“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate the meditative stabilities with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those meditative stabilities. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate the dhāraṇī gateways with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those dhāraṇī gateways. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate the powers of the tathāgatas with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those powers of the tathāgatas. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate the fearlessnesses with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those fearlessnesses. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate the kinds of exact knowledge with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those kinds of exact knowledge. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate the distinct qualities of the buddhas with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those distinct qualities of the buddhas. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate great loving kindness with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe that great loving kindness. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom cultivate great compassion with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe that great compassion. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom accomplish the thirty-two major marks of a great person with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those thirty-two major marks. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.
“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom accomplish the eighty excellent minor marks with a mind free from a mental image, they do not observe those eighty excellent minor marks. They do not even observe that mind. Just as they do not observe that mind, in that manner they do not observe any attributes at all.”
Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the perfection of generosity? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the perfection of ethical discipline? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the perfection of tolerance? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the perfection of perseverance? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the perfection of meditative concentration? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the perfection of wisdom?
“Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of internal phenomena? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of external phenomena? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of external and internal phenomena? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of emptiness? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of great extent? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of ultimate reality? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of conditioned phenomena? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of the unlimited? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of nonexclusion? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of inherent nature? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of all phenomena? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of nonentities? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of essential nature? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities?
“Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the applications of mindfulness? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the correct exertions? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the supports for miraculous ability? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the faculties? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the powers? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the branches of enlightenment? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the noble eightfold path?
“Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the truths of the noble ones? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the meditative concentrations? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the immeasurable attitudes? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the formless absorptions? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the liberations? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the serial steps of meditative absorption? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the extrasensory powers? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the meditative stabilities? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the dhāraṇī gateways?
“Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the powers of the tathāgatas? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the fearlessnesses? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the kinds of exact knowledge? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete great loving kindness? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete great compassion? Blessed Lord, how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, and unconditioning, do bodhisattva great beings complete the distinct qualities of the buddhas?”
“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “here, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating,1176 and unconditioning, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom are generous with gifts with a mind that is free from mental images. They give food, drink, clothing, vehicles, bedding, lodging,1177 a home, riches, grain, gold currency,1178 gold, gems, pearls, beryl, conch, quartz, coral, fine gold, and silver, up to everyday necessities and resources for human beings, whatever they might be;1179 or a wife, a son, or a daughter; or externals and internals,1180 or a limb or a vital organ; or even their kingdom embellished with ornaments to those who ask for them. If someone comes up to those bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom and says, ‘What is the point of your being generous with gifts such as these, which are useless and do not last?’ they think in regard to that, ‘Although these beings say to me, “What is the point of your being generous with gifts such as these, which are useless and do not last?” even so I should be generous with gifts; I should not stop giving gifts.’ Making common cause with all beings, they dedicate that generosity to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and of course, when they make the dedication, they do not observe mental images of ‘What am I giving? To whom am I giving? Through what act am I giving? Who is giving? What are they giving? To whom does what are they giving belong? What am I dedicating? To what am I dedicating? Through what act am I dedicating it? Who is doing the dedication? Am I doing the dedication?1181 Where am I doing the dedication?’ They make the dedication in that manner. They do not observe any entity1182 that might be generous, or, having been generous, that would dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“If you ask why, it is because all entities are empty with the emptiness of internal phenomena, empty with the emptiness of external phenomena, empty with the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, empty with the emptiness of emptiness, empty with the emptiness of great extent, empty with the emptiness of ultimate reality, empty with the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, empty with the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, empty with the emptiness of the unlimited, empty with the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, empty with the emptiness of nonexclusion, empty with the emptiness of inherent nature, empty with the emptiness of all phenomena, empty with the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, empty with the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, empty with the emptiness of nonentities, empty with the emptiness of essential nature, and empty with the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities. When they observe all phenomena to be empty in that manner, what would they dedicate, to what would they dedicate, and through what [act] would they dedicate? Their dedication like that is the supreme dedication, the unpoisoned dedication, and the dedication of the realm of phenomena.
