“ ‘This is the perfection of generosity, and this is emptiness. This is the perfection of ethical discipline, and this is emptiness. This is the perfection of tolerance, and this is emptiness. This is the perfection of perseverance, and this is emptiness. This is the perfection of meditative concentration, and this is emptiness. This is the perfection of wisdom, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of internal phenomena, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of external phenomena, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of emptiness, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of great extent, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of ultimate reality, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of the unlimited, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of nonexclusion, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of inherent nature, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of all phenomena, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of nonentities, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of essential nature, and this is emptiness. This is the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities, and this is emptiness. These are the applications of mindfulness, and this is emptiness. These are the correct exertions, and this is emptiness. These are the supports for miraculous ability, and this is emptiness. These are the faculties, and this is emptiness. These are the powers, and this is emptiness. These are the branches of enlightenment, and this is emptiness. This is the noble eightfold path, and this is emptiness. These are the truths of the noble ones, and this is emptiness. These are the meditative concentrations, and this is emptiness. These are the immeasurable attitudes, and this is emptiness. These are the formless absorptions, and this is emptiness. These are the eight liberations, and this is emptiness. These are the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, and this is emptiness. These are the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, and this is emptiness. These are the extrasensory powers, and this is emptiness. These are the meditative stabilities, and this is emptiness. These are the dhāraṇī gateways, and this is emptiness. These are the ten powers of the tathāgatas, and this is emptiness. These are the four fearlessnesses, and this is emptiness. These are the four kinds of exact knowledge, and this is emptiness. This is great loving kindness, and this is emptiness. This is great compassion, and this is emptiness. These are the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, and this is emptiness. This is the fruit of having entered the stream, and this is emptiness. This is the fruit of once-returner, and this is emptiness. This is the fruit of non-returner, and this is emptiness. This is arhatship, and this is emptiness. This is individual enlightenment, and this is emptiness. This is unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and this is emptiness.’ ”
Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, if all phenomena are indivisible, why do bodhisattva great beings think, ‘Having set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, I will fully awaken’? Blessed Lord, enlightenment is not divided into two things. Those who divide things into two cannot fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.”
“It is so, Subhūti, it is so,” replied the Blessed One. “In regard to enlightenment, there is no division into two things. There is no enlightenment for those who engage in duality. Subhūti, since, regarding enlightenment, there are not two things, and it is not to be divided into two, the enlightenment of bodhisattva great beings does not engage with the two things: ‘This is enlightenment. This is a bodhisattva.’ That enlightenment of the bodhisattva great beings does not does not engage with physical forms, does not engage with feelings, does not engage with perceptions, does not engage with formative predispositions, and does not engage with consciousness; does not engage with the eyes, does not engage with the ears, does not engage with the nose, does not engage with the tongue, does not engage with the body, and does not engage with the mental faculty; does not engage with sights, does not engage with sounds, does not engage with odors, does not engage with tastes, does not engage with tangibles, and does not engage with mental phenomena; does not engage with visual consciousness, does not engage with auditory consciousness, does not engage with olfactory consciousness, does not engage with gustatory consciousness, does not engage with tactile consciousness, and does not engage with mental consciousness; does not engage with visually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with aurally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with nasally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with lingually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with corporeally compounded sensory contact, and does not engage with mentally compounded sensory contact; does not engage with feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and does not engage with feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; does not engage with the earth element, does not engage with the water element, does not engage with the fire element, does not engage with the wind element, does not engage with the space element, and does not engage with the consciousness element; does not engage with ignorance, does not engage with formative predispositions, does not engage with consciousness, does not engage with name and form, does not engage with the six sense fields, does not engage with sensory contact, does not engage with sensation, does not engage with craving, does not engage with grasping, does