Chapter 70
Then the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, if all phenomena are nonentities and they have not been created by the buddhas, have not been created by pratyekabuddhas, have not been created by arhats, have not been created by non-returners, have not been created by once-returners, have not been created by those who have entered the stream, have not been created by the candidates for those, and this enlightenment has not been created even by bodhisattva great beings who practice it, how will there be the differentiation and presentation of those phenomena as, ‘These are denizens of the hells, these of the animal realm, and these of the world of Yama. These are gods. These are human beings. Through this karma they become denizens of the hells, of the animal realm, and of the world of Yama. Through this karma they become human beings. Through this karma they become gods of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Trayastriṃśa realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Yāma realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Tuṣita realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Nirmāṇarati realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Brahmakāyika realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Brahmapurohita realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Brahmapārṣadya realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Mahābrahmā realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Ābha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Parīttābha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Apramāṇābha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Ābhāsvara realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Śubha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Parīttaśubha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Apramāṇaśubha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Śubhakṛtsna realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Vṛhat realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Parīttavṛha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Apramāṇavṛha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Vṛhatphala realms. Through this karma they become gods of the Avṛha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Atapa realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Sudṛśa realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Sudarśana realm. Through this karma they become gods of the Akaniṣṭha realm. Through this karma they become gods of the sphere of infinite space. Through this karma they become gods of the sphere of infinite consciousness. Through this karma they become gods of the sphere of nothing-at-all. Through this karma they become gods of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. Through this karma they are in the fruit1406 of having entered the stream. Through this karma they are in the fruit of once-returner. Through this karma they are in the fruit of non-returner. Through this karma they are in arhatship. Through this karma they become pratyekabuddhas. Through this karma they become bodhisattva great beings. Through this karma they become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas’?
“Blessed Lord, nonentities have no action at all through which they could proceed to the hells, or proceed to the animal realm, or proceed to the world of Yama, or be born a human being, or be born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or be born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or be born a god of the Yāma realm, or be born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or be born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or be born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or be born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or be born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or be born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or be born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or be born a god of the Ābha realm, or be born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or be born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or be born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or be born a god of the Śubha realm, or be born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or be born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or be born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or be born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or be born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or be born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or be born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or be born a god of the Avṛha realm, or be born a god of the Atapa realm, or be born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or be born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or be born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or be born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or be born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or be born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or be born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, or attain the fruit of having entered the stream, or attain the fruit of once-returner, or attain the fruit of non-returner, or attain arhatship, or attain solitary enlightenment, or practice the path of the bodhisattva great beings, or attain all-aspect omniscience, and, having attained that, liberate beings from cyclic existence. There is no such action at all.”
The venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Blessed One said to him, “It is so, Subhūti, it is so. It is as you have said. Subhūti, nonentities have no karma, have no action, and have no fruit at all.1407 However, foolish ordinary people who are ignorant of the doctrine of the noble ones do not know that phenomena have the essential nature of nonentity. With minds that have arisen from a misconception, they create a diversity of karma that brings into being the sort of corporeal forms that accord with it. It brings into being a corporeal form among the denizens of the hells, or of the animal realm, or of the world of Yama; or among the human beings; or among the gods of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or the gods of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or the gods of the Yāma realm, or the gods of the Tuṣita realm, or the gods of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm; or the gods of the Brahmakāyika realm, or the gods of the Brahmapurohita realm, or the gods of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or the gods of the Mahābrahmā realm; or the gods of the Ābha realm, or the gods of the Parīttābha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇābha realm, or the gods of the Ābhāsvara realm; or the gods of the Śubha realm, or the gods of the Parīttaśubha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or the gods of the Śubhakṛtsna realm; or the gods of the Vṛhat realm, or the gods of the Parīttavṛha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or the gods of the Vṛhatphala realm; or the gods of the Avṛha realm, or the gods of the Atapa realm, or the gods of the Sudṛśa realm, or the gods of the Sudarśana realm, or the gods of the Akaniṣṭha realm; or the gods of the sphere of infinite space, or the gods of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or the gods of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or the gods of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. Nonentities have no karma, have no action, and have no fruit at all, and that which is a nonentity is itself a nonentity.