“Subhūti, here, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom bring beings to maturity and acquire a buddhafield. They complete the perfection of generosity, complete the perfection of ethical discipline, complete the perfection of tolerance, complete the perfection of perseverance, complete the perfection of meditative concentration, and complete the perfection of wisdom. They complete the emptiness of internal phenomena, complete the emptiness of external phenomena, complete the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, complete the emptiness of emptiness, complete the emptiness of great extent, complete the emptiness of ultimate reality, complete the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, complete the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, complete the emptiness of the unlimited, complete the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, complete the emptiness of nonexclusion, complete the emptiness of inherent nature, complete the emptiness of all phenomena, complete the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, complete the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, complete the emptiness of nonentities, complete the emptiness of essential nature, and complete the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities. They complete the applications of mindfulness, complete the correct exertions, complete the supports for miraculous ability, complete the faculties, complete the powers, complete the branches of enlightenment, and complete the noble eightfold path. They complete the truths of the noble ones, complete the meditative concentrations, complete the immeasurable attitudes, complete the formless absorptions, complete the liberations, complete the serial steps of meditative absorption, complete the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, complete the extrasensory powers, complete the meditative stabilities, and complete the dhāraṇī gateways. They complete the powers of the tathāgatas, complete the fearlessnesses, complete the kinds of exact knowledge, complete great loving kindness, complete great compassion, and complete the distinct qualities of the buddhas.
“Although they complete the perfection of generosity right from the start, they do not grasp at its maturations, and yet all resources nevertheless materialize for them just by their so wishing. For instance, Subhūti, all the excellent resources of the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm arise just by their so wishing. In the same way, Subhūti, all the excellent resources of bodhisattva great beings, too, arise just by their so wishing. With these resources they wait on the lord buddhas. They also satisfy the world with its gods, humans, and asuras. They gather beings with their perfection of generosity and establish them in the three vehicles with their skillful means.
“So it is, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom complete the perfection of generosity within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning.
“Subhūti, if you ask how, from the time when they first set their mind, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, with a mind that is free from a mental image, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom complete the perfection of ethical discipline, Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom, from the time when they first set their mind, complete the perfection of ethical discipline within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, with a mind that is free from a mental image. They fully acquire the ethical discipline of the noble ones, uncontaminated, included within the path, and attained through the reality of phenomena. Their ethical discipline is unbroken, untainted, unblemished, unadulterated, flawless, nondegenerate, independent, utterly complete, and praised by the wise.
“That ethical discipline does not give them a sense of superiority about any phenomena at all, that through this ethical discipline they will attain physical forms, feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, or consciousness; the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, or the mental faculty; sights, sounds, odors, tastes, tangibles, or mental phenomena; visual consciousness, auditory consciousness, olfactory consciousness, gustatory consciousness, tactile consciousness, or mental consciousness; visually compounded sensory contact, aurally compounded sensory contact, nasally compounded sensory contact, lingually compounded sensory contact, corporeally compounded sensory contact, or mentally compounded sensory contact; feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, or feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, or the consciousness element; ignorance, formative predispositions, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, sensory contact, sensation, craving, grasping, the rebirth process, birth, or aging and death; the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, or the perfection of wisdom; the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature, or the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; the applications of mindfulness, the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, or the noble eightfold path; the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the liberations, the nine steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, or the dhāraṇī gateways; the powers of the tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, the distinct qualities of the buddhas, the thirty-two major marks of a great person, or the excellent eighty minor signs; great and lofty royal families, great and lofty brahmin families, or great and lofty householder families; the gods of the Cāturmahārājika realm, the gods of the Trāyastriṃśa realm, the gods of the Yāma realm, the gods of the Tuṣita realm, the gods of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm; the gods of the Brahmakāyika realm, the gods of the Brahmapurohita realm, the gods of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or the gods of the Mahābrahmā realm; the gods of the Ābha realm, the gods of the Parīttābha realm, the gods of the Apramāṇābha realm, or the gods of the Ābhāsvara realm; the gods of the Śubha realm, the gods of the Parīttaśubha realm, the gods of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or the gods of the Śubhakṛtsna realm; the gods of the Vṛha realm, the gods of the Parīttavṛha realm, the gods of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or the gods of the Vṛhatphala realm; the gods of the Asaṃjñin realm; the gods of the Avṛha realm, the gods of the Atapa realm, the gods of the Sudṛśa realm, the gods of the Sudarśana realm, or the gods of the Akaniṣṭha realm; the gods of the sphere of infinite space, the gods of the sphere of infinite consciousness, the gods of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or the gods of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception; the fruit of having entered the stream, the fruit of once-returner, the fruit of non-returner, arhatship, or individual enlightenment; or the authority of a wheel-turning emperor. On the contrary, making common cause with all beings, they dedicate this ethical discipline to all-aspect omniscience by means of a signless dedication, a dedication that cannot be apprehended, a nondual dedication, and that, furthermore, on the basis of mundane convention, not ultimately.
