Chapter 58
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of tolerance, from the time when they first set their mind, with attention connected with all-aspect omniscience, they cultivate tolerance. That is to say, thoughts of greed do not obscure them, hatred does not obscure them, delusion does not obscure them, latent impulses do not obscure them, and obsessions do not obscure them. The other nonvirtuous phenomena that impede enlightenment also do not obscure them, namely, miserliness, poor ethical discipline, thoughts of disturbance, thoughts of indolence, thoughts deficient in perseverance, thoughts of distraction, thoughts of intellectual stupidity, pride, contemptuous or haughty pride, egotistical pride, or thoughts of the śrāvakas or thoughts of the pratyekabuddhas. If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because in this way they know that all phenomena are empty of their own defining characteristics, and they see that all phenomena are nonexistent, unoriginated, unconsummated, and not brought into being. Although, for all phenomena, they engage with the defining characteristics of the phenomenon, they do so through engaging with their defining characteristic of being unconditioned—‘all phenomena are utterly ineffectual.’ Since they are endowed with such skill in means, they practice the perfection of tolerance and flourish through the roots of virtue. Practicing the perfection of tolerance, they bring beings to maturity and refine a buddhafield. Other than practicing the perfection of tolerance in order that they might protect all beings and bring beings to maturity, they do not aspire for other fruits of their tolerance, such as those fruits that they would enjoy in saṃsāra.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of perseverance, from the time when they first set their mind, with attention connected with all-aspect omniscience, they undertake perseverance. That is to say, thoughts of greed do not obscure them, hatred does not obscure them, delusion does not obscure them, latent impulses do not obscure them, and obsessions do not obscure them. The other nonvirtuous phenomena that impede enlightenment also do not obscure them, namely, miserliness, poor ethical discipline, thoughts of disturbance, thoughts of indolence, thoughts deficient in perseverance, thoughts of distraction, thoughts of intellectual stupidity, pride, contemptuous or haughty pride, egotistical pride, or thoughts of the śrāvakas or thoughts of the pratyekabuddhas. If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because in this way they know that all phenomena are empty of their own defining characteristics, and they see that all phenomena are nonexistent, unoriginated, unconsummated, and not brought into being. Although, for all phenomena, they engage with the defining characteristics of the phenomenon, they do so through engaging with their defining characteristic of being unconditioned—‘all phenomena are utterly ineffectual.’ Since they are endowed with such skill in means, they practice the perfection of perseverance and flourish through the roots of virtue. Practicing the perfection of perseverance, they bring beings to maturity and refine a buddhafield. Other than practicing the perfection of tolerance in order that they might protect all beings and bring beings to maturity, they do not aspire for other fruits of their tolerance, such as those fruits that they would enjoy in saṃsāra.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of meditative concentration, from the time when they first set their mind, with attention connected with all-aspect omniscience, they become absorbed in meditative concentration. That is to say, thoughts of greed do not obscure them, hatred does not obscure them, delusion does not obscure them, latent impulses do not obscure them, and obsessions do not obscure them. The other nonvirtuous phenomena that impede enlightenment also do not obscure them, namely, miserliness, poor ethical discipline, thoughts of disturbance, thoughts of indolence, thoughts deficient in perseverance, thoughts of distraction, thoughts of intellectual stupidity, pride, contemptuous or haughty pride, egotistical pride, or thoughts of the śrāvakas or thoughts of the pratyekabuddhas. If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because in this way they know that all phenomena are empty of their own defining characteristics, and they see that all phenomena are nonexistent, unoriginated, unconsummated, and not brought into being. Although, for all phenomena, they engage with the defining characteristics of the phenomenon, they do so through engaging with their defining characteristic of being unconditioned—‘all phenomena are utterly ineffectual.’ Since they are endowed with such skill in means, they practice the perfection of meditative concentration and flourish through the roots of virtue. Practicing the perfection of meditative concentration, they bring beings to maturity and refine a buddhafield. Other than practicing the perfection of meditative concentration in order that they might protect all beings and bring beings to maturity, they do not aspire for other fruits of their meditative concentration, such as those fruits that they would enjoy in saṃsāra.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, from the time when they first set their mind, with attention connected with all-aspect omniscience, they cultivate wisdom. That is to say, thoughts of greed do not obscure them, hatred does not obscure them, delusion does not obscure them, latent impulses do not obscure them, and obsessions do not obscure them. The other nonvirtuous phenomena that impede enlightenment also do not obscure them, namely, miserliness, poor ethical discipline, thoughts of disturbance, thoughts of indolence, thoughts deficient in perseverance, thoughts of distraction, thoughts of intellectual stupidity, pride, contemptuous or haughty pride, egotistical pride, or thoughts of the śrāvakas or thought of the pratyekabuddhas. If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because in this way they know that all phenomena are empty of their own defining characteristics, and they see that all phenomena are nonexistent, unoriginated, unconsummated, and not brought into being. Although, for all phenomena, they engage with the defining characteristics of the phenomenon, they do so through engaging with their defining characteristic of being unconditioned—‘all phenomena are utterly ineffectual.’ Since they are endowed with such skill in means, they practice the perfection of wisdom and flourish through the roots of virtue. Practicing the perfection of wisdom, they bring beings to maturity and refine a buddhafield. Other than practicing the perfection of wisdom in order that they might protect all beings and bring beings to maturity, they do not aspire for other fruits of their wisdom, such as those fruits that they would enjoy in saṃsāra.
This completes the fifty-eighth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”