“It is neither a conditioned phenomenon nor an unconditioned phenomenon,” replied the Blessed One. “That is to say, an unconditioned phenomenon cannot be apprehended elsewhere than a conditioned phenomenon, and a conditioned phenomenon cannot be apprehended elsewhere than an unconditioned phenomenon. Therefore, Subhūti, both those phenomena that are the realm of conditioned phenomena and that are the realm of unconditioned phenomena are neither conjoined nor disjoined, and are immaterial, impossible to indicate, unimpeded, and have only one defining characteristic, which is to say, they are without defining characteristics. Furthermore, the tathāgatas are speaking in mundane conventional language, but not ultimately. For, in ultimate reality, there are no conditioned phenomena of body, or conditioned phenomena of speech, or conditioned phenomena of mind. Nor is ultimate reality apprehended as anything other than the conditioned phenomena of body, conditioned phenomena of speech, and conditioned phenomena of mind. The sameness of phenomena as it pertains to conditioned phenomena and unconditioned phenomena is ultimate reality. For this reason, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, without stirring from ultimate reality they also practice the conduct1416 of a bodhisattva.”
This completes the seventy-first chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines.”