“In this regard, Subhūti, concerning what you have said—‘Nonentities have no action at all through which they could go to the hells, or go to the animal realm, or go to the world of Yama, or be born a human being, or be born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or be born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or be born a god of the Yāma realm, or be born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or be born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or be born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or be born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or be born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or be born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or be born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or be born a god of the Ābha realm, or be born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or be born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or be born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or be born a god of the Śubha realm, or be born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or be born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or be born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or be born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or be born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or be born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or be born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or be born a god of the Avṛha realm, or be born a god of the Atapa realm, or be born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or be born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or be born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or be born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or be born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or be born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or be born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, or attain the fruit of having entered the stream, or attain the fruit of once-returner, or attain the fruit of non-returner, or attain in arhatship, or attain solitary enlightenment, or practice the path of the bodhisattva great beings, or attain all-aspect omniscience, and, having attained that, liberate beings from cyclic existence. There is no such action at all’—Subhūti, do you think that the path is not a nonentity, that the fruit of having entered the stream is not a nonentity, that the fruit of once-returner is not a nonentity, that the fruit of non-returner is not a nonentity, that arhatship is not a nonentity, that solitary enlightenment is not a nonentity, up to that all-aspect omniscience is not a nonentity?”
“Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti, “the path is a nonentity. The fruit of having entered the stream is a nonentity, the fruit of once-returner is a nonentity, the fruit of non-returner is a nonentity, arhatship is a nonentity, solitary enlightenment is a nonentity, up to all-aspect omniscience is a nonentity.”
“Subhūti, do you think that a phenomenon that is a nonentity causes the attainment of a phenomenon that is a nonentity?” asked the Blessed One.
“No, it does not, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti.
The Blessed One continued, “So it is, Subhūti, that the two phenomena—that which is a nonentity and that which is the path—are neither conjoined nor disjoined, and are immaterial, impossible to indicate, unimpeded, and have only one defining characteristic, which is to say, that they are without defining characteristics.
“There, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, through skill in means they liberate beings who are fixated on entities from entities—those fixated because of four misconceptions of the five aggregates: those with the perception of the impermanent as permanent, those with the perception of suffering as happiness, those with the perception of nonself as self, and those with the perception of the unpleasant as pleasant.”
Subhūti asked, “Blessed Lord, is there ‘a real, unmistaken basis’ such that, thinking ‘it is an entity,’ foolish ordinary people have become fixated on it? If there is not, how do they create the karma at hand, and therefore not become liberated from cyclic existence with its five classes of beings, which is the residue of that karma?”
“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “apart from a misconception, there is no real basis, even posited as being as tiny as a fraction of the tip of a strand of hair, on which foolish ordinary people dwell and create karma. For this reason, Subhūti, I will explain to you with analogies, simply to deal with this point clearly1408 and so that the wise might understand.
“Subhūti, do you think that when seeing in a dream there is any real basis such that the one seeing the dream, dwelling in it, might enjoy the five objects of the senses?”
“Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti, “since even the dream itself is not there, it goes without saying that the one seeing the dream, who dwells in it and enjoys the five objects of the senses, is not there.”
“Subhūti, do you think that there is any such phenomenon at all, mundane or supramundane, contaminated or uncontaminated, or conditioned or unconditioned, that is not like a dream?” asked the Blessed One.
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “There is no such phenomenon at all, mundane or supramundane, contaminated or uncontaminated, or conditioned or unconditioned, that is not like a dream.”
“Is there a saṃsāra with its five classes of beings in a dream?” asked the Blessed One.
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti.
The Blessed One then asked, “Subhūti, do you think that by having cultivated the path in a dream there would be the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “It has no real basis so it cannot be designated by any expressions, words, sounds, or letters.”
“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “do you think that when a reflection appears on a mirror, it has some real basis such that it creates karma, and by having created it one proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or becomes a human being or a god?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti, “It has no real basis, except, Blessed Lord, in the case of simpletons who are being deceived. Since even the reflection itself is not there, it goes without saying that one that creates karma, and by having created it proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or becomes a human being or a god, is not there.”
The Blessed One then asked, “Subhūti, do you think that in that reflection, by having cultivated the path there would be the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification?”
“That cultivation of the path, Blessed Lord, is not there,” replied Subhūti. “Blessed Lord, since even the reflection itself has no real basis, it goes without saying that there is no cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification.”
“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “do you think that when there is an echo in a dense forest, a mountain, a precipice, or a valley, that echo has some real basis such that it creates any karma, and by having created it proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or becomes a human being or a god?”
“No, it does not, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “Since the echo itself has no real basis, Blessed Lord, it goes without saying that it does not create karma, and by having created it proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or is born a human being or a god, or is born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or is born a god of the Yāma realm, or is born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or is born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or is born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or is born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or is born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or is born a god of the Ābha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or is born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or is born a god of the Śubha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or is born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or is born a god of the Avṛha realm, or is born a god of the Atapa realm, or is born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or is born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or is born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or is born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or is born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception.”