not engage with the rebirth process, does not engage with birth, and does not engage with aging and death; does not engage with the perfection of generosity, does not engage with the perfection of ethical discipline, does not engage with the perfection of tolerance, does not engage with the perfection of perseverance, does not engage with the perfection of meditative concentration, and does not engage with the perfection of wisdom; does not engage with the emptiness of internal phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of external phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of emptiness, does not engage with the emptiness of great extent, does not engage with the emptiness of ultimate reality, does not engage with the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of the unlimited, does not engage with the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, does not engage with the emptiness of nonexclusion, does not engage with the emptiness of inherent nature, does not engage with the emptiness of all phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, does not engage with the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, does not engage with the emptiness of nonentities, does not engage with the emptiness of essential nature, and does not engage with the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; does not engage with the applications of mindfulness, does not engage with the correct exertions, does not engage with the supports for miraculous ability, does not engage with the faculties, does not engage with the powers, does not engage with the branches of enlightenment, and does not engage with the noble eightfold path; does not engage with the truths of the noble ones, does not engage with the meditative concentrations, does not engage with the immeasurable attitudes, does not engage with the formless absorptions, does not engage with the eight liberations, does not engage with the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, does not engage with the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, does not engage with the extrasensory powers, does not engage with the meditative stabilities, and does not engage with the dhāraṇī gateways; does not engage with the ten powers of the tathāgatas, does not engage with the four fearlessnesses, does not engage with the four kinds of exact knowledge, does not engage with great loving kindness, does not engage with great compassion, and does not engage with the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and does not engage with the fruit of having entered the stream, does not engage with the fruit of once-returner, does not engage with the fruit of non-returner, does not engage with arhatship, does not engage with individual enlightenment, and does not engage with unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.”
“If you ask why, it is because enlightenment is without ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ That is to say, enlightenment is without the ‘I’ and the ‘mine’ in ‘I should engage with physical forms,’ or ‘my physical forms’; ‘I should engage with feelings,’ or ‘my feelings’; ‘I should engage with perceptions,’ or ‘my perceptions’; ‘I should engage with formative predispositions,’ or ‘my formative predispositions’; or ‘I should engage with consciousness,’ or ‘my consciousness;’ ‘I should engage with the eyes,’ or ‘my eyes’; ‘I should engage with the ears,’ or ‘my ears’; ‘I should engage with the nose,’ or ‘my nose’; ‘I should engage with the tongue,’ or ‘my tongue’; ‘I should engage with the body,’ or ‘my body’; or ‘I should engage with the mental faculty,’ or ‘my mental faculty;’ ‘I should engage with sights,’ or ‘my sights’; ‘I should engage with sounds,’ or ‘my sounds’; ‘I should engage with odors,’ or ‘my odors’; ‘I should engage with tastes,’ or ‘my tastes’; ‘I should engage with tangibles,’ or ‘my tangibles’; or ‘I should engage with mental phenomena,’ or ‘my mental phenomena’; ‘I should engage with visual consciousness,’ or ‘my visual consciousness’; ‘I should engage with auditory consciousness,’ or ‘my auditory consciousness’; ‘I should engage with olfactory consciousness,’ or ‘my olfactory consciousness’; ‘I should engage with gustatory consciousness,’ or ‘my gustatory consciousness’; ‘I should engage with tactile consciousness,’ or ‘my tactile consciousness’; or ‘I should engage with mental consciousness,’ or ‘my mental consciousness;’ ‘I should engage with visually compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my visually compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with aurally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my aurally compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with nasally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my nasally compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with lingually compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my lingually compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with corporeally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my corporeally compounded sensory contact’; or ‘I should engage with mentally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my mentally compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact’; or ‘I should engage with feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact,’ or ‘my feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with the earth element,’ or ‘my earth element’; ‘I should engage with the water element,’ or ‘my water element’; ‘I should engage with the fire element,’ or ‘my fire element’; ‘I should engage with the wind element,’ or ‘my wind element’; ‘I should engage with the space element,’ or ‘my space element’; or ‘I should engage with the consciousness element,’ or ‘my consciousness element’; ‘I should engage with ignorance,’ or ‘my ignorance’; ‘I should