“Through that completion of the perfection of ethical discipline and skillful means they achieve the four meditative concentrations without relishing them. They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the eastern direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the southern direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the western direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the northern direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the northeastern intermediate direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the southeastern intermediate direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the southwestern intermediate direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the northwestern intermediate direction. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the direction below. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“They obtain divine clairvoyance, and through that divine clairvoyance derived from maturation they see the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the direction above. They do not squander that seeing of them until they have themselves fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“With the pure, divine sense element of clairaudience,1183 surpassing that of human beings, they hear the words spoken by those lord buddhas. They do not squander what they have heard from them until, through what they have heard, they have taken care of their own and others’ welfare.
“With knowledge of thought patterns,1184 they know well with their mind the mind of those lord buddhas. They do not squander that knowledge of thought patterns until, through that knowledge of thought patterns, they have taken care of their own and others’ welfare.
“With knowledge of the recollection of past lives, they know the past and future roots of virtue of beings. They perfectly instruct those beings, perfectly encourage them, perfectly fill them with enthusiasm, and perfectly cause them delight in line with those roots of virtue.1185 Those who have perfectly instructed, perfectly encouraged, perfectly filled with enthusiasm, and perfectly caused delight in that manner proceed to a distinguished state.
“With knowledge that contaminants have ceased, they secure beings in the fruit of having entered the stream, secure them in the fruit of once-returner, secure them in the fruit of non-returner, secure them in arhatship, secure them in individual enlightenment, and secure them in enlightenment. Similarly, whatever the virtuous attributes for which they have the capacity,1186 they secure beings in them.
“Subhūti, so it is, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, that bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom complete the perfection of ethical discipline with a mind that is free from a mental image.
“Subhūti, if you ask how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, with a mind that is free from a mental image, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom complete the perfection of tolerance, Subhūti, here when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, with a mind that is free from a mental image, from the time when they first set their mind until they are seated at the site of enlightenment, they cultivate both the tolerance that patiently endures afflictions and the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising.
“Regarding the bodhisattva great beings’ tolerance that patiently endures afflictions, bodhisattva great beings do not give an opportunity for even a single thought of agitation to arise even though all beings repeatedly approach them, scolding and abusing them, hitting them with stones and sticks, and striking them with weapons. They should make an investigation as follows: ‘There is no one who is being scolded or abused, or who is hit or struck. Nor is there anyone who scolds and abuses, or who strikes or throws. beats me, or is being scolded, addressed with unpleasant words, beaten, or hit. They cannot be apprehended.’ They should investigate in that manner.
“As for the bodhisattva great beings’ acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, when bodhisattva great beings investigate the essential nature of all phenomena, they do not even apprehend the reality of phenomena, so how could they possibly apprehend an essential nature of phenomena, which is to say, because they do not observe an essential nature of all phenomena they acquire the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising.
“If you ask why it is called ‘tolerance,’ it is because afflicted mental states do not arise, and transcendent knowledge is not cut off. The tolerance is acceptance that phenomena are nonarising. Abiding in those two tolerances they complete the four meditative concentrations, complete the four immeasurable attitudes, complete the four formless absorptions, complete the four applications of mindfulness, complete the four correct exertions, complete the four supports for miraculous ability, complete the five faculties, complete the five powers, complete the seven branches of enlightenment, complete the noble eightfold path, complete the three gateways to liberation, complete the extrasensory powers, complete the meditative stabilities, complete the dhāraṇī gateways, complete the ten powers of the tathāgatas, complete the four fearlessnesses, complete the four kinds of exact knowledge, complete great loving kindness, complete great compassion, and complete the eighteen qualities of the buddhas. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed the extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and in those five extrasensory powers. Through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the eastern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the southern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the western direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the northern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the intermediate northeastern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the intermediate southeastern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the intermediate southwestern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the intermediate northwestern direction. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the direction below. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Abiding in those attributes of the noble ones, which are uncontaminated, supramundane, and not held in common with all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, they complete the extrasensory powers of the noble ones.