The Blessed One then asked, “Subhūti, do you think that in that echo, by having cultivated the path there would be the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “Blessed Lord, since there is absolutely not even the echo itself, it goes without saying that there is no cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification.”
“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “do you think that in a mirage—when there is the perception of water where there is no water, the perception of rivers where there are no rivers, the perception of cities where there are no cities, or the perception of meadows where there are no meadows— there is the karma of the perception such that by having created it, one proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or is born a human being or a god, or is born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or is born a god of the Yāma realm, or is born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or is born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or is born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or is born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or is born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or is born a god of the Ābha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or is born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or is born a god of the Śubha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or is born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or is born a god of the Avṛha realm, or is born a god of the Atapa realm, or is born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or is born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or is born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or is born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or is born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception?”
Subhūti replied, “Blessed Lord, since, except for perception that has become distorted and the eyes seeing wrongly, there is absolutely no water, rivers, cities, or meadows in a mirage, it goes without saying that there is no karma that it will create so that one proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, or proceeds to the world of Yama; or is born a human being or a god; or is born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or is born a god of the Yāma realm, or is born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or is born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or is born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or is born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or is born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or is born a god of the Ābha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or is born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or is born a god of the Śubha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or is born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or is born a god of the Avṛha realm, or is born a god of the Atapa realm, or is born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or is born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or is born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or is born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or is born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception.”
The Blessed One then asked, “Subhūti, do you think that in that distorted perception, by having cultivated the path there would be the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “Blessed Lord, since even the mirage itself is absolutely not there, it goes without saying that the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification is not there.”
“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “do you think that when an illusionist conjures up a diverse magical display of a body of elephants, or a body of horses,1409 or a body of oxen, or a body of infantry, or the physical form of a woman, or the physical form of a man, that the magical display has any real basis such that, by having created karma, it proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, or proceeds to the world of Yama; or is born a human being or a god; or is born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or is born a god of the Yāma realm, or is born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or is born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or is born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or is born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or is born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or is born a god of the Ābha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or is born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or is born a god of the Śubha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or is born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or is born a god of the Avṛha realm, or is born a god of the Atapa realm, or is born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or is born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or is born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or is born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or is born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception?”
“No, Blessed One,” replied Subhūti. “In that magical display there is nothing even posited as being as tiny as a fraction of the tip of a strand of hair where one dwells and creates karma, and by having created it proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or is born a human being, or is born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm or is born a god of the Yāma realm, or is born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or is born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or is born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or is born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or is born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or is born a god of the Ābha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or is born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or is born a god of the Śubha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or is born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or is born a god of the Avṛha realm, or is born a god of the Atapa realm, or is born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or is born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or is born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or is born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or is born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception.”
The Blessed One then asked, “Subhūti, do you think that in that magical display, by having cultivated the path there would be the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “Blessed Lord, how could a phenomenon that has no real basis possibly become defiled or become purified?”
“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “do you think that when a tathāgata creates an emanation, that emanation has some real basis such that it creates any karma, and by having created it proceeds to the hells, proceeds to the animal realm, proceeds to the world of Yama, or is born a human being, or is born a god of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or is born a god of the Yāma realm, or is born a god of the Tuṣita realm, or is born a god of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or is born a god of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or is born a god of the Brahmakāyika realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapurohita realm, or is born a god of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or is born a god of the Mahābrahmā realm, or is born a god of the Ābha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttābha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇābha realm, or is born a god of the Ābhāsvara realm, or is born a god of the Śubha realm, or is born a god of the Parīttaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or is born a god of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhat realm, or is born a god of the Parīttavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or is born a god of the Vṛhatphala realm, or is born a god of the Avṛha realm, or is born a god of the Atapa realm, or is born a god of the Sudṛśa realm, or is born a god of the Sudarśana realm, or is born a god of the Akaniṣṭha realm, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite space, or is born a god of the sphere of infinite consciousness, or is born a god of the sphere of nothing-at-all, or is born a god of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception?”
“No, it does not, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti. “That emanation has no real basis.”
The Blessed One then asked, “Subhūti, do you think that in that emanation, by having cultivated the path there would be the cultivation of a path such that there would not be defilement and there would not be purification?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti.
“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One, “do you think that anyone becomes defiled or becomes purified there?”
“No, Blessed Lord,” replied Subhūti.
“So it is, Subhūti,” said the Blessed One. “Just as there is no one at all that becomes defiled or becomes purified, in the same way there is neither defilement nor purification. If you ask why, it is because beings maintaining notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ become defiled or purified, but those who see the real neither become defiled nor purified. Just as those who see the real neither become defiled nor purified, in the same way there is neither defilement nor purification.”
This completes the seventieth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”