engage with formative predispositions,’ or ‘my formative predispositions’; ‘I should engage with consciousness,’ or ‘my consciousness’; ‘I should engage with name and form,’ or ‘my name and form’; ‘I should engage with the six sense fields,’ or ‘my six sense fields’; ‘I should engage with sensory contact,’ or ‘my sensory contact’; ‘I should engage with craving,’ or ‘my craving’; ‘I should engage with grasping,’ or ‘my grasping’; ‘I should engage with the rebirth process,’ or ‘my rebirth process’; ‘I should engage with birth,’ or ‘my birth’; or ‘I should engage with aging and death,’ or ‘my aging and death’; ‘I should engage with the perfection of generosity,’ or ‘my perfection of generosity’; ‘I should engage with the perfection of ethical discipline,’ or ‘my perfection of ethical discipline’; ‘I should engage with the perfection of tolerance,’ or ‘my perfection of tolerance’; ‘I should engage with the perfection of perseverance,’ or ‘my perfection of perseverance’; ‘I should engage with the perfection of meditative concentration,’ or ‘my perfection of meditative concentration’; or ‘I should engage with the perfection of wisdom,’ or ‘my perfection of wisdom’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of internal phenomena,’ or ‘my emptiness of internal phenomena’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of external phenomena,’ or ‘my emptiness of external phenomena’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of external and internal phenomena,’ or ‘my emptiness of external and internal phenomena’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of emptiness,’ or ‘my emptiness of emptiness’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of great extent,’ or ‘my emptiness of great extent’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of ultimate reality,’ or ‘my emptiness of ultimate reality’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of conditioned phenomena,’ or ‘my emptiness of conditioned phenomena’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena,’ or ‘my emptiness of unconditioned phenomena’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of the unlimited,’ or ‘my emptiness of the unlimited’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end,’ or ‘my emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of nonexclusion,’ or ‘my emptiness of nonexclusion’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of inherent nature,’ or ‘my emptiness of inherent nature’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of all phenomena,’ or ‘my emptiness of all phenomena’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics,’ or ‘my emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended,’ or ‘my emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of nonentities,’ or ‘my emptiness of nonentities’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness of essential nature,’ or ‘my emptiness of essential nature’; or ‘I should engage with the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities,’ or ‘my emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities’; ‘I should engage with the four applications of mindfulness,’ or ‘my four applications of mindfulness’; ‘I should engage with the four correct exertions,’ or ‘my four correct exertions’; ‘I should engage with the four supports for miraculous ability,’ or ‘my four supports for miraculous ability’; ‘I should engage with the five faculties,’ or ‘my five faculties’; ‘I should engage with the five powers,’ or ‘my five powers’; ‘I should engage with the seven branches of enlightenment,’ or ‘my seven branches of enlightenment’; or ‘I should engage with the noble eightfold path,’ or ‘my noble eightfold path’; ‘I should engage with the four truths of the noble ones,’ or ‘my four truths of the noble ones’; ‘I should engage with the four meditative concentrations,’ or ‘my four meditative concentrations’; ‘I should engage with the four immeasurable attitudes,’ or ‘my four immeasurable attitudes’; ‘I should engage with the four formless absorptions,’ or ‘my four formless absorptions’; ‘I should engage with the eight liberations,’ or ‘my eight liberations’; ‘I should engage with the nine serial steps of meditative absorption,’ or ‘my nine serial steps of meditative absorption’; ‘I should engage with the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation,’ or ‘my emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation’; ‘I should engage with the extrasensory powers,’ or ‘my extrasensory powers’; ‘I should engage with the meditative stabilities,’ or ‘my meditative stabilities’; or ‘I should engage with the dhāraṇī gateways,’ or ‘my dhāraṇī gateways’; ‘I should engage with the ten powers of the tathāgatas,’ or ‘my ten powers of the tathāgatas’; ‘I should engage with the four fearlessnesses,’ or ‘my four fearlessnesses’; ‘I should engage with the four kinds of exact knowledge,’ or ‘my four kinds of exact knowledge’; ‘I should engage with great loving kindness,’ or ‘my great loving kindness’; ‘I should engage with great compassion,’ or ‘my great compassion’; or ‘I should engage with the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas,’ or ‘my eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas’; or ‘I should engage with the fruit of having entered the stream,’ or ‘my fruit of having entered the stream’; ‘I should engage with the fruit of once-returner,’ or ‘my fruit of once-returner’; ‘I should engage with the fruit of non-returner,’ or ‘my fruit of non-returner’; ‘I should engage with arhatship,’ or ‘my arhatship’; ‘I should engage with individual enlightenment,’ or ‘my individual enlightenment’; or ‘I should engage with unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment,’ or ‘my unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.’ The enlightenment of bodhisattva great beings does not engage with grasping, and it does not engage with not grasping.”
Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, if in that manner the enlightenment of bodhisattva great beings does not engage in grasping and does not engage in not grasping, with what does the enlightenment of bodhisattva great beings engage?”
“Subhūti, do you think that the enlightenment that is an emanation conjured by the tathāgatas engages with anything at all, with grasping or with not grasping?” asked the Blessed One in return.
“It does not, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti.
“It does not, Blessed Lord,” said Subhūti. “Since arhats do not go to sleep, even if it does come on, how could their intelligence while they are dreaming possibly engage with grasping or with not grasping?”
“Subhūti,” said the Blessed One, “in the same way, the enlightenment of bodhisattva great beings does not engage with either grasping or with not grasping.”
Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, if in that manner the enlightenment of bodhisattva great beings does not engage in grasping and does not engage in not grasping; does not engage in physical forms, does not engage with feelings, does not engage with perceptions, does not engage with formative predispositions, and does not engage with consciousness; does not engage with the eyes, does not engage with the ears, does not engage with the nose, does not engage with the tongue, does not engage with the body, and does not engage with the mental faculty; does not engage with sights, does not engage with sounds, does not engage with odors, does not engage with tastes, does not engage with tangibles, and does not engage with mental phenomena; does not engage with visual consciousness, does not engage with auditory consciousness, does not engage with olfactory consciousness, does not engage with gustatory consciousness, does not engage with tactile consciousness, and does not engage with mental consciousness; does not engage with visually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with aurally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with nasally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with lingually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with corporeally compounded sensory contact, and does not engage with mentally compounded sensory contact; does not engage with feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, does not engage with feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and does not engage with feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; does not engage with the earth element, does not engage with the water element, does not engage with the fire element, does not engage with the wind element, does not engage with the space element, and does not engage with the consciousness element; does not engage with ignorance, does not engage with formative predispositions, does not engage with consciousness, does not engage with name and form, does not engage with the six sense fields, does not engage with sensory contact, does not engage with sensation, does not engage with craving, does not engage with grasping, does not engage with the rebirth process, does not engage with birth, and does not engage with aging and death; does not engage with the perfection of generosity, does not engage with the perfection of ethical discipline, does not engage with the perfection of tolerance, does not engage with the perfection of perseverance, does not engage with the perfection of meditative concentration, and does not engage with the perfection of wisdom; does not engage with the emptiness of internal phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of external phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of emptiness, does not engage with the emptiness of great extent, does not engage with the emptiness of ultimate reality, does not engage with the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of the unlimited, does not engage with the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, does not engage with the emptiness of nonexclusion, does not engage with the emptiness of inherent nature, does not engage with the emptiness of all phenomena, does not engage with the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, does not engage with the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, does not engage with the emptiness of nonentities, does not engage with the emptiness of essential nature, and does not engage with the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; does not engage with the applications of mindfulness, does not engage with the correct exertions, does not engage with the supports for