tathāgatas themselves.

“So it is, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of wisdom that is the real nature. Subhūti, having trained in the perfection of wisdom that is the real nature, bodhisattva great beings train in the real nature of all phenomena. Having trained in the real nature of all phenomena, they bring the real nature of all phenomena to completion. Having made the real nature of all phenomena complete, they attain the state where the real nature of all phenomena is under their control. Having attained the state where the real nature of all phenomena is under their control, they become skilled in the faculties of all beings. Having become skilled in the faculties, they acquire skill in fulfilling those faculties. Having acquired skill in the faculties that are fulfilled, they understand the karma that beings have themselves made. Having understood the karma that beings have themselves made, they complete the transcending knowledge of the aspirational vow. Having completed the transcending knowledge of the aspirational vow, they refine the transcending knowledge with respect to the three times. Having refined the transcending knowledge with respect to the three times, they act for the benefit of beings through the conduct of a bodhisattva. Acting for the benefit of beings, they refine a buddhafield. Having refined a buddhafield, they attain all-aspect omniscience. Having attained all-aspect omniscience, they turn the wheel of the Dharma. Having turned the wheel of the Dharma, they establish beings in the three vehicles. Having established beings in the three vehicles, they pass into final nirvāṇa in the expanse of nirvāṇa where there is no remainder of the aggregates. Subhūti, so it is that bodhisattva great beings, having viewed all these good qualities and excellences, should themselves set their minds on unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and should cause others to set their minds on unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment as well.”

Subhūti said, “Blessed Lord, those bodhisattva great beings who practice this profound perfection of wisdom, as it has been revealed, are worthy of the homage of the world with its gods, humans, and asuras.”

“It is so, Subhūti, it is so,” replied the Blessed One. “Those bodhisattva great beings who practice this profound perfection of wisdom, just as it has been revealed, are worthy of the homage of the world with its gods, humans, and asuras.”

Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, to what extent does the merit increase of those bodhisattva great beings endowed with the first setting of the mind on enlightenment who wish to fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment for the sake of all beings?”

“Subhūti,” asked the Blessed One in return, “if all the beings in this great billionfold world system, as many as there are, were to be established on the level of the śrāvakas and were to be established on the level of the pratyekabuddhas, would the merit of those beings increase greatly?”

“Greatly, Blessed Lord. Greatly, Sugata.” replied Subhūti. “Immeasurably, Blessed Lord. Immeasurably, Sugata.”

“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “of the two‍—the merit of all the beings in this great billionfold world system who are in the vehicle of the śrāvakas and who are in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and the merit of the bodhisattva great beings endowed with the first setting of the mind‍—that merit of all the beings in this great billionfold world system who are in the vehicle of the śrāvakas and who are in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas comes nowhere near even a hundredth part of the accumulation of merit by the bodhisattva great beings endowed with the first setting of the mind; it comes nowhere near even a thousandth part, comes nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, comes nowhere near even a ten millionth part, comes nowhere near even a billionth part, comes nowhere near even a ten billionth part, comes nowhere near even a trillionth part, and comes nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It does stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because the individuals in the vehicle of the śrāvakas and in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who are in the vehicle of the śrāvakas or who are in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to become endowed with the good qualities of the śrāvakas, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because the good qualities of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become endowed with the good qualities of the śrāvakas or who have become endowed with the good qualities of the pratyekabuddhas, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of bright insight, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of bright insight have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of bright insight.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of bright insight, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of the spiritual family, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of the spiritual family have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of the spiritual family.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of the spiritual family, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the eighth level, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind‍—it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part; it would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the eighth level have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the eighth level.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the eighth level, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of insight, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of insight have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of insight.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of insight, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of attenuated refinement, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the accumulation of merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part, It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of attenuated refinement have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of attenuated refinement.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of the attenuated refinement, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of no attachment, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the accumulation of merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of no attachment have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of no attachment.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of no attachment, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of spiritual achievement, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the accumulation of merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of spiritual achievement have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of spiritual achievement.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of spiritual achievement, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to be established on the level of the pratyekabuddhas, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the accumulation of merit of the bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it. If you ask why, it is because those established on the level of the pratyekabuddhas have originated from the bodhisattvas, but it is not the case that bodhisattva great beings have originated from the level of the pratyekabuddhas.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have become established on the level of the pratyekabuddhas, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to have entered a bodhisattva’s full maturity, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of the bodhisattva great beings who are candidates for enlightenment;¹¹³³ it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it.

“Leave aside all the beings in this great billionfold world system who have entered a bodhisattva’s full maturity, even if all the beings in this great billionfold world system were to have become candidates for enlightenment, their merit would come nowhere near even a hundredth part of the merit of a tathāgata, arhat, perfectly complete buddha; it would come nowhere near even a thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a hundred thousandth part, would come nowhere near even a ten millionth part, would come nowhere near even a billionth part, would come nowhere near even a ten billionth part, would come nowhere near even a trillionth part, and would come nowhere near even a quintillionth part. It would not stand up to any number, fraction, calculation, example, or comparison of it.”

Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, to what should bodhisattva great beings with the first setting of the mind pay attention?”

“They should pay attention to all-aspect omniscience,” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord, what sort of entity is all-aspect omniscience?” asked Subhūti. “What sort of referential object does it have? What is its predominant condition? What is its aspect? What is its defining characteristic?”

The Blessed One replied, “Subhūti, ‘all-aspect omniscience’ is a nonentity, without a defining characteristic, without a mental image, effortless, nonarising, and nonappearing. Subhūti, regarding what you asked, ‘What referential object does all-aspect omniscience have?’ Subhūti, all-aspect omniscience has no referential object; mindfulness predominates as the condition; the aspect is peace; and the defining characteristic is that it is without defining characteristics. Subhūti, this is the referential object of all-aspect omniscience. This is its predominant condition. This is its aspect. This is its defining characteristic.”

Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, is only all-aspect omniscience a nonentity, or is it not? Or are physical forms also nonentities, are feelings also nonentities, are perceptions also nonentities, are formative predispositions also nonentities, and is consciousness also a nonentity? Are the eyes also nonentities, are the ears also nonentities, is the nose also a nonentity, is the tongue also a nonentity, is the body also a nonentity, and is the mental faculty also a nonentity? Are sights also nonentities, are sounds also nonentities, are odors also nonentities, are tastes also nonentities, are tangibles also nonentities, and are mental phenomena also nonentities? Is visual consciousness also a nonentity, is auditory consciousness also a nonentity, is olfactory consciousness also a nonentity, is gustatory consciousness also a nonentity, is tactile consciousness also a nonentity, and is mental consciousness also a nonentity? Is visually compounded sensory contact also a nonentity, is aurally compounded sensory contact also a nonentity, is nasally compounded sensory contact also a nonentity, is lingually compounded sensory contact also a nonentity, is corporeally compounded sensory contact also a nonentity, and is mentally compounded sensory contact also a nonentity? Are feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact also nonentities, are feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact also nonentities, are feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact also nonentities, are feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact also nonentities, are feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact also nonentities, and are feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact also nonentities? Is the earth element also a nonentity, is the water element also a nonentity, is the fire element also a nonentity, is the wind element also a nonentity, is the space element also a nonentity, and is the consciousness element also a nonentity? Is ignorance also a nonentity, are formative predispositions also nonentities, is consciousness also a nonentity, are name and form also nonentities, are the six sense fields also nonentities, is sensory contact also a nonentity, is sensation also a nonentity, is craving also a nonentity, is grasping also a nonentity, is the rebirth process also a nonentity, is birth also a nonentity, and are aging and death also nonentities? Is the perfection of generosity also a nonentity, is the perfection of ethical discipline also a nonentity, is the perfection of tolerance also a nonentity, is the perfection of perseverance also a nonentity, is the perfection of meditative concentration also a nonentity, and is the perfection of wisdom also a nonentity? Is the emptiness of internal phenomena also a nonentity, is the emptiness of external phenomena also a nonentity, is the emptiness of external and internal phenomena also a nonentity, is the emptiness of emptiness also a nonentity, is the emptiness of great extent also a nonentity, is the emptiness of ultimate reality also a nonentity, is the emptiness of conditioned phenomena also a nonentity, is the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena also a nonentity, is the emptiness of the unlimited also a nonentity, is the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end also a nonentity, is the emptiness of nonexclusion also a nonentity, is the emptiness of inherent nature also a nonentity, is the emptiness of all phenomena also a nonentity, is the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics also a nonentity, is the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended also a nonentity, is the emptiness of nonentities also a nonentity, is the emptiness of essential nature also a nonentity, and is the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities also a nonentity? Are the applications of mindfulness also nonentities, are the correct exertions also nonentities, are the supports for miraculous ability also nonentities, are the faculties also nonentities, are the powers also nonentities, are the branches of enlightenment also nonentities, and is the noble eightfold path also a nonentity? Are the truths of the noble ones also nonentities, are the meditative concentrations also nonentities, are the immeasurable attitudes also nonentities, are the formless absorptions also nonentities, are the liberations also nonentities, are the serial steps of meditative absorption also nonentities, are the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation also nonentities, are the extrasensory powers also nonentities, are the meditative stabilities also nonentities, and are the dhāraṇī gateways also nonentities? Are the powers of the tathāgatas also nonentities, are the fearlessnesses also nonentities, are the kinds of exact knowledge also nonentities, and are the distinct qualities of the buddhas also nonentities? Is great loving kindness also a nonentity, is great compassion also a nonentity, is great empathetic joy also a nonentity, and is great equanimity also a nonentity? Is the realm of the conditioned also a nonentity, and is the realm of the unconditioned also a nonentity?”