“Having completed those extrasensory powers, they dwell in the six perfections and through divine clairvoyance they see all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the direction above. Having seen those blessed lord buddhas, they acquire the recollection of the buddhas, and their recollection of the buddhas will never be interrupted until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.1187
“Through divine clairaudience, surpassing that of human beings, they hear the words spoken by those lord buddhas, and having heard them, they take them up, and having taken them up, they work hard at true reality. Having worked hard at true reality, they also then teach the Dharma to beings for the purpose of true reality.1188
“With knowledge of the ways of mind, they know well with their mind the minds of those lord buddhas. They also know well with their mind the minds of all the noble ones. They also know well with their mind the minds of all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. They also know well with their mind the minds of all beings, and they teach the Dharma for the purpose of true reality.
“They know that contaminants have ceased, and through knowledge that contaminants have ceased, they secure beings in the three vehicles.
“Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, complete the perfection of tolerance in that manner. While practicing the perfection of wisdom those bodhisattva great beings bring beings to maturity and refine a buddhafield. Having brought beings to maturity and refined a buddhafield, they practice all-aspect omniscience. Having completed all-aspect omniscience, they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, they turn the wheel of the Dharma. Having turned the wheel of the Dharma, they liberate beings from saṃsāra by means of the three vehicles.
“Subhūti, so it is that when those bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, they complete the perfection of tolerance with a mind that is free from a mental image.
“Subhūti, if you ask how, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, with a mind that is free from a mental image, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom complete the perfection of perseverance, Subhūti, here when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning, with a mind that is free from a mental image, from the time when they first set their mind they possess physical perseverance and they possess mental perseverance.
“Abiding in physical perseverance, they achieve and maintain the first meditative concentration, achieve and maintain the second meditative concentration, achieve and maintain the third meditative concentration, and achieve and maintain the fourth meditative concentration. While in mediative equipoise in the fourth meditative concentration, they experience1189 many facets of miraculous ability. They may even cause this mighty earth to shake. They can be one and become many. They can be many and become one. They can also experience themselves as appearing and as disappearing. With their body unobstructed they go right through walls, right through enclosures, and right through mountains, as they would through the sky. They can also move through space, sitting with their legs crossed, like a bird on the wing. They also emerge up onto the earth and sink down into it, as they would do in water. They can walk on water, without sinking, as if on solid ground. They can also emit smoke and flames of fire, like a big bonfire. However miraculous, powerful, and mighty the sun and the moon might be, they can stroke them with their hands, extending their power, up to Brahmaloka, with their physical bodies.
“In possession of such physical perseverance, with those facets of miraculous ability they wait on all the blessed lord buddhas, as many as there are, residing and maintaining themselves and teaching the Dharma in immeasurable, countless, and boundless world systems of the ten directions, with many of the basic necessities: robes, alms, bedding, and medications owing to ill health. Those many basic necessities—robes, alms, bedding, and medications owing to ill health—will not be depleted until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Even after fully awakening to enlightenment, they will continue to please the world with its gods, humans, and asuras with the basic necessities: robes, alms, bedding, and medications owing to ill health. Even after attaining final nirvāṇa, many reliquary offerings appear before the relics.1190 Through just that performance of miraculous abilities, they will go into the presence of those blessed lord buddhas and listen to the Dharma, and they will never squander what they have heard until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Practicing all-aspect omniscience, they also bring beings to maturity and take possession of a buddhafield.
“Subhūti, so it is, through possessing physical perseverance, that those bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom complete the perfection of perseverance, within all the attributes being signless, effortless, unapprehended, unoriginating, and unconditioning.