miraculous ability, does not engage with the faculties, does not engage with the powers, does not engage with the branches of enlightenment, and does not engage with the noble eightfold path; does not engage with the truths of the noble ones, does not engage with the meditative concentrations, does not engage with the immeasurable attitudes, does not engage with the formless absorptions, does not engage with the eight liberations, does not engage with the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, does not engage with the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, does not engage with the extrasensory powers, does not engage with the meditative stabilities, and does not engage with the dhāraṇī gateways; does not engage with the ten powers of the tathāgatas, does not engage with the four fearlessnesses, does not engage with the four kinds of exact knowledge, does not engage with great loving kindness, does not engage with great compassion, and does not engage with the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and does not engage with the fruit of having entered the stream, does not engage with the fruit of once-returner, does not engage with the fruit of non-returner, does not engage with arhatship, does not engage with individual enlightenment, does not engage with the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and does not engage with all-aspect omniscience, how do bodhisattva great beings practice the six perfections, and how do they practice the fourteen emptinesses, the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, the three gateways to liberation, all the meditative concentrations, liberations, meditative stabilities, and absorptions, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, and perfect the ten bodhisattva levels, maintain the five extrasensory powers, enter a bodhisattva’s full maturity, refine a buddhafield, bring beings to maturity, actualize the thirty-two major marks of a great person and the eighty excellent minor signs, and fully awaken to all-aspect omniscience? Blessed Lord, those who have not practiced the six perfections, have not practiced the fourteen emptinesses, have not practiced the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, have not practiced the three gateways to liberation, have not practiced all the meditative concentrations, liberations, meditative stabilities, and absorptions, have not practiced the ten powers of the tathāgatas, have not practiced the four fearlessnesses, have not practiced the four kinds of exact knowledge, have not practiced great loving kindness, have not practiced great compassion, and have not practiced the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, and have not perfected the ten bodhisattva levels, have not maintained the five extrasensory powers, have not entered a bodhisattva’s full maturity, have not refined a buddhafield, have not brought beings to maturity, and have not actualized the thirty-two major marks of a great person and the eighty excellent minor signs, cannot fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.”
“It is so, Subhūti, it is so,” replied the Blessed One. “It is as you have said. Without having completed the six perfections, and without having completed the fourteen emptinesses, the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, the three gateways to liberation, all the meditative concentrations, liberations, meditative stabilities, and absorptions, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, and without having completed the ten bodhisattva levels, without having maintained the five extrasensory powers, without having entered into a bodhisattva’s full maturity, without having refined a buddhafield, without having brought beings to maturity, and without having actualized the thirty-two major marks of a great person and the eighty excellent minor signs, they cannot fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings, having completed the six perfections, and having completed all the emptinesses, the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, all the meditative concentrations, liberations, meditative stabilities, and absorptions, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, and the ten bodhisattva levels, and having maintained the five extrasensory powers, entered a bodhisattva’s full maturity, refined a buddhafield, brought beings to maturity, actualized the thirty-two major marks of a great person and the eighty excellent minor signs, and completed the practice of the reality of phenomena that does not decline and the constant state of equanimity,1353 attain all-aspect omniscience.
“Moreover, regarding that, Subhūti, having dwelled in the inherent nature of physical forms, having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings, having dwelled in the inherent nature of perceptions, having dwelled in the inherent nature of formative predispositions, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of consciousness; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the eyes, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the ears, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the nose, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the tongue, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the body, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the mental faculty; having dwelled in the inherent nature of sights, having dwelled in the inherent nature of sounds, having dwelled in the inherent nature of odors, having dwelled in the inherent nature of tastes, having dwelled in the inherent nature of tangibles, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of mental phenomena; having dwelled in the inherent nature of visual consciousness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of auditory consciousness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of olfactory consciousness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of gustatory consciousness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of tactile consciousness, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of mental consciousness; having dwelled in the inherent nature of visually compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of aurally compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of nasally compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of lingually compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of corporeally compounded sensory contact, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of mentally compounded sensory contact; having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the earth element, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the water element, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the fire element, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the wind element, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the space element, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the consciousness element; having dwelled in the inherent nature of ignorance, having dwelled in the inherent nature of formative predispositions, having dwelled in the inherent nature of consciousness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of name and form, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the six sense fields, having dwelled in the inherent nature of sensory contact, having dwelled in the inherent nature of sensation, having dwelled in the inherent nature of craving, having dwelled in the inherent nature of grasping, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the rebirth process, having dwelled in the inherent nature of birth, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of aging and death; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the perfection of generosity, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the perfection of ethical discipline, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the perfection of tolerance, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the perfection of perseverance, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the perfection of meditative concentration, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the perfection of wisdom; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of internal phenomena, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of external phenomena, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of emptiness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of great extent, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of ultimate reality, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of the unlimited, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of nonexclusion, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of inherent nature, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of all phenomena, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of nonentities, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of essential nature, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four applications of mindfulness, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four correct exertions, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four supports for miraculous ability, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the five faculties, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the five powers, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the seven branches of enlightenment, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the noble eightfold path; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four truths of the noble ones, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four meditative concentrations, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four immeasurable attitudes, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four formless absorptions, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the eight liberations, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the extrasensory powers, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the meditative stabilities, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the dhāraṇī gateways; having dwelled in the inherent nature of the ten powers of the tathāgatas, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four fearlessnesses, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the four kinds of exact knowledge, having dwelled in the inherent nature of great compassion, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; and having dwelled in the inherent nature of the fruit of having entered the stream, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the fruit of once-returner, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the fruit of non-returner, having dwelled in the inherent nature of arhatship, having dwelled in the inherent nature of individual enlightenment, having dwelled in the inherent nature of the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and having dwelled in the inherent nature of all-aspect omniscience, those bodhisattva great beings fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. That inherent nature is at peace. It causes nothing at all to be enhanced or diminished, to arise or cease, to be afflicted or purified, or to be attained or clearly realized.
“Furthermore, it is according to the reality of phenomena designated in mundane, conventional terms that bodhisattva great beings will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Ultimately, there exist no phenomena at all such as physical forms, feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, or consciousness; or the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, or the mental faculty; or sights, sounds, odors, tastes, tangibles, or mental phenomena; or visual consciousness, auditory consciousness, olfactory consciousness, gustatory consciousness, tactile consciousness, or mental consciousness; or 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; or 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; or the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, or the consciousness element; or ignorance, formative predispositions, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, sensory contact, sensation, craving, grasping, the rebirth process, birth, or aging and death; or 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; or 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; or 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; or the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the liberations, the serial steps of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, or the dhāraṇī gateways; or the powers of the tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, or the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; or the fruit of having entered the stream, the fruit of once-returner, the fruit of non-returner, arhatship, individual enlightenment, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, or anyone who engages in enlightenment. All those phenomena are designated according to mundane convention, but not ultimately. Consequently, bodhisattva great beings, from the time when they first set their mind, engage in enlightenment but do not apprehend those minds, do not apprehend beings, do not apprehend enlightenment, and do not apprehend a bodhisattva.
“Subhūti, do you think that when you, Subhūti, acquired the faculties for abandoning the false view of the perishable composites, or when you acquired the unobstructed meditative stability, or the fruit of having entered the stream, or the fruit of once-returner, or the fruit of non-returner, or arhatship, there were any dreams, minds, paths, or fruits that you apprehended?”
“No, there were not, Blessed Lord,” said Subhūti.
“In that case, why was it declared and prophesied about you, that ‘Subhūti has attained arhatship’?” asked the Blessed One.
“Blessed Lord, this was declared and prophesied according to mundane convention.”